Indie rock band Minus The Bear created a unique sound that blended a multitude of genres: math rock, emo, pop, prog, and yes, ska. Well, at least, the bass lines were informed by ska and reggae. Bassist Cory Murchy grew up obsessed with ska music. And when it came time to write interesting and moving bass lines, he often drew inspiration from the bass masters in reggae and ska bands. Besides, who plays bass better than ska and reggae bass players?Today, Cory joins us to talk about the secret ska influence of Minus The Bear. We break a few songs that lean the heaviest into ska territory ("My Time," Memphis & 53rd," "Pachuca Sunrise"), and we also talk about Cory's ska formative years growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He even discusses his high school ska band, Soulskats.We talk about the impact seeing Mealticket live had on Cory, we discuss a few of the key New Mexico DIY spaces, and we talk about the Seattle indie rock scene that Cory joined when he got a little older (and its connection to Animal Chin)! We find out why Suicide Squeeze's David Dickenson has a "Cory Murchy" tattoo and we learn what ska tattoo Cory has on his body. And during the interview, Cory casually drops a huge reveal on us. His mom used to babysit Kurt Cobain!  Support the show