Americana Stalwarts YARN pay tribute to "Cocaine Bear" on 70s-inspired Country Balla

You might expect a band that calls itself YARN to, naturally, tend to spin a yarn or two. “That’s what we do, we tell stories, live and in the studio, truth and fiction,” singer/songwriter Blake Christiana insists. “We don’t always opt for consistency. There’s a different vibe onstage from what comes through in our recordings. There’s a difference in every show as well, you never know what you’re going to get.” 

 

On their latest single “Cocaine Bear,” Christiana delivers a 70s country ballad about the unbelievable yet, true story of a bear that was found dead near a cargo of cocaine that went down along the Tennessee / Georgia border. Nicknamed Pablo Escobear, the story of the bear was first recounted by The New York Times in a 1985 article. Over the years, the story has also inspired much folklore as well as this song (written in 2019) and a film by the same name out this year.