Minus the Bear rocks Salt Lake

Note: This story was produced for JCOM 2160, Introduction to Online Journalism, which emphasizes hand-coding HTML.

April 30, 2008 | Hailing from Seattle, Minus the Bear joined forces with up-and-coming experimental indie band Portugal. The Man on April 22 at Salt Lake City's In the Venue.

Accompanying them was The Big Sleep from Brooklyn who added a little girl power to the mix with their bass player, Sonya, who also dabbled in a variety of instruments that added flavor to the band's set.

The Big Sleep cites classic rock bands The Cure and Led Zeppelin as their influences and brought with them a more melodic rock set that hit a nice balance between Portugal. The Man's energetic disconnected set and Minus the Bear's free-flowing show.

Although their set was played before the majority of the crowd showed up, The Big Sleep offered a nice backdrop to the remainder of the show and psyched up the crowd- exactly what an opening band is supposed to do.

The second half of the show started in a hazy fog as Portugal opened with the title track from their latest CD, Church Mouth. After escalating the crowd into a frenzy with disconnected guitar riffs and jerky dance moves, the band played a variety of songs off of their 2006 release, Waiter:"You Vultures!", including the slightly slower ballad Stables and Chairs.

Taking a cue from headlining band Minus the Bear, Portugal seemed to stick to their low-key hits from both Church Mouth and Waiter:"You Vultures!" rather than playing faster songs, with the exception of crowd favorite AKA M80 the Wolf.

One of the best parts about the show was the chemistry between band members. Portugal always manages to entertain as well as play music and Tuesday's show was no exception. Bassist Zach Carothers writhed and twisted against a bright white spotlight, illuminating his flailing form as Guitarist and lead vocalist John Gourley crooned into microphone. As a cohesive unit, Portugal. The Man moves like limbs all connected to one giant music-making body.

Minus the Bear took the stage next in a haze of lime green colored laser lights and even more billowing smoke. The band changed the atmosphere with a more mellow vibe, opening with the keyboard heavy song Ice Monster from their latest release Planet of Ice.

Following Ice Monster, Minus the Bear played a few more selections from Planet of Ice including White Mystery and Throwin' Shapes before launching in to classics like Pachuca Sunrise, a dreamy reggae-inspired jam song from the band's 2005 release Menos el Oso.

Guitarist Dave Knudsen revved up the crowd with his trance-like solos and infectious dance moves during the song "Crisco". Erin Tate also managed an impressive drum duet that brought even more depth to the heavy music pouring out into the crowd.

Overall, the pairing of three completely different bands turned out to be the perfect formula. The different paces kept the show interesting, but the sets still blended seamlessly creating a harmonious musical experience.

The band will be wrapping up their tour before heading out to California for several music festivals. For more information and a touring schedule visit the band's Web site.