Monday, January 19, 2009

sBACH: 1000x Better Than Don Cab!

sBACH is everywhere these days. Perpetually on tour, recording music, and stacking hats on top of hats on top of heads...Spencer Siem’s music and art is inclusive in a way that most never could be – each show or recording a personal invitation to his multi-colored world. We even found the band's secret snow-dog page, with pics of 'em blasting wicked-air over a snowbank!

For their first tour of 2009, sBACH will once again claim the West Coast, playing main-support to Don Caballero. The thought that any band might willingly subject themselves to an entire tour opening for Don Cab would've been construed as a kind of musical suicide, such was the heyday power of the Don. But that was ten-years ago, or more, after various line-up changes brought much Storm & Stress - and constant Battles - to legendary drummer, Damon Che.

What more is there to say? Things have changed. There's little doubt that Siem's own legendary band, Hella, took it to the next-gen-level with their onslaught of technical acumen. sBACH borrows on some of that sound, channeling Hella-like moments of jaw-dropping intensity into furious melodic form. 'WTF' moments abound in a dark venue, where the band often explodes like an atom bomb in a tin can...

More proof of their power exists at Daytrotter, where Siem's band stopped to tear apart the studio. These full-band versions of songs - taken from his SSR debut - were recorded last autumn, in the midst of a two-month-plus US tour...and it sounds 'toured', and tough, perhaps like Bitch Magnet would have sounded, pounding through the feedback to drive their songs. Four tracks are available for free download...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Signed Test-Pressing of MTB's "Acoustics"


Minus the Bear has a new release, "Acoustics." And, like the title states, it opens their intensely layered sound to new scrutiny, allowing fans to hear familiar songs, like Pachuca Sunrise, unadorned. This a gift on intimacy from a band that often utilizes inventive guitar techniques to push the dynamic and emotional complexity of their songs.

The album is available for pre-order now; it ships out on February 10th! All pre-order customers will be entered to win a test-pressing of "Acoustics" signed by the band. [This release is limited to 5000 copies world-wide.]

"Bottom line: Minus The Bear’s Acoustics EP is, by and large, a bold and successful experiment. Anyone who has been riveted by this band’s studio output or shows has to have it. You won’t be disappointed. In fact, you may find yourself wanting more acoustic Minus The Bear, maybe a whole album’s worth." -Blog Critics Magazine