Hella is an American math rock band from Sacramento, California. The primary members of the band are Spencer Seim on electric guitar and Zach Hill on drums. The band expanded their live band by adding Dan Elkan on vocals, rhythm guitar, sampler and synthesizer and Jonathan Hischke on synth bass guitar for their 2005 tour. In 2006 they reformed as a five-piece line-up including Seim, Hill, Carson McWhirter, Aaron Ross & Josh Hill. In 2009, the band was reduced back to core members Hill and Seim.
Minus the Bear was an American indie rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2001, and comprising members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. Their sound was described as "Pele-esque guitar-taps and electronics with sophisticated time signature composition."
Botch was an American mathcore band formed in 1993 in Tacoma, Washington. The band, featuring Brian Cook, Dave Knudson, Tim Latona and Dave Verellen, spent four years as a garage band and released several demos and EPs before signing to Hydra Head Records. Through the label, Botch released two studio albums: American Nervoso (1998) and We Are the Romans (1999). The group toured extensively and internationally in support of their albums with like-minded bands such as The Blood Brothers, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ink & Dagger and Jesuit. Botch struggled to write a third studio album, and in 2002 the group broke up due to tensions among the band members and creative differences. Hydra Head posthumously released an EP of songs the group had been working on before they split titled An Anthology of Dead Ends and a live album documenting their final show titled 061502 in 2006.
Rocky Votolato is an American indie and folk singer-songwriter. He was also a member of the rock group Waxwing. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington.
These Arms Are Snakes was an American post-hardcore band that formed in 2002 and featured former members of Botch and Kill Sadie. Before disbanding in 2009, they released three studio albums: Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home (2004), Easter (2006) and Tail Swallower and Dove (2008). Former members of These Arms Are Snakes currently play in Russian Circles, Narrows, Minus the Bear, Crypts, Dust Moth, and Hooves.
They Make Beer Commercials Like This is the third EP released by the band Minus the Bear on the Arena Rock Recording Co. After being remastered, it was re-released on June 3, 2008, through Suicide Squeeze Records with an added track, "Houston, We Have Uh-Oh". This song was originally released on the compilation, In Honor: A Compilation To Beat Cancer.
Spencer Seim is an American musician, best known as the guitarist in the band Hella. He is also the drummer in the Nintendocore band The Advantage and has a solo project named sBACH. The sticker on the cover of the self-titled sBACH release says "a thousand times better than Hella or The Advantage".
Sharks Keep Moving were a short-lived Seattle rock band that formed in 1998. The band's original lineup consisted of Jake Snider (guitar/vocals), Nathan Turpen (guitar), Jeff DeGolier (bass), and Dan Dean (drums). Their music was a melodic, often soft, brand of rock with odd time signatures and an almost freeform jazz influence.
Kill Sadie was a Minneapolis-based post-hardcore band active from 1997 to 2001. The band adopted the DIY ethic of constant touring, rather than other forms of promotion. Several members of the band went on to perform with better known emo, hardcore, and indie bands including Minus the Bear, Pretty Girls Make Graves and These Arms Are Snakes.
Heather Duby is an American singer-songwriter.
Planet of Ice is the third full-length album from Minus the Bear, released in the UK on August 20, 2007 and in the US on August 21 by Suicide Squeeze Records. It was produced and recorded by the band's former keyboard player, Matt Bayles, in February and March 2007. It is the first Minus the Bear album to feature keyboardist Alex Rose, who replaced Matt Bayles after he left the band to concentrate on his career as a producer. It is also their last album on Suicide Squeeze Records until 2017's Voids.
Will Johnson is an American musician, singer-songwriter, author and painter who was the lead singer of the bands Centro-matic and South San Gabriel. Called "one of the most prolific artists in American indie rock", Johnson has also released solo records, and is a member of the bands Monsters of Folk, New Multitudes and Overseas, and has also performed as part of the Undertow Orchestra. He is currently a member of Jason Isbell's band, the 400 Unit.
Kirby James Fairchild is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a guitarist of the indie rock bands Grandaddy and Modest Mouse. Fairchild has released solo material under the pseudonym All Smiles.
Acoustics is an acoustic EP from Minus the Bear. It was released on October 7, 2008, through Tigre Blanco Records. It contains an unreleased track, "Guns & Ammo", and acoustic versions of six tracks previously released in electric versions on Highly Refined Pirates, Menos el Oso, and Planet of Ice.
Omni is the fourth full-length album from Minus the Bear, released on May 4, 2010. It is their first album to be released on Dangerbird Records and was produced by Grammy Award-winner Joe Chiccarelli. On April 27, 2009, the band began recording without the support of a record label. On September 3, 2009, they announced on their Twitter that they were officially done recording.
Infinity Overhead is the fifth full-length album from Minus the Bear, released on August 28, 2012. It is their second album to be released on Dangerbird Records and was produced by the band's former keyboardist, Matt Bayles. The album was also released in the UK by Big Scary Monsters Recording Company in September.
Acoustics II is the first acoustic full-length album from Minus the Bear. It marks the second acoustic work by the band, following 2008's Acoustics EP, encompassing songs from all their previous albums. Acoustics II includes two new compositions and eight other re-imagined versions of band and fan favorites. It was released on September 4, 2013 through the band's own Tigre Blanco Records, following a successful PledgeMusic campaign.
Suicide Squeeze Records is a Seattle, Washington-based independent record label that releases rock, pop, and metal music. Suicide Squeeze releases content on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital. The label has also released comedy and performance art CD and DVDs.
Into It. Over It. is an indie rock band founded in 2007 as the solo project of Chicago, Illinois-based musician Evan Thomas Weiss. It is considered a leading act of the early-2010s emo revival scene.
Society's Finest is an American metalcore band from Dallas, Texas. Their first full-length album, The Journey...So Far, was released on Solid State Records in May 2000. Due to member changes and personal matters the band took a break from touring and recording to focus on their personal lives. During this hiatus, vocalist Josh Ashworth toured with the metalcore band Zao.
