Minus the Bear makes a stop at the Bluebird

With a name created from an inside joke from the early 1980s TV show B.J. and The Bear, indie rockers Minus the Bear plan to rock the Bluebird Nightclub at 9 p.m. in their first show in Bloomington. \nThe show at the Bluebird will be the 10th stop on a tour that started March 9 at the Langerado Festival in the South Florida Everglades and will end in June at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. \n“I saw them live at the Emerson Theater in Indianapolis at least a couple of years ago and thought they put on a great performance,” freshman Amy Pottenger said. \nOpening up for the Seattle-based band are Alaskan-based Portugal. The Man and The Big Sleep from Brooklyn, New York. \n“Whenever we tour, we hand pick the bands that open,” Minus the Bear drummer Erin Tate said. Other bands that have opened for Minus the Bear include Velveteen, The Helio Sequence and Russian. \nMinus the Bear is on tour promoting its most recent release, “Planet of Ice,” which is a mix of the old and the new, as Tate described it. Tate said a lot of late 60’s and 70’s rock influenced them. He also noted that the band members collectively agree that “Planet of Ice” is their favorite album.\nFreshman Richard Hines said he found “Planet of Ice” to be more cohesive than the other albums, but it wasn’t his favorite. \n“I would not necessarily say that I think it is better than older works,” he said. “I find those albums to have a certain energy to its delivery that some of the tracks on ‘Planet of Ice’ seem to lack. I think (it) still has some very standout tracks, but maybe would not overtake ‘Menos El Oso’.”\nMinus the Bear consists of lead singer and guitarist Jake Snider, guitarist Dave Knudson, bassist Cory Murchy, drummer Tate and vocalist Alex Rose, who also performs on the synthesizer, drum machine, saxophone and other electronics. Rose is the newest member of the band, which formed in 2001. He replaced keyboardist and producer Matt Bayles, who left the band to focus on production work. \n“He’s been travelling with us for a couple of years,” Tate said of Rose. Tate said that Rose was an old friend of Murchy’s and that he was an “easy fit.”\nTonight’s concert has received complaints from students because the Bluebird is a 21-and-over venue. Spirit of ’68 Promotions President Dan Coleman contacted the band about the issue but they refused to change venues. However, Portugal. The Man has agreed to do a pre-show 21-and-under acoustic set 7:30 p.m. at the WIUX Mansion. \n“I wish I could go to the (Bluebird) show but seeing as though I’m not 21, I can’t go,” WIUX DJ Kelsey McArdle said. “I am going to the pre-show Portugal. The Man mini concert ... and that should be fun.”\nHines has tried to contact Minus the Bear about changing the venue but the band has not responded. Hines even started the Facebook group, “Get Minus the Bear to an all-ages venue at IU,.” \n“I have been a fan of Minus the Bear for several years now and truly became a dedicated fan right after hearing an advance copy of their album Menos El Oso.” Hines said in an e-mail. “I simply loved how they brought such precision while keeping a relaxed and natural groove with an honest and passionate delivery. It was almost as if you could just feel that they were enjoying what they were creating with every second on the record.”\nMinus the Bear are known for having an older fan base but its Bloomington stop is one of only two 21-and-over venues on its 16-stop tour. \n“They are an amazing band that clearly has a very devoted and passionate fan base,” Coleman said. \nTickets are still available for tonight’s show and can be purchased at the door for $15.