MINUS THE BEAR have announced the band will be drawing to a close after 17 years.
From the band...
Friends,
After almost two decades of writing and touring the world together, we have decided to close this chapter of our lives as Minus the Bear.
What started as a silly inside joke inside the dingy confines of Seattle’s original Cha Cha Lounge back in 2001 quickly snowballed into years of adventures, creativity, and friendship. We could have never predicted the wild journey about to begin. We’ve accomplished so much over the past 17 years, and we are grateful for the experience.
Undoubtedly we owe all of these adventures to you, our fans. Without all of you, the memories of traveling the world, exploring different cultures, and witnessing the delight of your beautiful faces singing along wouldn’t have been possible. Your support weathered us through storms that easily could have scuttled the band. Throughout the years, it’s you who kept us going. We cannot thank you enough.
This Autumn we head out on our final tour in support of our upcoming 4-song EP “Fair Enough” courtesy of Suicide Squeeze Records.
These final shows are a celebration for the community of fans who gave us so much through years of dedication. We’ll be digging deep in the MTB catalogue and we are honored for the opportunity to play our hearts out for you one last time.
Love,
Alex, Cory, Dave & Jake
Minus the Bear are thrilled to share their new single, "Viaduct," the latest offering from their forthcoming EP, Fair Enough, which is due out October 19th on Suicide Squeeze Records. The song premieres today on Revolver, who hail it as "a warm and catchy track propelled by jaw-dropping, shimmering guitar lines," another "banger" delivered by the "guitar-virtuoso post-punk favorites" ahead of their final EP. The band is also excited to announce a charity auction they're partnering on with MusiCares, a nonprofit that provides support and community services to musicians in need of medical, personal and financial assistance. Today, Minus the Bear launch an auction for the first in a series of four original paintings by artist and Minus the Bear bassist Cory Murchy, created for the cover of Fair Enough. Cory has the following to share on his thoughts behind the painting and EP cover art:
"It was important for me to create a cover relevant to the band and our history, as well as something strong enough to stand on its own artistic merit. The picture we used for our first EP was a blurry photo of the band walking through the forest. We were grainy and not so well defined, monochromatic, youthful. This painting is a response to those same young men and the 17 year-long journey they took together. The human figures, now much more defined, have been replaced by shapes that are now finding their own colors to live in. Much less unified but still working within each other's orbit. The wonder of the woods has been replaced with a milled piece of working lumber. It's a representation of who we've become as individuals and I think it reflects the music in a lot of the same ways. Distilled by time and purpose."
MusiCares holds a special place in Cory's heart, as he personally benefited from their aid while struggling with a chronic back injury. You can learn more about MusiCares at www.grammy.com/musicares. For more about Cory Murchy and his paintings, go to www.cmurchy.com.