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MINUS THE BEAR :::::: |
THE BASICS Name : David Knudson Band : Minus der Bear Job In Band : Guitar Website Address : minusthebear.com || myspace.com/minusthebear HOME Hometown : Seattle, WA Hometown is best known for : Grunge, of course. Or the Pike Place Market Best thing about the music scene in your hometown : There are so many great bands and musicians in the area. Also, lots of great clubs to play and a great radio station, KEXP, that really gets new, cool music out to people. Most influential band to yourself that’s come out of your home town : Soundgarden! They were an unreal band. was only able to see them live once, but it was great. the guitars, odd-time signatures, drumming--fucking killer. THE BAND What’s the story behind the band name? It was a really drunken night. If you really must know: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minus_The_Bear When did the band begin and how did it come about? The band started in the summer of '69--no actually it was the summer of 2001 i think. Cory and I met at a bar where all of us used to drink. The other guys were in bands at the time, all of which were breaking up or fairly inactive. Erin, Cory, Matt and I recorded a couple songs and Jake heard it. We needed a singer so it was a pretty easy solution to have him join. Millions of miles later we're still here, but with Alex instead of Matt. How would you describe your sound to the average Joe on the street? People used to say that we sounded like a modern era Police. i can see some of those comparisons in our older records. The new record definitely has more Pink Floyd/King Crimson situation going on. Basically, Classic Rock of the Future. What’s your current release? Tell us a little about it… Planet of Ice is the new record. it's like a magical journey to another planet. We spent tons of time experimenting with new sounds and trying to focus a little more on songwriting. I think this record's got the best "songs" that we've written. In five years time the band will be… still playing our hearts out, hopefully not touring as much, but i'm sure we'll still be writing music together. Experimenting with new sounds, continuing the progression of our sound. OFF THE STAGE What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? I guess the music that first made me want to pick up a guitar was Metallica. As soon as i heard the guitars on …And Justice For All i was hooked. I immediately got a cheap acoustic guitar and started taking a few lessons. those were kind of a joke so i just played along to records and started figuring stuff out with the help of tab books. What was your first band name and what style did you play? Botch - at first we were just a bunch of kids playing who had no idea what we were doing. Then we ended up being a math-y noisy hardcore / metal band. Tell us three albums you couldn’t live without in your collection Radiohead -- OK Computer, King Crimson -- In the Court of the Crimson King, and Four Tet -- Rounds Best piece of musical advice you’ve been given Quit the music business! Two groups/artists you’d love to take out on the road I'd love to support the Mars Volta sometime and going out with Caribou at some point would be killer. Favourite song of your group? Probably "Dr. L'Ling" off the new record. it's so fun to play live, it can't be fucked with. The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is playing and seeing people's reactions to the shows. i love it when crowds really get into it, singing along, dancing, good times. The thing you least look forward to before a tour is the morning. i hate mornings. don't even get me started. especially after a bad night of sleep. i guess there really isn't a good night of sleep at all on tour. When your not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? probably looking online, finding something good to eat, or walking around the city if it's somewhere interesting. ON THE STAGE / ROAD What gear do you use? alot of it. my main guitar is a PRS Custom 22 i've had since the beginning of the band. and then there are alot of pedals. you'll see. too much to go into now... Favourite place (city/town/country) you’ve toured… and why? i always love playing New York City. the crowds are great and we've got lots of friends to see. San Francisco is also a great city. We'll be in London in a few days and that's normally a good time as well. The best show you’ve ever played was… and why? Our last show in Seattle at the Showbox was amazing. it was the last show of our Planet of Ice tour in the states. we'd been on tour for 7 weeks and we just kind of killed it. all the energy and excitement of being at home for a week and seeing friends and family was great. that tour had a whole slew of great shows, so it's hard to nail it down. Again SF totally killed it again. Who hogs the stereo in the van the most? whoever is driving, but everyone is normally in their own world, watching dvd, tv shows, online, or listening to music so it's no problem. After a week in the van/bus on tour which band member will have the messiest section, and what would we most likely find stashed there? Probably Jake -- he'd have socks, shirts, i dunno. maybe his in-ears? Who in your group has the worst “bad habit” on tour, and what is it? oh we all have our own bad habbits. no more details necessary. Most embarrassing moment on tour? i fell off the stage in Kansas City once. that was pretty funny. i was walking to the front of the stage to do a little solo action in front of the kids and my momentum carried me a little to far. i tried to rock back on my toes and regain my balance, but i fell forward. my left hand landed on top of this girls head with an enormous afro. then i kinda just got helped back up. i think. i don't really remember the last part of that story... Your manager calls and says the venue you are about to play really wants to keep you happy, what’s the first thing you chuck on the rider? more booze and something good to smoke! RIGHT NOW What’s getting the most spins in your stereo right now? probably the mars volta and r kelly. Kels! Tell us a band or artist everyone should check out and why… Russian Circles -- those dudes are pretty killer at writing some really creative, heavy, interesting music. i love instrumental acts, they really allow you to explore even more melody and hooks within the music itself. As soon as I’ve finished answering these questions I’m about to… try and go to sleeping. in the van on the way to colchester england. maybe i'll curl up in the loft. hopefully we'll be stopping for food sometime soon. i need to feed this thing. |
