Sponge
with Fortress of the Bear

Thursday Apr 11th, 2024
Doors at 6:00PM || Show at 7:00PM
Bossanova Ballroom
722 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214

Sponge has proven to be one of the Motor City's heaviest hitters after gaining
international notoriety with their debut album "Rotting Piñata” (Sony). Emerging
from Detroit with hits like "Plowed" and "Molly (16 Candles)," Sponge received
massive airplay on radio stations from coast to coast and were in heavy rotation on
MTV. Both “Plowed” and “Molly” hit #5 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Charts,
catapulting “Rotting Piñata” to Gold, and ultimately Platinum status.
Sponge's follow up album, the critically lauded “Wax Ecstatic” (Columbia) scored
additional top ten Billboard hits including "Wax Ecstatic" and "Have You Seen
Mary?" The band’s music was also featured in popular movies “The Craft,”
“Chasing Amy,” “Mall Rats,” and “Empire Records.” Sponge’s star continued to rise
with network appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and the Conan
O’Brien Show.
Sponge’s subsequent releases “New Pop Sunday,” “For All The Drugs in The
World,” “The Man,” “Galore Galore,” and “Destroy the Boy ” showcased the band’s
swirling sonic attack rooted in 70's glam, and of course, the Motor City influences
of The Stooges, The MC5, and Motown—but still sounding distinctly like no one
else.
“Plowed” continues to be the band’s signature rock track, having been spotlighted
on Guitar Hero’s “Warriors of Rock – 90’s Rock Track Pack” – and on the Paper
Jamz Guitar Series 2, in addition to the soundtrack for the Gerard Butler surf movie
“Chasing Mavericks.”

Fortress of the Bear is a Seattle based rock band, featuring riff heavy arrangements, soulful vocals, and a pounding rhythm section. The band boasts a wide range of influences, taking cues from blues acts like Howlin’ Wolf while reaching into classic rock through the likes of Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, and employing lyrical flourishes that evoke Paul Simon or James Taylor.