Minus The Bear already revealed plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their classic sophomore album Menos El Oso by playing it in full on tour this year, and now they’ve announced a 20th anniversary deluxe reissue of the album. It includes a remastered version of the original album on one 12”, and five unreleased original demos and an etching by bassist Cory Murchy on the flip side of the other, along with a 24-page archive photo journal from the band’s personal collection called Los Archivos Del Oso. It comes out August 22 via Suicide Squeeze, and we’ve got an exclusive coke bottle green vinyl variant up for pre-order in the BV shop, limited to 500. That’s a mock-up above.
Speaking about the reissue, vocalist/guitarist Jake Snider says, “Oso is a band and fan favorite! We came into our sound on this record. Excited people get to hear these demos for the first time! Revisiting demos and hearing the evolution of some of these tracks puts me right back in our early 2000s practice space. And now we’re literally back in that same practice space for rehearsals. It’s wild!”
Guitarist David Knudson adds, “We toured so much for Menos el Oso — all these songs and riffs are stuck in my muscle memory like core childhood memories. The fingers and feet instinctively know where to tap and stomp at just the right time to make the notes and melodies leap out of my guitar. We were trying to push the envelope back in 2005 on this one — incorporating glitchy guitar samples, hip hop breakbeats and more electronic elements to the sound we had established on Highly Refined Pirates. Proud to say that 20 years later it still sounds fresh and I’m grateful people keep coming back to it as one of their favorites.”
“Menos el Oso put us on a trajectory that none of us were expecting,” Knudson continues. “There is a “before ‘Pachuca Sunrise’ video” moment in time, and then there is an “after ‘Pachuca Sunrise’ video” moment in time. It seemed like once people heard that song, and saw that video, everyone went straight to Limewire, Napster, Soulseek, BitTorrent, etc. and shared the album immediately. Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of something this monumental in our lives is a gift. Having the chance to appreciate it with our fans, families and fellow bandmates while we are all alive and kicking is an opportunity I can’t wait to embrace.”
Along with the announcement comes a stream of the “Hooray” demo, and it’s a real treat to hear this familiar classic in this more primitive state. Check it out below.
Pick up our exclusive vinyl variant here.
Tracklist
01.) The Game Needed Me
02.) Memphis & 53rd
03.) Drilling
04.) The Fix
05.) El Torrente
06.) Pachuca Sunrise
07.) Michio’s Death Drive
08.) Hooray
09.) Fulfill the Dream
10.) The Pig War
11.) This Ain’t a Surfin’ Movie
12.) Hooray (Demo)
13.) Drilling (Demo)
14.) The Pig War (Demo)
15.) Michio’s Death Drive (Demo)
16.) I’m Totally Not Down With Rob’s Alien (Demo)
Minus The Bear — 2025 Tour Dates
10/04/25 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater (SOLD OUT)
10/06/25 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades (SOLD OUT)
10/07/25 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom *
10/08/25 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park (SOLD OUT)
10/10/25 – Las Vegas, NV @ Best Friends Forever Festival
10/11/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco (SOLD OUT)
10/12/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco (SOLD OUT)
10/14/25 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
10/16/25 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin (SOLD OUT)
10/17/25 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater (SOLD OUT)
10/18/25 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin (SOLD OUT)
10/21/25 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham (SOLD OUT)
10/22/25 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (SOLD OUT)
10/24/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore (SOLD OUT)
10/25/25 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues *
11/04/25 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *
11/05/25 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club (SOLD OUT)
11/07/25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel (SOLD OUT)
11/08/25 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza (SOLD OUT)
11/09/25 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza *
11/11/25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre
11/12/25 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues *
11/14/25 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre (SOLD OUT)
11/15/25 – Chicago, IL @ Metro (SOLD OUT)
11/16/25 – Chicago, IL @ Metro (SOLD OUT)
11/18/25 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
11/19/25 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
11/21/25 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *
11/22/25 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
11/23/25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
11/26/25 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
11/28/25 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox (SOLD OUT)
11/29/25 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox (SOLD OUT)
* = Low Tickets
