Mink
It’s very rare that you hear of a band writing 30 songs in the space of a month, but when that challenge was laid down the guys from Mink, they attacked the challenge with fervour, some might call them crazy, but I call them inspirational. Determined to learn more about this obviously dedicated band, I crossed time barriers to chat to Stella - who was tucked up in bed at the time - to chat about music, boys and the future.
You formed back in 2006 but have already been catapulted into the spotlight and written over 60 songs in a relatively short space of time; how have the past three years been for you?
Very quick in relative terms so processes which usually take a lot longer for most bands have been very rapid for us, recording albums and EP’s and exclusive things, as well as doing videos. It’s all been in a really compressed time frame and it almost doesn’t feel like it’s actually happened because it’s happened so quickly, it feels like a whirlwind and a dream.
Do you think the almost rushed process has affected the quality of the music in any way?
I think it definitely could have, because when you’re rushing things there are two possible outcomes; one is that it’s just crap, and the other is that it’s not as laboured over, obviously we had concerns but in the end it can be a really interesting way to make music as so much music takes a lot of time rather than being direct and instant and saying; ‘Right this is a good idea, let’s just go with it and put it down and send it off.’
This is what we did with the pre-production process before we recorded the album. We just wrote songs and sent them off, even in their raw form then decided whether they were good enough as they are or whether they needed some more production.
You’re the drummer and only girl, what’s it like being in a band with three other guys?
I’m used to being the only girl in a band.
How did you meet them all?
I actually met the band through Nick who’s the lead guitarist, him and I have been friends and played in bands since I was 14 and he was 18 so we’ve known each other from out local haunts and venue and played in bands and his band needed a drummer and they lost their original drummer so he asked me to come and join.
Do they take care of you?
Oh yes, very much so, but I also have the double minority as I’m the youngest and the only girl. They are very compassionate and wonderful guys but at the same time I think they are very conscious of not babying me, I think they know I’m old enough to take care of me so they’re not going to make me feel like I’m incompetent or anything. They take care of me in the most appropriate way.
To people who haven’t already heard of you, how would you describe your sound?
I know most bands would say this so it’s probably a cliché but it’s quite difficult to describe it because it is rock music, but it isn’t rock music, totally in the vein of AC/DC or Van Halen, we’re not imitating anyone, we’re just taking influences from all of the rock bands which we love and a lot of pop bands that we love as well as psychedelic bands. It is just a nice combination of all of our influences and I think it’s not too jammy or pop sounding or rocky, it just kind of fits all of those elements together perfectly.
Who would you name as a couple of your influences?
I would say the collective influences are modern bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, we all love them! As we all like different music it’s hard to be diplomatic as I’m speaking on behalf of the whole band, but our differing interests are what makes it so interesting as there are some things we agree on and some we don’t. I personally love Frank Zappa.
So you’ve almost answered my next question, but who do you think are the best band around at the moment?
I would say the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s are one of the best. But myself and Nick are really into Battles, who are amazing and include the drummer from Helmet and they are just a really quirky group.
How did you find working on the new album?
It was done quite a while ago and released a while ago in the US and it’s just coming out in the UK, it’s still pretty fresh in our memories though. One of the producers, Sylvia Mac did the bulk of the recording left us with this challenge of having to write 30 songs in a month.
We already had a couple of songs we had recorded with her on a previous trip, and one of which actually became the first single Talk To Me, so it was really quite a while before that came out. But for the rest of the songs we were just looking to hit 30 songs and it was just a really unique experience.
You’ve released the album in the US and now its hitting the shops in the UK, what are you going to be doing to promote it?
Well hopefully we’re going to do a tour, I am personally coming over to the UK for a holiday, but hopefully the band will follow me!
How daunting is it trying to break into the mainstream charts at a time when so many other bands are trying to do the same thing?
I would say that obviously the industry is not the same is it was in the past so I think I will be optimistic and say that it is still daunting but only in the respect that you have to find your own creative ways within the band rather than subscribing to one formula.
You have to do something that’s really creative, for example, the OK:GO video on the treadmills, and at the time there was no other videos like that. I think it’s just really important for bands to be as creative and clever as they can be and it will happen naturally.
What sets you apart from all the other wannabe bands?
We don’t take ourselves terribly seriously, which I think is one of our good points because there are a lot of bands around that do and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing but it’s something which sets us apart. Plus we also have a strong online presence, which a lot of bands also do, but we’re quite particular about having control over our online personalities.
How did you come up with your band name?
I’m not the person to ask, Neal came up with the name but we usually give the response that we’re animal lovers and so the name Mink is not a reference to the mink coat but is more of a homage to the animal; which is a cheeky little sexy animal!
Where would you like to be in 10 years time?
In Vanuatu just having a cocktail! But seriously, I guess if you’re still playing music in a band after 10 years, no matter who you are or who you’re playing with, it’s very rare and special and just being and playing after 10 years I just very rewarding no matter where you are.
What are you up to in the near future?
Well the near future is the main reason why I’m making this phone call from my bed as we’re playing Fuji Rocks in two days in Japan so I’m going to Japan for the first time ever! I’m jealous of myself because I’ve never been and I’ve watched Lost In Translation so many times! I’m really looking forward to it and it’s definitely the most exciting thing coming up for us, I don’t think any of us (except Nick) have ever been to Japan before.
We ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person we interview....and Joel Stoker from The Rifles wants to know; “What would you be doing if you weren’t in a band?”
That’s a good one…If I could cook I’d love to be a chef! So that’s two actually because I’d love to actually be able to cook, and I’d also like to be a chef! I think cooking is a really attractive thing. Obviously every musician want’s to be involved in the art in some respect, but if it was something different from music then I would love to have a restaurant somewhere…not too expensive food though!
And what would you like to ask my next interviewee?
If they’re from America, as them What do they think of the Hilary Clinton pant suit combo. She has like one uniform and she never wears a dress and I want to know what they think are the perks of a pant suit combo!
Find out Melee's response very soon.
FmelaeFirst - Ruth Harrison
It’s very rare that you hear of a band writing 30 songs in the space of a month, but when that challenge was laid down the guys from Mink, they attacked the challenge with fervour, some might call them crazy, but I call them inspirational. Determined to learn more about this obviously dedicated band, I crossed time barriers to chat to Stella - who was tucked up in bed at the time - to chat about music, boys and the future.You formed back in 2006 but have already been catapulted into the spotlight and written over 60 songs in a relatively short space of time; how have the past three years been for you?
Very quick in relative terms so processes which usually take a lot longer for most bands have been very rapid for us, recording albums and EP’s and exclusive things, as well as doing videos. It’s all been in a really compressed time frame and it almost doesn’t feel like it’s actually happened because it’s happened so quickly, it feels like a whirlwind and a dream.
Do you think the almost rushed process has affected the quality of the music in any way?
I think it definitely could have, because when you’re rushing things there are two possible outcomes; one is that it’s just crap, and the other is that it’s not as laboured over, obviously we had concerns but in the end it can be a really interesting way to make music as so much music takes a lot of time rather than being direct and instant and saying; ‘Right this is a good idea, let’s just go with it and put it down and send it off.’
This is what we did with the pre-production process before we recorded the album. We just wrote songs and sent them off, even in their raw form then decided whether they were good enough as they are or whether they needed some more production.
You’re the drummer and only girl, what’s it like being in a band with three other guys?
I’m used to being the only girl in a band.
How did you meet them all?
I actually met the band through Nick who’s the lead guitarist, him and I have been friends and played in bands since I was 14 and he was 18 so we’ve known each other from out local haunts and venue and played in bands and his band needed a drummer and they lost their original drummer so he asked me to come and join.
Do they take care of you?
Oh yes, very much so, but I also have the double minority as I’m the youngest and the only girl. They are very compassionate and wonderful guys but at the same time I think they are very conscious of not babying me, I think they know I’m old enough to take care of me so they’re not going to make me feel like I’m incompetent or anything. They take care of me in the most appropriate way.
To people who haven’t already heard of you, how would you describe your sound?
I know most bands would say this so it’s probably a cliché but it’s quite difficult to describe it because it is rock music, but it isn’t rock music, totally in the vein of AC/DC or Van Halen, we’re not imitating anyone, we’re just taking influences from all of the rock bands which we love and a lot of pop bands that we love as well as psychedelic bands. It is just a nice combination of all of our influences and I think it’s not too jammy or pop sounding or rocky, it just kind of fits all of those elements together perfectly.
Who would you name as a couple of your influences?
I would say the collective influences are modern bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, we all love them! As we all like different music it’s hard to be diplomatic as I’m speaking on behalf of the whole band, but our differing interests are what makes it so interesting as there are some things we agree on and some we don’t. I personally love Frank Zappa.
So you’ve almost answered my next question, but who do you think are the best band around at the moment?
I would say the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s are one of the best. But myself and Nick are really into Battles, who are amazing and include the drummer from Helmet and they are just a really quirky group.
How did you find working on the new album?
It was done quite a while ago and released a while ago in the US and it’s just coming out in the UK, it’s still pretty fresh in our memories though. One of the producers, Sylvia Mac did the bulk of the recording left us with this challenge of having to write 30 songs in a month.
We already had a couple of songs we had recorded with her on a previous trip, and one of which actually became the first single Talk To Me, so it was really quite a while before that came out. But for the rest of the songs we were just looking to hit 30 songs and it was just a really unique experience.