Minus the Bear - Pole to Pole on a Planet of Ice

When you're basking in the glory of a having delivered a stellar new album, steaming through a monster tour of almost three months solid on the road, and catching the sights and sores of a couple of continents, not even the inkling paranoia that you might have gone and haemorrhaged some staple fans with your bold new musical direction could kill your buzz, surely?

Minus the Bear vocalist and guitarist Jake Snider is pragmatic in conversation, speaking about his band's latest opus, Planet of Ice. "I expect fans to hate it! With every record I expect we'll lose fans. But I do expect new fans to fill the void. We never consider whether we'll lose fans or not...I think if we did, we'd lose a lot more than a few that only like the songs on the record that introduced them to the band."

The single, Knights, is the first fruits of what Snider suggests was a productive period for the quintet. Recalling the sessions, he says, "I think about the five of us in the practice space just arranging; we spent every day for months writing and rewriting. We continued to write and refine the songs as we were in the studio, even somewhat into mixing. The constant collaboration between the band and the producers as well as the members amongst each other stands out to me."

For Snider, Knights neatly sums up the progression of the band to their third full-length album, as MTB continues to refine and mature an experimental edge. "The song seems like a bridge to me, from the previous record to the new one. It's very simple as well. As a whole, the album reads better as a cohesive piece than anything we've done before. I like that. These songs are much more challenging than a lot of the older material", he adds, summing up simply that, "They're bigger."

Indeed, almost as big as their current tour. The mammoth stint that brings the outfit to King Tut's this month started back in their native Seattle in September, and so far the road has brought nothing but good memories for the band. Consisting of former members from influential acts such as Botch and Kill Sadie, this lot are no strangers to the lifestyle of a travelling post-hardcore busker. "We all love to be on the road...playing shows and travelling is our meat and potatoes", Snider admits. "Having friends all over the world is amazing. I've personally learned more in the past few years on the road than I ever did in school."

The Skinny does not condone dropping out of your studies to follow a lavish life of portability, kids, though it's hard not to get a touch jealous of some exploits. "We played this little pub in Iceland once" he recollects, "spent the day exploring the beautiful and forbidding countryside then in the evening played a little show. Then after, for some reason, the bar owner allowed us to bartend- what a night. We didn't sleep at all, and then off on a plane we went to Amsterdam."

And you thought stealing road cones on the way home from The Catty was hedonistic. Perhaps a little mellowing is in order for the MTB mob?

"On this tour I think we'll take it easier after the shows…it's going to be so long. I'll die if we go out and drink whiskey with the locals all night; it's just not possible to do that for three months straight. I hope that we can simply keep it together enough to make it to the end alive...we'll see....we'll see."

Yes we shall. And if King Tut's isn't ready for MTB, they'll certainly be ready for us. "Scottish crowds are pretty great, but they are very discerning. They know what they like and what they don't", Snider notes with a hint of an anecdote not quite eked out of him. Certainly there are no questions over our propensity for a snifter or two. "They seem to be able to keep up with the drinking that we do. It's always raining when we're there...just like at home in Seattle. They're very similar places."

In terms of extreme precipitation and a thriving music scene, perhaps, but there seems to be something lost in cultural translation when it comes to cuisine, a gap we'd like to bridge with a few suggestions. "Haggis?!" Snider seems startled by the notion. "No, none for me thanks. Cory our bassist would try it I'm sure. But deep fried candy bars? Sounds disgusting and amazing at the same time. I must try one of those. Where can we find the best fried Mars Bar?"

Answers on a postcard please, readers.