Pants For Bears El Presidente and the Minions

A few weeks ago I saw this plus sized band (all seven of "˜em) at a local club in Harrisonburg, VA and made up my mind to grab whatever recordings they had to compare to the live show. This turned out to be a DIYIAB (do-it-yourself-in-a-basement) EP called "A Relative Concern". With this in mind I was expecting a low-quality, slapped together representation of what was a completely entertaining live act. Wait a minute there, Mr. Jump to Conclusions: this sounds rock-damn-solid!

While Pants for Bears is definitely a live band first, I was pretty surprised by the quality and diversity of the tracks. In this recording I hear the ass shaking party grooves of Parliament, the weirdness of Frank Zappa, the down-home soul of the Allman Brothers, and the hundreds of dirty guitar riffs that inspired bands like the Black Keys.

So what is the difference between a progressive psychedelic band with indie cred and one without? Three or four synthesizers? A fabricated lo-hi aesthetic? A complete unwillingness to make music people can dance to? Well the truth is I don't know, and don't really care. This is the kind of band that is just going to get better and better on record, with each member pushing each other to get weirder, better, more exploratory, and willing to take risks. The good news is Pants for Bears is ready to enjoy right now as the group is making live sounds that people used to wait months to see. You went to go see Parliament because they had the funk, and you wanted it badly. Well Pants for Bears has the funk"¦and some pants"¦for bears.