Minus the Bear @ Slim's

Highly Refined Pirates came out 10 years ago? That's a decade, so where did that time go? Well there was Menos El Oso, then Planet of Ice, and their newest Omni. I guess 10 years and 3 albums is a pretty good rate of music. Lucky for us they played all of Highly Refined at Slim's. The whole tour is actually dedicated to the 10 year mark of this awesome album.

Erin mentioned that it was fun playing the older stuff. In fact the whole night of hanging out together was reminiscent of the time we all met. Planet of Ice was still yet to be released, Minus the Bear was in town. We sneak our way backstage and show the guys some of the gear. They love it! Then 4 years goes by in a flash. Why did it take this long for a reunion? But the night was placed with so many memories. Even Scottie was there! Head of security who we've seen a dozen times, each time getting the fuzz for a second then high fives.

Bud Light was flowing right about now and the band was in pre concert form. Jose, the head chef at Slim's, dishes out some homemade chips and salsa which are pretty much gone before MTB heads out on stage. Velvet Teen and The Lonely Forest are backstage as well. These guys are opening for MTB as they make their way back up to Seattle for the final leg of this tour. Many of the guys have families to get back to, a different phase of their lives. I often wonder how much this will affect the albums to come. Sentiment can whole heartedly bring out the good in songwriting. Rejection and pain are one thing, but when you have something so tangible like a family, children, something you want to protect so badly, greater emotions start to rule your life. How does that translate into writing music? The question is open ended obviously.

What I do know is that MTB is still a band that has the live aspect of their music intact. They are one of the best live performances on our artist roster. The math rock is still there, and precise as ever. Knudson cashes in on his loops and taps, while Jake's boy next door vocals sit above all the abstract textures of sound. Cory, Alex, and Erin tear into the complex beats with all the subtle changes in tempo. Absinthe comes on and I just about lose it...gosh has it really been 10 years?