aaron
09-09-2005, 02:14 PM
If you happen to have the remarkable pleasure of knowing me, then it’s likely you know how much of a fanboy I am for These Arms Are Snakes; I was a former Minus the Bear fanboy too. Needless to say, I was pretty pumped for this show. The September 7 show in Portland, Oregon marked the inaugural date for the Mutually Assured Destruction tour.
Due to venue changes and some organizational issues, I completely missed Thunderbirds Are Now, seeing as I was still standing outside around the block waiting to enter Hawthorne Theatre’s first ever concert. I’m told by a friend who managed to catch Thunderbirds Are Now that their overall set was somewhat of a disaster as the result of numerous technical difficulties. Having seen TAAS the last four times they’ve been in Portland, I felt I knew what to expect from the band; however, I was pleasantly surprised. Opening with “La Stanza Bianca” and closing with “Idaho,” TAAS cranked out six other songs, all of which were from Oxeneers, with the exception of two. One of those two being the ultra badass “Payday Loans,” and the other being a new, as of yet untitled song; it follows traits to that of Oxeneers, but more progressed and unified. Overall, an excellent set from TAAS and certainly the best performance I’ve ever seen of them.
After TAAS set, I sat down with Snere and asked him a few questions. Unfortunately, this tool of a reporter went into battle with unproven equipment, and the conversation was ultimately not caught on tape. For that I’m duly embarrassed and would like to apologize to Steve Snere and all of you awesome Decoy readers out there. However, this does not prevent me from informing y’all about some of the stuff we chatted about (none of this can be directly quoted by Snere):
1. The response to TAAS has been gradual over the course of the year since Oxeneers release. It was a little slow at first, but they feel their name is getting out there a bit more.
2. TAAS tours with a variety of bands (Isis, Underoath, Big Business, Engine Down) to reach as wide of an audience as possible. They aren’t concerned with “the scene” and retain a very take-it-or-leave-it attitude.
3. The tour with Underoath was a disaster. The tour with Isis got mixed results.
4. Their recent stint in Europe was a success and plan on returning within a year. The venues were smaller but packed most nights.
5. Snere says he couldn’t say what people should expect from a TAAS show before because it’s different each night; sometimes they will go on for a while just jamming.
6. Snere would like to tour with Dälek and Tool.
7. The constant rotation of drummers hasn’t affected the band’s chemistry but just slowed things down.
8. Chris Commons is the official, full-time drummer for the band. They met Commons while he assisted the recording process of Minus the Bear’s newest release, Menos el Oso. Tate had originally suggested Commons to TAAS as his replacement, before Ben Verellen.
9. In the near future, chronologically, the band plans to finish this tour, write, do another small tour, record, and tour. Snere hopes a new album will be out next summer/early fall. Additionally, he notes that the writing process is going well, and the newer songs tend to be more experimental and progressive. They might self-produce the album instead of having Matt Bayles return behind the board because of Commons’ recording experience.
10. The band’s ultimate goal is to be able to make enough money to pay the bills, instead of having to wash dishes to make ends meet. Snere says they band realizes they won’t be huge, but just want to be able to support themselves.
My interview with Snere went about fifteen minutes into Minus the Bear’s set, so I missed the first few songs. The Bear has always been exceptional during their live shows, surpassing their recorded albums by miles in terms of energy, intensity, and entertainment. And although I don’t particularly care for the band’s newest album, Menos el Oso, the songs were executed fantastically, with way more liveliness found on the album.
MTB managed to revisit a few tracks from Highly Refined Pirates, including “Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo,” and the fan favorite, “Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!” They band also threw in some tracks from They Make Beer Commercials Like This, including the ultra-dancy “Fine + 2 Pts.” Primarily, though, the Bear stuck to tracks from Menos, like “The Game Needed Me,” “Memphis & 53rd,” “Pachua Sunrise,” and “Hooray.” Overall, the band sounded sharp and concise as usual, but by the end I was feeling a tad bored. It could be that I have just seen the Bear too many times and not much about their performance changes, or the fact that These Arms Are Snakes simply stole the show.
Hopefully, by the time you’re reading this, the Mutually Assured Destruction tour hasn’t passed through your town yet because this is one not to be missed. Both These Arms Are Snakes and Minus the Bear looked particularly crisp and should ensure a phenomenal show.
Overall: 4.5/5
-Kamran Rouzpay
Due to venue changes and some organizational issues, I completely missed Thunderbirds Are Now, seeing as I was still standing outside around the block waiting to enter Hawthorne Theatre’s first ever concert. I’m told by a friend who managed to catch Thunderbirds Are Now that their overall set was somewhat of a disaster as the result of numerous technical difficulties. Having seen TAAS the last four times they’ve been in Portland, I felt I knew what to expect from the band; however, I was pleasantly surprised. Opening with “La Stanza Bianca” and closing with “Idaho,” TAAS cranked out six other songs, all of which were from Oxeneers, with the exception of two. One of those two being the ultra badass “Payday Loans,” and the other being a new, as of yet untitled song; it follows traits to that of Oxeneers, but more progressed and unified. Overall, an excellent set from TAAS and certainly the best performance I’ve ever seen of them.
After TAAS set, I sat down with Snere and asked him a few questions. Unfortunately, this tool of a reporter went into battle with unproven equipment, and the conversation was ultimately not caught on tape. For that I’m duly embarrassed and would like to apologize to Steve Snere and all of you awesome Decoy readers out there. However, this does not prevent me from informing y’all about some of the stuff we chatted about (none of this can be directly quoted by Snere):
1. The response to TAAS has been gradual over the course of the year since Oxeneers release. It was a little slow at first, but they feel their name is getting out there a bit more.
2. TAAS tours with a variety of bands (Isis, Underoath, Big Business, Engine Down) to reach as wide of an audience as possible. They aren’t concerned with “the scene” and retain a very take-it-or-leave-it attitude.
3. The tour with Underoath was a disaster. The tour with Isis got mixed results.
4. Their recent stint in Europe was a success and plan on returning within a year. The venues were smaller but packed most nights.
5. Snere says he couldn’t say what people should expect from a TAAS show before because it’s different each night; sometimes they will go on for a while just jamming.
6. Snere would like to tour with Dälek and Tool.
7. The constant rotation of drummers hasn’t affected the band’s chemistry but just slowed things down.
8. Chris Commons is the official, full-time drummer for the band. They met Commons while he assisted the recording process of Minus the Bear’s newest release, Menos el Oso. Tate had originally suggested Commons to TAAS as his replacement, before Ben Verellen.
9. In the near future, chronologically, the band plans to finish this tour, write, do another small tour, record, and tour. Snere hopes a new album will be out next summer/early fall. Additionally, he notes that the writing process is going well, and the newer songs tend to be more experimental and progressive. They might self-produce the album instead of having Matt Bayles return behind the board because of Commons’ recording experience.
10. The band’s ultimate goal is to be able to make enough money to pay the bills, instead of having to wash dishes to make ends meet. Snere says they band realizes they won’t be huge, but just want to be able to support themselves.
My interview with Snere went about fifteen minutes into Minus the Bear’s set, so I missed the first few songs. The Bear has always been exceptional during their live shows, surpassing their recorded albums by miles in terms of energy, intensity, and entertainment. And although I don’t particularly care for the band’s newest album, Menos el Oso, the songs were executed fantastically, with way more liveliness found on the album.
MTB managed to revisit a few tracks from Highly Refined Pirates, including “Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo,” and the fan favorite, “Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!” They band also threw in some tracks from They Make Beer Commercials Like This, including the ultra-dancy “Fine + 2 Pts.” Primarily, though, the Bear stuck to tracks from Menos, like “The Game Needed Me,” “Memphis & 53rd,” “Pachua Sunrise,” and “Hooray.” Overall, the band sounded sharp and concise as usual, but by the end I was feeling a tad bored. It could be that I have just seen the Bear too many times and not much about their performance changes, or the fact that These Arms Are Snakes simply stole the show.
Hopefully, by the time you’re reading this, the Mutually Assured Destruction tour hasn’t passed through your town yet because this is one not to be missed. Both These Arms Are Snakes and Minus the Bear looked particularly crisp and should ensure a phenomenal show.
Overall: 4.5/5
-Kamran Rouzpay