By Anthony Voelpel

If you’ve never heard of Minus the Bear, now you have. They have a reputation of being an incredible live band, and after seeing them live last Friday night, incredible it was.

Since Minus the Bear put out its first album in 2001, the band has been on a mission to amaze. The Seattle-based band packs all types of genres into its songs, from progressive and electronica to experimental and indie. The new album, “Planet of Ice,” combines all those elements and forces the speakers to spit out musical pleasure.

In the midst of the “Planet of Ice” tour, Minus The Bear hit The Warsaw, located in a Polish section of Brooklyn, N.Y. This venue, had a high school gymnasium feel and people started piling in right as the doors opened.

The second band, Subtle, had built up a crowd, but as soon as the lead singer’s Swedish raps left his mouth, some quietly reacquired their positions by the bar.

Between sets, the building anticipation was palpable. Everyone was there to see Minus The Bear, whether it was for their first or fifth time. The band members finally emerged on stage and got right to the point with their hit single “Knights.” The floor was covered wall to wall with enough energy to light up the New York City skyline, especially when they jumped into the fast pace song “The Fix.”

Front man Jake Snider, giving his best Kurt Cobain impression, looked comfortable and lead guitarist Dave Knudson gave all ears a treat with his windy rifts. They often jammed songs out, like they did with “Drilling,” a favorite off their fifth album, “Menos El Oso,” which is Spanish for Minus The Bear.

From the crowd, it looked as if Erin Tate possessed all universal drummer qualities; he was rhythmic, controlled and completely insane. His arms were moving at an uncharted pace while keyboarder Alex Rose added his psychedelic style. The difficulty of the music they play is impossible to mirror and truly admirable.

Other unforgettable performances off their most recent album included “When We Escape” and “Throwin’ Shapes,” which instantly gave fans that “remember this amazing feeling” as they were eagerly listening. Although there was plenty of dancing, the mosh pit scene was non-existent. Nevertheless, everyone around looked to be in a trance, fascinated by the unique rhythms and instrumentals the band exuded.

As soon as the set was over, the crowd burst into the familiar “one more song,” chant, as if it was needed for survival. The band came back on stage with “Potato Juice and Liquid Bread,” a long time admired track off its first album, “This is What I Know About Being Gigantic.”

They played for about an hour and 15 minutes, never releasing their velocity throttle. The confidence they performed with was noticeable and all spectators seemed to embrace it.

If you didn’t know Minus The Bear, now you know.

Minus The Bear may not be well known, but after a performance at The Warsaw in Brooklyn last week, the band should definitely have more fans on Myspace. (minusthebear.com)