Brown Bear is an electronic and ambient side project associated in the available information with English musician Craig Dixon, who uses the alias for work in downtempo and trip-hop-influenced electronic music. The name is also linked to a separate five-piece project built around guitarist and singer Col Hockey, so the available material presents more than one line of activity under the same name.

Craig Dixon project

In one account, Brown Bear is a solo alias used by Craig Dixon. Under that name, he is active during 2015 and 2016 and releases two EPs and three full-length projects. He later retires the Brown Bear name and concentrates on his other work as Lake Weary and as part of the indie trio Hollowhead.

Earlier group

Another account describes Brown Bear as being conceived in 2003 by Col Hockey and local film composer and producer Cliff Bradley. The project later includes Ryan Murray, Justin Daughtry and Isaac Myers, forming a five-piece line-up. In that version, Col Hockey handles lead vocals and guitar, Cliff Bradley plays guitar, John Northwood plays bass, Justin Daughtry plays drums, and Ryan Murray works on laptop and keyboard.

The group’s sound combines acoustic and electronic elements, moving between delicate and intense passages. Their early release The Casual appears in 2004, gains airplay on Triple J’s Home and Hosed programme, and attracts interest from Starving Kids Records. The follow-up EP Music To Swim To appears in 2007 and receives attention from indie radio stations and magazines in Australia. The project also moves from low-profile shows to larger venues including The Troubadour and The Zoo.