concert review: Minus the Bear

The Regency Ballroom
26 May 2010




Minus the Bear have such a varied discography, blending genres in their signature progressive form, but their live shows blur all of these distinctions into one retro sound. Wednesday night, the Seattle band delivered an impassioned set like they were straight out of the 60s, and the sheen and polish of their latest sensual record, Omni, all but disappeared, replaced by rawness fitting to be a band opening for Led Zeppelin. Flashy, no. Intense, yes. As per usual, guitarist Dave Knudson was accompanied by his fan, ensuring that his hair was as wild as his chops. Jake Snider’s edgy vocals were supplemented by keyboardist Alex Rose’s echos. The most impressive thing of the night was the fact that none of the band members overshadowed the others; as they shifted on stage, so did the amplified musical spotlight. When compared to their concerts, there is something somewhat lacking in their recorded sound, and if I had to narrow it down to a single element, it has to be the band’s impeccable chemistry with each other and, perhaps more importantly, with the audience. Jake mused that Seattle and San Francisco were sister cities, attributing the hill-filled topography and difficult parking as the unifying elements. Alex hit the target much better: “we like to smoke weed and we’re okay with gays.” Aaaaaaamen.
4.3/5

set list:
Drilling
Throwin’ Shapes
Knights
My Time
Summer Angel
When We Escape [mp3]
Secret Country
T2
Excuses
Double Vision Quest
Fine + 2 Pts
Hold Me Down
Women We Haven’t Met Yet [mp3] [vid]
Pachuca Sunrise
Dayglow Vista Road [vid]

The Fix [vid]
Into The Mirror [vid, recommended!]
Absinthe Party [vid]

more photos:









I only caught a couple of seconds of Everest’s opening set, but it sounded superb. Very fitting to be an opener to Minus the Bear.
photos:



Everest on MYSPACE