Trans Am, Minus the Bear & Bear Hunter

Confucius say, "Tuesday is not an ideal night for putting on a show, especially when the Donnas are playing a few blocks down the street." Confucius was right. Though the crowd at The Brick Works last Tuesday couldn't have been considered tiny, it was disproportionately small in comparison with the quality of music being showcased.
The first band on the bill, Bear Hunter, began the night with their particular brand of experimental rock. I should clarify that by experimental I do not mean, "crappy music that the band labeled experimental so people would think they were doing it on purpose." I actually do mean experimental. On the ground, in front of Bear Hunter's talented singer, lay approximately three billion effects pedals (give or take five), which should give you some idea as to the complexity of their sound. Such intricacy has a tendency to muddle up the sonic palette, but Bear Hunter was able to remain unusually tasteful throughout their entire set. Though their progressions were unorthodox and the changes were unpredictable, the music was surprisingly cogent and effective. If you haven't checked out Bear Hunter yet, slap yourself for being such a loser and then go see them live.
Next to grace the stage was a five-piece called Minus the Bear. I won't annoy you with any references to them as "Hunter." (Get it?) Anyway, they kept the energy up with their set of solid rock numbers. The one thing that really held my attention, however, was their unusually talented guitar player. To clarify, by "unusually talented" I do not mean that he had an arm growing out of his head that he used to play the harp, I mean that he had developed a very unique approach to playing the guitar based largely on complicated finger-tapping techniques. I would describe it as Les Claypool's style applied to the guitar in rock music more conventional than Primus. After a strong set, they broke down their gear and the stage was set up for the night's headliners, Trans Am.
A damn-cool dual-bass number opened Trans Am's set and got the slightly larger crowd swaying happily to the almost exclusively instrumental music pounding their eardrums. With only three members, Trans Am was somehow able to create a nearly indescribable style. While the drummer stuck to his kit, the other two members often switched from guitar to bass to keyboard, blurring the lines between electronic and rock music and keeping their sonic assault interesting. Halfway through the set, a horrible smell invaded the room. "Yeah, the ceiling is definitely on fire," offered one of the band members in hopes of comforting the crowd. It turned out to be a blown bass amp, but the band was able to borrow another one from one of the opening bands and continue their set.
Trans Am didn't end up finishing until a quarter-past midnight, but no one in the room seemed to mind. They all got what they paid for - a night of experimental music and irreparable hearing damage.
- Dana Hocking
- Photos by Matt Beier

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