Climbing out of the frozen tundra that is Upstate New York, Polar Bear Club has quickly become on of the premier names in the punk world with their D.I.Y work ethic and high-energy live shows.
PBC have members from both Rochester and Syracuse. Both cities, like Buffalo, have fallen on hard times, and the tough environment clearly comes through in PBC's music.
"I think there is something to be said for being from a small city, a sort of identity-less place," said main singer Jimmy Stadt. "Honestly, I feel a little like a middle child to the sort of country. I'm from this east coast city that feels a lot like the Midwest and doesn't have a strong identity. So I think that gave me, early on, a blank slate to fill with any type of music I wanted."
Alongside Stadt in Polar Bear Club are Chris Browne and Nick Morris on guitar, Erik Henning on bass and newcomer Tyler Mahurin on drums.
Polar Bear Club released its third full-length album, Clash Battle Guilt Pride, last month. The new album captures the raw feeling that comes from living in a depleted city.
Clash Battle Guilt Pride is a vague album title, but that's exactly why PBC chose it.
"We chose it as an album title because we felt that they were some of the more important lyrics on the record, and it sounds a little ambiguous in a way and we thought it would grow into whatever it would become," said Stadt. "Much like our band name, Polar Bear Club, it doesn't really sound like any type of band. But it's become ‘Polar Bear Club.' It means something now and it didn't at face value, and that's what we went for with the album."
Through the rigorous touring, the band has met some of their closest friends, and has learned from every band they have toured with.
Stadt explained that when PBC first started out, there were two bands that helped them out more than others. The Gaslight Anthem taught PBC it's not all about sounding good on stage – a band needs to have a good stage presence as well. Four Year Strong also left a lasting impression by letting PBC sleep on their hotel room floor so that they didn't have to buy their own.
Stadt's admiration for music is a common among punk musicians. It only took one album for Stadt to find out who he was.
"I asked for a Pennywise CD for Christmas. I didn't know what Pennywise sounded like," Stadt said. "It was Unknown Road I got [for Christmas] and I put it in and hearing that guitar riff that opens that record, after a little piano intro, my brain just exploded and I knew that was in my blood, that was who I was. So I contribute a lot of who I am now to that record, Unknown Road."
Although Stadt has a love for the underground, there are major bands that have influenced his life as well.
"I think I realized I wanted to be in a band when I was 15 or so and it first started…with Rage Against the Machine," Stadt said. "I saw the music video for ‘Bulls on Parade' and I would watch it and just pretend I was in it, playing that show. My uncle had given me a bass guitar with like two strings on it, that he essentially gave to me as a toy, and I would put it on and pretend I was in Rage Against the Machine."
The band is currently touring the country with arguably some of the biggest up and coming punk groups, including Fireworks and Balance and Composure.
While the set list changes every night, there are some songs that Stadt and the rest of PBC enjoy performing for every crowd.
"Right now the song I really love doing in the set is ‘Pawner,' the first song of Clash Battle Guilt Pride," Stadt said. "Its sort of a quiet song and I don't know if people expect us to play it or not, but it's a nice variation in our set list right now. We have these loud blocks and then we get to ‘Pawner' and bring the room down, in a good a way, and I have been loving playing that song."
Even if punk rock is not a person's cup of tea, Polar Bear Club has a wide enough spectrum to appease almost any taste in music.
"I was never ashamed to listen to pop music, or listen to rap music, or listen to punk, or hardcore or whatever. It was just all the same to me," Stadt said.
Polar Bear Club is performing at Mohawk Place Saturday night with opening acts Balance and Composure, Such Gold, Pentimento, and Anchor Me Down. Doors open at 6 and tickets are $13 in advance and $15 at the door, but it is unlikely this show will still have tickets at the door.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Mhdariby / Wikimedia Commons
