Minus the Bear tends to stay busy. After releasing its sixth studio effort Planet of Ice in August of 2007, the quintet has toured constantly. The band is on a nationwide tour with Annuals, and recently stopped in Austin for Fun Fun Fun Fest.
Bassist Cory Murchy found mutual acceptance and agreed the promoters of the festival and the band themselves were destined to work together.
"This is our first time with the festival, and (the promoters) just asked us to do it because they heard we were fun," Murchy said. "We basically agreed that we were both fun and decided to be fun together."
Although the band is on a club tour, it enjoys festivals as well. It will be heading to Australia to play at the Soundwave Festival in February, and will even play a show in Hawaii.
"Festivals are a little more chaotic. You’re just playing for a small amount of time, and there’s just a lot going on at once," Murchy said. "Festivals are fun because they’re just so much bigger. And when you’re stoked about the bands, it makes it that much better."
Murchy was excited to meet other bands at Fun Fun Fun Fest, some members being old friends. Tim Barry of Avail, who played as part of Chuck Ragan’s Revival Tour, was an act Murchy was looking forward to, along with his old roommate’s band, Scared of Chaka.
Minus the Bear has a very distinct sound, and the members’ diverse tastes play a huge role in the bands overall output.
"Love, peace and happiness are all pretty big influences," Murchy said. "We like to keep things groovy."
As far as bands go, Murchy enjoys a lot of his friends’ bands as well.
"We’re lucky because we’ve met a lot of bands on the road," Murchy said. "It’s nice when your friends are making good music."
Hailing from Seattle has played a vital role in shaping Minus the Bear’s music. With bands like Death Cab for Cutie and The Blood Brothers, Seattle’s diversity has kept things interesting for the group.
"It’s good because no one is playing the same music, which is very indicative of the Seattle music scene," Murchy said. "There’s a lot of music, but everyone is doing their own thing. These Arms Are Snakes and Minus the Bear have a lot in common, but the music is totally different."
As for the future, the band hopes to take some time off for the holidays and head back to the studio in springtime.
"We’ll definitely be writing, which we are very excited about," Murchy said. "We’re always exploring and trying to push ourselves musically and artistically, because it’s something we want to do, and we still like to please ourselves, as well as the fans."
Minus the Bear’s Planet of Ice is in stores now on Suicide Squeeze Records.
