Bowery Presents
showview
16+
Doors 7pm
$20 adv / $23 day ofMinus The Bear
- http://www.myspace.com/minusthebear
- http://www.minusthebear.com
- With catchy song titles like "Hey, Wanna Throw Up? Get Me Naked," "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!," and "Lemurs, Man, Lemurs," it's hard not to be at least a little bit curious about this Seattle-based quintet. Featuring members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving, Minus the Bear emerged on Seattle's music scene in 2001 with the release of their six-song EP This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic. The band comprised guitarist Dave Knudson, vocalist/ guitarist Jake Snider, drummer Erin Tate, and bassist Cory Murchy. Though the band entered the studio before they ever played a show, they toured aggressively in support of the EP, then returned to the studio to record 2002's Highly Refined Pirates, their first full-length album. Both the EP and LP were released by Seattle-based Suicide Squeeze Records.
Though the song titles may lead one to believe that they're a novelty act, Minus the Bear provides polished, shrewdly arranged songs. Finger-tapped guitar riffs mixed with catchy melodies and unexpected time changes keep listeners interested and entertained. Minus the Bear issued two EPs in 2004: Bands Like It When You Yell "Yar!" at Them on Suicide Squeeze and They Make Beer Commericals Like This on Arena Rock. Their next full-length, the self-produced Menos el Oso (Spanish for Minus the Bear), appeared in August 2005; the remix album Interpretaciones del Oso followed in early 2007. The band released the full-length Planet of Ice later that year.
By Laurel Greenidge
The Big Sleep
- http://www.myspace.com/sonofthetiger
- http://www.thebigsleep.net
- "The Big Sleep, a mostly instrumental trio from Brooklyn, N.Y., touches down with an uncommonly strong debut in the form of "Son of the Tiger." The band comes crashing out of the gates with the unrelenting "Brown Beauty," whose jet plane guitar and buzzing synth lift the song toward a dramatic, heart-pounding climax. Out of the smoldering wreck comes "Murder," propelled by a rat-a-tat drum attack and Johnny Ramone-style hyperspeed guitar and eventually lathered with a thick, foamy wash of reverb and delay. "You Can't Touch the Untouchable," anchored by chest-thumping bass and a deep-in-the-pocket drum groove, is punctuated by sudden stops that heighten the building tension, including one long pause more than three minutes in that you'll be certain is the finish line. Awesome. With "Son of the Tiger," the Big Sleep has brewed up a stirring alchemical stew of math rock industry and emotional depth."-Billboard
Portugal The Man
- http://www.myspace.com/portugaltheman
- http://www.portugaltheman.net
- What is it about Portugal The Man that makes them stand out, that separates them from every other rock band?
Is it due to an unconventional upbringing in the magical and menacing tundra of the Land of the Northern Lights? Maybe it has something to do with their visceral live shows, their effortless ability to create concert experiences that differ wildly from night to night. Or perhaps it’s due to the bond they actively forge with their ever-growing fan base evidenced by their showing up to in-store signings, radio stations or interviews with personalized paintings for their supporters.
In other words, Portugal The Man isn’t a band, it’s a movement—and a force this strong could only be born out of a place as icy and isolated as Wasila, Alaska. While those of us who grew up in the Continental United States were raised on Saturday Morning Cartoons and sugary cereal, PTM front man John Gourley’s upbringing was unorthodox. He spent a good deal of his youth exploring nature in one of the few virtually untouched territories left in the world. “Alaska is the prettiest place I’ve ever been,” explains Gourley, whose striking enigmatic vision makes its mark on all of the Portugal The Man’s CD packaging, merch designs, videos, photos and posters. “I think that environment has had a huge impact on our music.”
Although Alaska is a decidedly conservative state, Gourley grew up as the child of two hippie parents, also one of the few husband-and-wife teams who ran the Iditarod, Alaska’s annual dogsled race. John and his family lived in a remote cabin that needed a generator to provide electricity and had no phone. Thankfully, the generator provided enough juice to power the family’s record player, and instead of getting caught up in mainstream hip-hop which permeated his hometown, he was raised on his parents’ very limited record collection, poring over albums by the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Zombies, and Motown artists at a young age and being encouraged to explore his own inner creativity, which eventually lead to his joining Anatomy Of The Ghost with bassist Zach Carothers in 2002. When that band broke up in 2004, Portugal The Man rose out of the ashes.
- Box Office Info
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Mercury Lounge
217 E. Houston St. (corner Ave A & Houston)
New York, NY map & directions
212–260–4700
Hours: Mon–Sat, Noon–7 pm
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Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 N. 6th St. (b/w Wythe & Kent)
Brooklyn, NY map & directions
718–486–5400
Hours: Saturday 11am–6pm
- Contact Info
- General Info: info@bowerypresents.com
- Room Rentals: privateevents@bowerypresents.com
- Media Inquiries: bpmedia@bowerypresents.com
- Bowery Presents
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Manhattan — Brooklyn