Mission Statement

Brown Bear Sound was started by Jeremy Young born out of a passion for live concerts.  Striving to help independent artists reach larger audiences and bring calm to the chaos of the live stage, Brown Bear Sound brings a fresh new approach to portable audio production on Vancouver Island. 

I firmly believe in helping bring music to life in our community, and fostering new talent to reach their dreams.  Growing up I was lucky to gain experience around stages as early as elementary school performing in musicals and back-stage operating audio and lighting; and that led to becoming a songwriter and returning to the spotlight performing my own music.

Some of the best bonds I’ve formed in my life have been through the local music scene, and I want to give others the opportunity I had to grow up with a strong supportive community that cherishes the arts and creativity.

Why “Brown Bear Sound”?

Vancouver Island is known for its vast outdoor recreation and wildlife, as well as being a hub for artistic people from around the world. I didn’t want to name the business after me, because I want to build it into something that represents more than what one person can achieve.

I wanted a name that reflected the local environment, represented with an animal that encompassed the balance of careful patience and sheer moving mass that we delicately dance with in the live entertainment environment. 

There is also a personal touch to the name, because my former bandmates would call me Jer-Bear as a nickname.  

Finally, as a guitar player who was influenced by the late Eddie Van Halen and spent a considerable amount of time chasing the “perfect” hard rock guitar tone; the guitar tone on Van Halen's first albums (Van Halen, Van Halen II and Fair Warning) is often called the "Brown Sound" in the guitar community. It was created using a very creative combination of customized guitars, creative pedalboard and the valve amp distortion, but continues to evade many who try to copy it. This seemingly endless pursuit of perfection has carried into my passion for creating the best concert-going experience possible.