Minus the Bear

There are three amazing things in this life that get me out of bed every morning:

1. Women
2. Traveling
3. Drinking & occasional substance abuse

Seattle, Washington's Minus the Bear does a great job of helping me keep my life in perspective. Not only do they almost exclusively sing about #s 1-3, but they do it with some snazzy musicianship. They bring a lot to the proverbial table, such as some incredibly incredible guitar tapping on the first couple of albums. They throw in a lot of electronic goodness (crazy drum machine beats, synth effects, etc.) as well and you can definitely feel some math rock influence in the mix too. It's just a really great blend of different styles that they manage to make work well together.

The thing about Minus the Bear is that they sell everything about their music. I listen to them and I'm transported to some European coastline where I'm drinking wine & laying on the beach...all with some imaginary European girl that plans on going home with me that night. If you don't want that...then I guess maybe you might not enjoy them quite as much as I do.

They've put out three great albums in a few short years, each offering its own legit qualities. For what I like about MTB, Highly Refined Pirates is definitely the stand-out album. It all comes from a band that puts time and effort into their vinyl, brings a great live show, and if their song-titles (or the band name itself, which is a reference to BJ & the Bear) are indicative of anything...they don't take themselves too seriously in this overly serious world of ours.

Minus the Bear (2001 - present)




Minus the Bear - This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic (2001)



Minus the Bear - Highly Refined Pirates (2002)



Minus the Bear - They Make Beer Commercials Like This (2004)



Minus the Bear - Menos El Oso (2005)



Minus the Bear - Interpretaciones del Oso (2007)



Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice (2007)

Godspeed.
-Tarik