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The Mint Chicks

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"Den of the Cannibals.."

Location: Portland, OR

Website: http://www.themintchicks.com/

Bio: Meeting up at high school and forming in 2001 to play a string of house parties, all-male trio the Mint Chicks decimated many packed, sweaty ... (more) living rooms before being discovered and signed by legendary New Zealand record label Flying Nun (who brought the world such indie catalysts as the Clean and the Verlaines). They've released two E.P's and two albums so far under the Flying Nun banner in Australasia, and have become known for mixing cool pop hooks and structures with modern noise rock and experimental music, as well as for an explosive live show which is pointless to describe here because bios are always full of horrible, empty hyperbole.

It's still a mystery today how Flying Nun even knew about this band, as they were literally using people's stereos for vocal P.A's. Six years later the band win five New Zealand music awards, including best album, best rock group, best rock album and all that crap. They also got a gold record and huge critical success in New Zealand. All from an album that band members Ruban and Kody Nielson produced in their garage for next to nothing and mixed with their Dad, and if you ever have the chance to listen to 'Crazy?Yes!Dumb?No!' you'll see it's really the audio engineering equivalent of the Britten Bike, a glorious victory for musical D.I.Y. To this day they have never been in a 'Professional Recording Studio' or met a 'Producer'. There's just never been the need.

So the Mint Chicks are kind of a big deal in their home country now, but the half-Hawaiian Nielson brothers have taken their dual citizenship and their drummer Paul Roper and moved their band to Portland, Oregon for new creative challenges and a fresh start. They've been in the states for a couple of months now and have been playing parties again. Back home in New Zealand and Australia they have sold out headline tours and supported the White Stripes, Death From Above, TV on the Radio, Blood Brothers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Black Lips. Now setting up in a basement in Portland, plotting world domination, they want a Grammy for their Mum's mantelpiece.
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