The Aquabear Legion, a collective of bands hailing mostly from Athens and Cleveland, was established as a means for getting local music heard as well as promoting networking.

"Aquabear is an amazing way to get your music heard by other artists and music enthusiasts in Ohio," explained Leo DeLuca of Athens band Southeast Engine. "It has provided a sense of solidarity among Athens and Ohio bands, regardless of genre or sound. The notion is that it will serve as a networking device among Ohio bands. I think it's great."

The Legion is comprised predominately of rock ‘n' roll bands taking on various forms ranging from pop to noise to punk to acoustic, said Legion co-founders Brian Koscho and Todd Jacops. "There's a little bit of everything represented in the collective."

"The cool thing about the Aquabear Legion is the spectrum of bands," said Andrew Lampela, a self-proclaimed band/show slut who is represented in the Legion by the Arch Villains, Kid Panda Hands, Weedghost, Dinner of Swords and the regular ARTS/West noise show. "There are other collectives in Ohio (the Lemon House out of Columbus, for instance) but Aquabear has a wider variety of acts. From Casual Future's shambling folk/rock indie songs to Kid Panda Hands' blasts of juvenile noise, truly everything is represented.

"It is also an excellent networking resource as it includes bands from all over Ohio," Lampela continued. "I think Brian and Todd have done an amazing job exposing all these different bands to each other."
Since Aquabear's inception several years ago by creative masterminds Koscho and Jacops, the two estimate that about 30 bands have been associated with the Legion.

Koscho and Jacops both hail from Lorain, near Cleveland. Though they traveled in the same circles in high school, Jacops was from an older generation, so their creative energies did not combine until they were introduced by a mutual friend some years later. By this time, they both had so many friends in Cleveland and Athens who were doing so much interesting stuff with music that they decided to create an outlet to tap into that resource. The outlet they created became known as the Aquabear Legion.

"Our collective goal is to improve networking," repeated Koscho, who described the Legion as a labor of love.
"We don't want Aquabear to be a (record) label," said Jacops, adding that what they want to do is to provide free information, play shows and record music.

To fulfill their goals of improving networking and getting local music heard, the Aquabear Web site provides numerous resources for musicians and people who want to sample music from across Ohio. Currently, three online compilations are available on the site; Volume 1, Hip-Hopilation and the White Album, which is only two songs away from completion. The compilations represent a variety of musicians who are involved with the Legion and are available for download free of charge exclusively through the site.

In addition to the online compilations, Aquabear members often play together. The first Aquabear County Fair, held in March at ARTS/West, featured We March, Self Destruct Button, Men of Gentle Birth, Casual Future, State of Ohio, The X Bolex, Silo Circuit, BlkTygr, Lola Indiana, Coshocton and Weedghost.
Koscho said he hopes to make the Aquabear County Fair an annual event since it was such a rocking good time this year.

"The Aquabear Legion is great for artists and fans alike," said Kristofer Poland, a member of the Arch Villains, Weedghost, Dinner of Swords, Goodbye Goats and Kid Panda Hands. "It allows musicians to network with one another, create new groups, and be exposed to new and interesting ideas and sounds. It also gives music fans the opportunity to hear stuff they would never be exposed to otherwise."

He said he's met some great people through the Aquabear Legion, while his bands have been on a number of Aquabear Legion compilations (online and on CD) and Aquabear Legion-sponsored shows. The Legion also provides a productive link between Athens and Cleveland for musicians in both areas."
According to Koscho, within the Legion a lot of diverse talents are represented, from booking to web design to filming to making buttons - each facet of the Bear lends to its success and presence. They are currently pooling their collective resources to make the Web site more sophisticated and to offer Podcasts. In addition, they are planning to rehearse a DVD of the Aquabear County Fair, which celebrated the release of Volume 2, sometime this year.

According to Poland, the Legion is unique because "it's just a bunch of really creative people coming together as a collective community of musicians. It's not a label. It's not really trying to make a profit. It's just about good music, and I think that's why those who know about it support it. I imagine groups like the Aquabear Legion exist all over the world; we're just lucky to have one of such high quality and commitment here in Athens."

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