Show: Minus the Bear
Date: October 22, 2010
Venue: The Wiltern
City: Los Angeles, CA
Minus the Bear
Photos by Nicolas Bates
Written by Lindsay Murphy
Seattle-based indie prog-rock band Minus the Bear brought life to their languid brand of effects-laden music to enthusiastic fans at the Wiltern. Throughout the show, the quirky quintet exuded an easygoing, unpretentious attitude, as if they were playing purely for themselves in their own practice space.
The band sauntered on stage and launched into the chugging “Secret Country,” a heavier cut off recent release OMNI that exposes its members’ hardcore roots.
The immensely talented ex-Botch guitarist Dave Knudson sparkled. He vacillated between both mathcore-style licks and polyphonic two-handed tapping technique, notable on songs like “Money!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!” and “Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse.” Besides showcasing his enviable technical aptitude, Knudson was by far the most dynamic performer of the group.
“White Mystery” found Knudson stomping on his collection of pedals to set off samples. He fell to his knees mid-song, headbanging to the beat as if bowing to the audience, but actually punching pedals in continuation of his earlier footwork. He leapt to his feet for a guitar portion then fluidly fell again. The constant movement was mesmerizing.
Bassist Cory Murchy and drummer Erin Tate connected magnetically to knit the often off-beat rhythm that drives the band’s sound. Keys player Alex Rose validated his reputation for playing dexterous melodies and bringing shimmer to Minus the Bear’s songs.
Jake Snyder’s vocals tend to come across borderline-boring and flat on recordings, but his live antics revealed a rawer state that rendered this musical amalgamation more enjoyable.
The show flowed flawlessly from song to song, with Snyder occasionally making comments. The simple lighting setup, featuring four rectangular boxes containing strips of flashing lights, nicely complimented their laid-back vibe.
Minus the Bear initiated an audience arm wave to the beat of “Into the Mirror,” and similarly led clap-alongs during several other songs.
Critics and many long-standing fans largely panned the dampened nature and overly-slick poppiness of OMNI, the album Minus the Bear was touring to support. Contrarily, those present at the Wiltern responded most ardently to the album’s first song and single “My Time,” dancing excitedly and lip-syncing lyrics.
The set list evenly represented slices off each album: Highly Refined Piratesbrought oldies such as “Thanks for the Killer Game of Crisco Twister,” Menos el Oso gave “The Game Needed Me” and “Memphis & 53rd,” Planet of Ice contributed “Dr. L’ling” and “Burying Luck,” EP They Make Beer Commercials Like This provided “I’m Totally Not Down with Rob’s Alien,” and OMNI supplied “Animal Backwards,” among others already mentioned.
“Time flew by tonight!” Snyder remarked before launching into their “last” song. But the band returned for an encore after loud demand from the crowd, playing favorites “Panchuta Sunrise” and “Knights.”
Minus the Bear gave a deceptively simple performance, considering the impressive technical aspects of their musicianship. Despite disappointed reviews of their most recent album, the band’s expanding fanbase and lively show clearly demonstrate that they are here to stay. People questioning their opinion of Minus the Bear’s music will likely leave live offerings with a greater affinity.