In 2001, a group of musical friends and acquaintances in Seattle pooled their talents and hybridized their influences and passions into a singular sonic outcome that touched on various Rocks (Math, Indie, Classic, Prog), Jazz and Pop. In naming the band, the original quintet drew on the punchline of a true-life dirty joke; a mutual friend of the band described a blind date as “like that ‘70s TV show BJ and the Bear — minus the Bear.”
Over the next 17 years, Minus the Bear has released six well-regarded full-length studio albums and four EPs, along with a handful of singles and a remix of their 2005 sophomore album, Menos el Oso. The lineup managed to stay relatively intact in that time, retaining three of the band’s five original members — guitarist/lead vocalist Jake Snider, guitarist Dave Knudson and bassist Cory Murchy. Longtime keyboardist Alex Rose joined in 2006, replacing Matt Bayles, who left the group to concentrate on his production career (along with acts like Screaming Females and The Sword, he’s also done studio work with MTB since leaving).
For MTB’s first decade, the band maintained a schedule of releasing an album every two or three years, punctuated by interim (and colorfully titled) EPs like This is What I Know About Being Gigantic and Bands Like It When You Yell “Yar!” at Them. Following an atypical lack of music after 2012’s Infinity Overhead, the band returned last year with Voids, an album that represented a clear return to form, with familiar guitar techniques and time signatures, less electronic blippery and quietly but powerfully evocative lyrics. At times sounding like a mash-up of The Hold Steady and Adrian Belew’s iteration of King Crimson, Voids is among the best of the band’s catalog and a perfect blend of Minus the Bear’s intriguing evolution and bedrock solid foundation.
For the group’s current tour, Minus the Bear is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its breakthrough Planet of Ice album by playing it in its entirety.
Click here for tickets/more show info.
This article appears in Apr 25 – May 2, 2018.