setlist...
Gimmee
Face
Shafty
Zulu
Scoopy
Wednesday
Monkey
Farm
Flyer
Bodybag
Here's a review from la.com by Teri Danz
In the Clubs:
A band not to miss is LA band Polar Bear...who performed live at
the Troubadour last week. Many of you will recognize the name
Eric Avery, best known as the bass player for Jane's Addiction,
who's now fronting his own band, Polar Bear. And... they're a
surprise! Not anything like Avery's former band, Polar Bear is
hard to classify. It's rock with programming, pop with swirling
sequencing and samples, some funk ... all with a backdrop of
floating visuals.
Drummer/programmer Biff Sanders, well known for his previous
band, Ethyl Meatplow, joined Avery from the very beginning and is
instrumental in creating this original vibe. Guitarist Dani Tull did
some tasty bits on guitar. Avery is a powerful frontman, and his
physical presence is captivating. His voice ranges from almost
Bowie like pop to something more fluid, moody. In Polar Bear, the
sounds and samples are woven through the songs to create quite
a complex and enticing tapestry. Their encore 'Flyer' was certainly
representative of that almost trippy vibe. Avery described it in a
recent interview in Form Guide, "I like to put together pictures at the same time and their juxtaposition becoming the feeling that I'd like to evoke or talk about."
Evocative and fresh, that's for sure -- Hooray for originality...check them out at http://sdw.internetco.net/polarbear/
Openers The Camp Fire Girls (not a girl band, by the way) are from the Nirvana school of grunge guitars and grainy vocals. I happen to like that style (a lot actually), but, for it to really work, now late 90's, it needs a new twist not to sound derivative (or even worse ... like a bad copy). As for The "Girls", there's a little
smoke and no fire. A good dose of ragin' energy, some cool angst-filled tunes ... even some ... well, enthusiasm, would sure be welcome here.
note: http://sdw.internetco.net/polarbear/ is the old address for this site.
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