MINK
"Shake it like a loaded gun"
Location: New York, NY
Website: http://minkmusic.com/
Bio: "We're totally ready," says MINK singer Neal Carlson.
"To play until the end of time," drummer Stella Mozgawa continues. "Until the end of the universe"
These days ... (more)
it seems rock can move at a snail's pace - what with bands marching to corporate
schedules and marketing strategies, over-thinking everything along the way, it can take a couple of years just to get an album released. But MINK is seizing the moment . . . and intends to hold on tightly.The band has clearly hit the ground running. Formed just a blink ago in Spring 2006, MINK has already written more than 60 songs (30 of them in one intense three-week stretch), recorded their debut album in just four weeks (with noted producer Sylvia Massy of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tool fame), shot one of the most fun videos of recent times for its infectious song "Talk to Me" with director Christian Lamb (Madonna, Korn, Kelly Clarkson, Incubus), had another song "Pressure Pressure" featured nightly in ESPN's 2006 Major League baseball playoffs coverage Mink have established themselves as one of the most exciting new live acts on the scene both in their own club shows and by bringing their music to an increasing legion of fans, After recent dates with KISS, a Lollapalooza and South By South West performance, national tours supporting Satellite Party and Angels and Airwaves and a licensing deal with Japans leading indie label Avex.
Their guitar driven rock album debut is set to be released in Australia mid 2008 All that whilst going back and forth between New York (from where Carlson hails) and Australia (home to drummer Mozgawa, lead guitarist Nick Maybury, and bassist Grant Fitzpatrick). But it's not all about the moment.
"We want to be important, have a legacy, get better and better, and get to the same level of bands we love, like the Foo Fighters and the Chili Peppers," says Fitzpatrick.
"To keep rock 'n' roll alive," says Maybury. "We're flying the flag."
The flag was raised in New York City during all-night jam sessions with Carlson (who'd previously performed solo and in a series of bands around town) and musicians he'd met through his Australian manager. Quickly, the casual get-togethers coalesced into a committed band, the final piece coming with the arrival of Mozgawa, whose heavyweight-champ force -- they really don't make drummers who hit harder -- proved the perfect power behind Maybury's slashing guitars, Fitzpatrick's bone-rattling bass and, at the front of it all, Carlson's passionate-yet-playful vocals.The members come from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from the garage-rock, punk, solo and experimental backgrounds of Carlson, Fitzpatrick and Mozgawa to the formal jazz studies of Maybury And though members cite influences and favorites ranging from classic punk to Prince to Bjork to Miles Davis, a chemical bond formed instantly that gave Mink its own enticing character. "Heavenly sounds of bliss! Thunderous sounds of a demon's breath," says Carlson, tongue at least somewhat in cheek, before stating more seriously, "All of us sensed there was a cool energy."
The first single, "Talk to Me," is the perfect introduction, a churning rock groove with a killer hook that was spun in the video into a surreal Japanese talk show experience complete with the band in a cooking segment and a Japanese Elvis impersonator lip-syncing (more or less) the words. Mink songs are free of the gimmicks and production tricks that infect so much rock these days. Instead, this is all about the natural talents of the musicians and dynamics of the band. On "Dematerialize," Carlson flashes the arid bite of a Mick Jagger or Lou Reed, while "Pills" has choruses comparable to David Bowie at his Ziggy Stardust rocking-est. "Jodi" has a soaring pop
chorus riding a wave of crunchy guitar-rock. And live, "Get it Right" showcases Mozgawa's
awesome power.
"Working with Massy was a big step in honing the band's talents and energy into the sharp,
disciplined sound heard on the album - it was she who directed them to undertake the 30-songsin-three-weeks writing detail. The Minksters credit both the producer's keen sensibilities and the unique setting of her studio, an old movie theatre nestled in the shadow of Northern California's Mt. Shasta. And Mink is primed to get the music to its increasing legion of fans. This is the next chapter," Fitzpatrick says. Not that they've had a lot of time to think about it.
"Everything happened so fast."
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