Few bands have blended intricate musicianship and wit quite like Minus the Bear. After a hiatus that left fans wondering if their story had come to an end, the Seattle natives are back together and back on the road. Frontman Jake Snider and company are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark album. ‘Menos el Oso’ with a tour that lands in Cleveland on November 12, promising both nostalgia and new energy.
In a recent interview with CleveRock, Snider reflects on the band’s reunion, the enduring influence of ‘Menos el Oso,’ and why taking the time to honestly sit with an album from start to finish still matters. He also teases what might come next for Minus the Bear as they find new momentum two decades after redefining indie rock on their own terms.
MTB called it quits in 2018, reporting that they wanted to spend more time with their families and had a desire to explore other creative endeavors after 18 years performing together as a band. An offer they couldn’t decline presented itself in October of this year, which sparked momentum to launch a full reunion tour.
“We got an offer from Best Friends Forever Festival in Las Vegas. It was the first year they had done it, the previous year. It was a great offer for the headlining slot, and our agent brought it to us and it was kind of short notice in a way to get everybody together and it didn’t really make sense to just do a one-off show, but we all kind of got on the same page with exploring doing the band again, and we said, ‘What about next year?’ This year, we played it, and we had the time to put together a good tour around it, so it made sense for everybody to get back together from their respective homes. Everybody lives in different cities now,” Snider said.
Snider was asked if the seven years on the shelf reignited his and the band’s passion for playing live together:
“Absolutely,” he said confidently. “It’s been a blast getting back out on the road with these guys, and the shows have been great. It was really encouraging to see how quickly the tickets sold for this tour.”
Aside from the festival date, which just as easily could have been a one-time thing, Minus the Bear decided to take a victory lap, celebrating a significant anniversary of their landmark album, ‘Menos el Oso.’ (For non-Spanish-speaking folk, it translates to the band’s name. Clever.)
“It really was centered around it being the 20th anniversary for the record, and that kind of perfectly tied into the timing of us being able to do that particular festival and get the tour put together,” he said. “It definitely made a good amount of sense.”
Quizzed on how it feels for the band to have fans return in droves for an album that was released 20 years ago and why it has stood the test of time:
“I think the fans have an even deeper connection to the record and to the music,” Snider said. “They kind of grew up a lot of ’em on this record, and it’s become a nostalgic reference for them to their younger life.”
With the passing of time, songs can take on different meanings for listeners. This also holds true for the songwriters.
“I think that many of the songs are more meaningful upon reflection,” Snider explained. “Lyrically, it seems like with distance you can step outside of being the writer of it and kind of listen to it more as a… How do I put it? Almost like a consumer or a fan, try to be a little more detached and put your head in the listener’s role rather than the creative role.”
Not only are OG fans returning to see the tour, but many of them are of an age where they can have children of their own who are of concert-attending age. It has to be surreal to see multi-generations of fans enjoying their music together.
“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “I’ve got an 11-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son, and I can bring them out when they want to go as well. My son is getting into, I guess, what you would classify as indie rock or post punk, and seeing other people doing the same thing and passing on the music to their kids is pretty cool to see.”
‘Menos el Oso’ was released at the dawn of digital music. iTunes was in its infant stages, and music downloads were pay-per-song. Now, society has progressed to a world where streaming is king. The art of the album and fans’ desires to discover deep cuts have gone by the wayside. Snider’s thoughts on the matter:
“It’s kind of discouraging,” Snider confirmed. “We were always kind of intentional about making the albums a whole piece to be listened to in sequence, but a lot of people are getting back into vinyl. That’s a good shift, allowing people to experience the record as a whole. The experience of listening to a full album, you don’t really know what’s going to be your favorite song, even if at first something stands out immediately upon multiple listens, other songs are going to connect with you.“
And, the burning question: What is next for Minus the Bear?
“At this point? We’re just taking it one day at a time,” Snider said. “This tour has been amazing, and we don’t really have plans for anything in the future. But yeah, we’ll just see how it goes. Everybody’s getting along, so there is a possibility of another tour in the future.”
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