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

record review: Minus the Bear - Omni

On their fourth full length LP, Seattle’s Minus the Bear have rounded up the talents of Joe Chiccarelli to put forth their most textured album to date. Taking experimentalism to the next level, they continue to create synth effects with guitar, merging indie rock and dance music in the most breathlessly vibrant way possible. Part grime, part polish, the music is dripping with glimmering beats and raucous electrical charges. With an impeccable black gold sheen it seamlessly winds through decades of dance music, picking up all the best volcanic rocks and delivering them in Jake’s Snider’s signature whispery high tenor. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself in some stranger’s bed after a Minus the Bear concert, Omni’s sensuality is undeniable.
3.4/5

you can stream the whole album HERE

tour dates can be found on their MYSPACE page

Minus the Bear: album stream + tour dates

Omni, the Seattle band's 4th studio LP, will see a proper release on 4 May but you can stream it now HERE

April 19 Knitting Factory Concert House Spokane, WA
April 20 The Railyard Billings, MT
April 22 Slowdown Omaha, NE
April 23 Sandstone Amphitheatre Bonner Springs, KS
April 25 St. Andrew's Hall Detroit, MI
April 26 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
April 28 Madison Theater Covington, KY
April 29 Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY
April 30 Webster Theatre Hartford, CT
May 2 Bamboozle Festival E. Rutherford, NJ
May 5 Wilbur Theatre Boston, MA
May 6 Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
May 7 9:30 Club Washington, DC
May 8 The National Richmond, VA
May 9 The Fillmore Charlotte Charlotte, NC
May 10 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA
May 11 Revolution Ft. Lauderdale, FL
May 12 The Ritz Tampa, FL
May 14 House Of Blues Houston, TX
May 15 Granada Dallas, TX
May 16 La Zona Rosa Austin, TX
May 18 Sunshine Theatre Albuquerque, NM
May 19 House Of Blues Las Vegas, NV
May 20 Mayan Theatre Los Angeles, CA
May 21 Glass House Pomona, CA
May 22 SOMA San Diego, CA
May 23 Marquee Theater Tempe, AZ
May 26 Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA
May 27 Knitting Factory Reno, NV
May 28 Roseland Theatre Portland, OR
May 29 Sasquatch Music Festival George, WA

Minus the Bear - My Time [mp3]

Minus the Bear - When We Escape

Minus the Bear - When We Escape [mp3]

I don't know much about this band (other than that they are epic live), but this song is gorgeous. the reason that I'm posting it is because, yesterday, when I was sorting through my things, I came across a post-it with the song title written on it.

when I used to work in tech services at my school's library, post-its were everywhere (we had to flag things etc etc) I ended up using them to write song titles of things I liked from last.fm. I had listened to Minus the Bear before, just not regularly. this guy I was sort of interested in at one time gave me some of their music and I ended up going to a show of theirs with one of my friends, who was a big fan of the band. but anyhow, it's a great track, enjoy.

Minus the Bear on Daytrotter

download some excellent tunes here

MTB is a great Seattle band, saw them last November. the above photo is one of my favourites, taken at that show (at the Fillmore, I think.)