Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: myspace.com The band has not experienced commericial success yet but they still perform to large crowds of hipsters. Their music falls within the indie rock genre but they tend to experiment with drum machine, synths, and keyboards They even include jam sessions within their songs. They keep the conversation between songs to a minimum with a focus on the music.

I knew little about the Seattle-based rock band Minus the Bear before I saw their show at the Recher Theatre on Wednesday night. They haven't seen commercial success but manage to successfully fill every venue they play with hundreds of hipsters in their skinny jeans and cardigan sweaters. They definitely play indie rock, but in a very experimental fashion with use of a drum machine and various synth and keyboard styles, one that makes their live shows mesmerizing.

There were two opening acts--Portugal The Man and The Big Sleep. Unfortunately I did not get to see Portugal The Man but have heard great things about their sound. The Big Sleep, however, were very monotonous and had a hard time reaching out to the impatient crowd. Their songs all sounded the same and their stage presence was lackluster. The crowd was more than ready for Minus the Bear when they came on stage.

Minus the Bear, which is an inside joke about the 80s TV show, B.J. and the Bear, formed in 2001 and have released four full albums under the record label, Suicide Squeeze Records. The progression of their set, which lasted nearly two hours, was superb. Lead singer Jack Snider, strolled out on stage with poise, casually thanking the screaming crowd for coming to the show. They then immediately blasted into their first song, which encapsulated a two -minute jam in the middle. They played one song after the other, with little pause for conversation. Jack did urge the fans to dance around, causing a small mosh pit right in front of the stage. A middle-aged woman gave the band a bottle of whiskey and Snider thanked her by saying, "If there's one thing I've learned, you can never have too much whiskey."

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