Minus the Bear's third full-length album, "Planet of Ice," hit stores in August 2007, and after two supporting tours that took the band from coast to coast, the experimental indie five-piece isn't finished yet. Dave Knudson (guitar), Cory Murchy (bass), Alex Rose (synthesizer, drum machine, vocals, electronics), Jake Snider (lead vocals, guitar) and Erin Tate (drums) began a 37-city tour Wednesday.
The band will hit D.C.'s 9:30 club Oct. 22 with friends and North Carolina natives the Annuals. Muchy said fans could expect "Nothing but a fucking fantastic show."
Hailing from Seattle, Minus the Bear formed from the ashes of several local bands to create what bassist Murchy describes as "classic rock for the future." Their sound is comprised of an electronically based mix of finger-tapped guitar riffs combined with arrhythmic beats supporting lead singer Snider's low-key yet compelling vocals.
Despite the band's unique sound, Murchy said they have no signature style when it comes to being on stage.
"We don't really subscribe to labeling ourselves personally or artistically," he said. "We just hope to be inviting to everyone who wants to be involved."
"Planet of Ice," the band's most varied album to date, is also the band's first album after undergoing a lineup change in early 2006, when keyboardist Matt Bayles left the group and was replaced by Rose.
"This album was a lot more collaborative than the previous two," he said. "We always all took part in the writing process, but this time we didn't have day jobs to worry about, so we would spend a lot of time in the same room just writing."
This shift in the writing process is reflected through the album's diverse sound, which ranges from the aggressive, drum-heavy "Dr. L'Ling" to "Knights," the album's fast-paced, driving single.
The band is also touring to promote "They Make Beer Commercials Like This," their seven-song EP that re-released this past June on Suicide Squeeze Records. Murchy said the tracks were re-mastered and that the album features a new recording, "Houston, We Have Uh-Oh," which had previously only been available on the benefit album "In Honor: A Compilation to Beat Cancer."
The band hopes to enter the studio at the beginning of next year, but Murchy said their current priority is to concentrate on this tour.
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