On Friday night I went to the new Grog Shop in Coventry to see Minus the Bear, These Arms are Snakes and The Velvet Teen. Unfortunately my friend had to leave early for some crappy Halloween party where he works so I ended up seeing the majority of the show by myself. Before he left though, we saw The Velvet Teen (who was really late getting to the show) play four or five songs. They are a really good trio from California and their singer has a really interesting voice, which jumps back and forth from falsetto to his full tenor. Then the bass player and drummer fill out the harmonies quite frequently. It is a nice full sound and makes their set very enjoyable.

After the Velvet Teen, These Arms are Snakes came out and played a set of their Avante Garde, not-quite hardcore set, which did little to impress me and a lot to make me not miss hardcore.

Finally, Minus the Bear came out. They are a five-man band of everyday looking guys. They do a lot of drinking and a lot of rocking. There was hardly any banter as the band went through very true versions of their songs from their album Highly Refined Pirates. I can't remember the names of the songs that we heard other than "Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo" which is always one of my favorites. Other songs from their album cover that I am not sure if I heard or not include, "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!," "Hey, Wanna Throw Up?," "I Lost All My Money at the Cock Fights," "Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse," and another personal favorite, "Booyah Achieved."

Seriously, those are the titles of the songs, but don't let it fool you. This band is very good. They aren't really goofy at all onstage and their songs seem relatively honest and meaningful without being whiny. There is obviously a difference between being introspective and being miserable, and these guys choose the former. So, if you get the chance, go see them on their tour, and or pick up a copy of Highly Refined Pirates. You will at least have fun reading the song titles.