Posted on: March 15, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0


After spending the month of February touring Australia, Japan and Hawaii Minus the Bear will begin the first leg of thier North American tour in early March with stops at  Coachella Music Festival (April 25) and Bonnaroo Festival (June 13.) The US tour dates (below) will see rotating support slots from Frenchkiss Records rockers The Big Sleep and Fearless Records act Portugal.The Man.

Planet of Ice was one of the best reviewed albums of 2007 and sold over 45k in under 6 months time. With first week sales of 10K, Planet of Ice secured the band its first Billboard Top 200 chart entry (#74). At CMJ, the disc spent over 7 weeks in the top 10 on the Top 200 chart, peaking at #4. The album received raves and notices from outlets across the globe like MTV, NPR, SPIN, Alternative Press, URB, Filter, Harp, The Onion, LA Times and many more. MTV christened Minus the Bear one of its 52 Bands this past September and the band were featured in over 11 hours of promo on the main network. The first video from Planet of Ice, “Knights” also received heavy rotation on MTVU and play on Subterranean. A new video is in the works for the band’s next single ThrowinÂ’ Shapes, directed by Michael Gaston and Brooke Montgomery, and will be released early spring 2008. This past fall Minus the Bear sold out venues across the country and appeared at ChicagoÂ’s Download Festival and SeattleÂ’s ENDfest. In November, the band made their way to Europe for another wildly successful run of sellouts.

Tour Dates

3/24 – – Vancouver BC – – Richards on Richards

3/26 – – Calgary, AB – – Warehouse Night Club

3/27 – – Edmonton, AB – – The Starlite

3/29 – – Winnipeg, AB – – Royal Albert

3/31 – – Ann Arbor, MI – – Blind Pig*^

4/1 – – Toronto, ON – – Opera House*^

4/2 – – Rochester, NY – – The Club at Water St. Music*^

4/3 – – Providence, RI – – Lupo’s at the Strand*^

4/4 – – Hamden, CT – – Alumni Hall – Quinnipiac University

4/5 – – Northampton, MA – – Pearl Street^

4/6 – – Waltham, MA – – Great Lawn EARLY SHOW

4/6 – – Boston, MA – – Paradise*^

4/7 – – New York, NY – – Webster Hall*^

4/8 – – Philadelphia, PA – – Theatre of the Living Arts^

4/9 – – Towson, MD – – Recher Theatre*^

4/10 – – Charlottesville, VA – – Satellite Ballroom*^

4/12 – – Cincinnati, OH – – Bogarts*^

4/13 – – Cleveland, OH – – House of Blues (OH)*^

4/15 – – Bloomington, IN – – Bluebird Nightclub*^

4/16 – – Chicago, IL – – House of Blues (IL)*^

4/17 – – Madison, WI – – Club 770*^

4/18 – – Columbia, MO – – Blue Note*^

4/21 – – Boulder, CO – – Boulder Theatre*^

4/22 – – Salt Lake City, UT – – In The Venue*^

4/23 – – Las Vegas, NV – – House of Blues (LV)*^

4/24 – – Tucson, AZ – – Rialto Theatre

4/26 – – Indio, CA – – Empire Polo Field (COACHELLA FESTIVAL)

4/29 – – San Francisco, CA – – Bimbo’s 365 Club*^

6/13 – – Manchester, TN (Bonnaroo Festival)

* w/ The Big Sleep

^ w/ Portugal The Man

Minus the Bear quotes:

Take a musical journey with this new song from Minus the Bear’s upcoming album, “Planet of Ice.” The track begins with a hint of ambient electronica, then jumps into choppy Gang of Four territory. When lead singer Jake Snider enters, you may imagine you are listening to … Roger Waters! … And there’s more than a touch of the Floyd lurking in the Bear’s honey pot. Listen to the repeated guitar figures while synthesizers squeal in the background. True to the Bear tradition, the song’s strange title is left unexplained – LA TIMES

Minus the Bear’s brightly appealing indie-pop may be dispensed with remarkable technical prowess — complete with precise guitar work and complex time changes — but it also benefits from the band’s sweetly personal lyrics and flair for writing power-pop hooks…Planet of Ice (out next month), maintains an organic quality that allows the songs’ innate catchiness to shine through – NPR WORLD CAFÉ

Planet Of Ice finds the Seattle quintet more comfortable in their own skin, exploring looser, more organic arrangements and indulging next-gen guitar god Dave KnudsonÂ’s psychedelic side. The tightly wound dance numbers are dancier (“Knights”); the slow sex jams are sexier (“White Mystery”); Cory MurchyÂ’s bass and Erin TateÂ’s drums are as in synch as ever (the punchy, dirty “When We Escape”); and new keyboardist Alex Rose gives the synths a much stronger role than ever before, both with brilliant countermelodies and sublime textures – [4.5/5 Stars] – ALTERNATIVE PRESS

Splits the difference between mellow indie-pop and grand progressive rock; in the band’s oblique grooves you can hear the influence of jazz-inflected Chicago acts like Tortoise and the Sea and Cake – NY TIMES

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