Minus the Bear has just recently released their latest album, Planet Of Ice, this August, and have now been pursuing their tour for the album. They stopped by Dallas at The Palladium Ballroom to show their fans that their recent surge of popularity hasn't hindered how much fun they can have.
The Palladium, as I'm aware, is a fairly new venue in Dallas. If it is older, then the combo of Granada Theater and Gypsy Tea Room must have overshadowed it. In any case, the closing of Gypsy Tea Room has brought The Palladium into new spotlight. It's nice, no doubts there; fairly large, and has a huge dance floor. It didn't seem to have too many issues with crowding, though granted I got there early. The Palladium also has a second club, The Loft, which !!! played at not too long ago. But I digress.
Minus the Bear was touring with Tiny Vipers and The Helio Sequence. The Tiny Vipers came on first. They're a girl-boy duo of acoustic-bass guitars, respectively. They use a distinct style of minimalism to produce powerfully subtle ambiance. They really remind me of Grizzly Bear with their song structure, except Tiny Viper's songs tend to run longer. Jesy Fortino, the lead singer/guitarist, has a voice that is uncannily like Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane. Essentially, Tiny Vipers are very doctrine in a mix of folk and ambiance. Unfortunately, opening for someone so fast and loud as Minus the Bear, they weren't exactly playing toward their target audience. Most people became restless and impatient while they played through their set. Tiny Vipers is more of the band better heard with place to think, not in a busy live venue.
But then The Helio Sequence took the stage and quickly grabbed everyone's attention. The Helio Sequence is a two man guitar/drum outfit that plays a quick indie rock. Think of them as a skewed version of The White Stripes. THS is quite entertaining, and for being such a small band, they know how to have a strong stage presence, not to mention a lot of fun.
But none could hold a card with Minus the Bear. They demand the attention they get. Erin Tate keeps the beat bouncing and flowing while Snider, Knudson, Murchy, and Rose rock out across the stage blaring their accurately timed notes. They mostly played Planet Of Ice material, which was to be expected, but touch on songs from their other albums a bit. Their encore was lpanned, but they opened the encore with Absinthe Party, so I'm not about to complain. Overall the show was great, and I'm definitely interested in catching them when they aren't touring for a new album.
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