Thanks to Maya Miller of The Pack A.D., September 18th is now officially known as "Bella Day" at Mint Records. Today, Bella's sparkling debut, No One Will Know, is out and about. So Happy Bella Day! Celebrate accordingly.

And don't forget. If you live in the US, September 18th is also "Carolyn Mark Day." Similar to Thanksgiving, Canadians celebrate "Carolyn Mark Day" early. Carolyn's latest, Nothing is Free is out everywhere today.  

Alright, it's time to unveil your most embarrassing, horrific and unflattering photos. You know, that lovely snapshot you've untagged on Facebook, the one that documents the exact moment when your 16th birthday party went downhill. Or that horrific high school yearbook photo, you know the one, with the hair and the braces and that sweater your mom picked out… It could even be something funny that happened on your fancy new computer's Photo Booth application, as long as it makes you cringe!

To help ease the pain, the most unflattering picture will be rewarded with an Awkward Stage prize pack that includes a copy of the band's new album, Slimming Mirrors, Flattering Lights (out June 10th) as well as some other treasures. And, for added emotional scarring, we'll post your photo here on mintrecs.com! Email your photos to info@mintrecs.com!

To get you inspired, here are some incriminating shots we've discovered of the Minties…

Have you heard about our Double A-Side 7” Series? Think that’s a mouthful? Well, on May 15th, Volume 1, featuring unreleased treasures from The Awkward Stage and Young and Sexy, kicks off the party. The series is limited to the 500 and, for the serious collector, includes a fun Mint Records merit badge! Keep your eyes peeled for future records in the series; they shall include surprise non-labelmate appearances.

We’re celebrating the start of this series with a night on May 25th at the Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir Street) with our chums, Young and Sexy, The Awkward Stage and The Huge Manatease. You should come.

May 15th also marks a 7” release date for P:ano frontman, Nick Krgovich’s One Woman Show.

Pop Quiz:

What do you get when you add four ladies, one pair of cat eye glasses, East Vancouver, a crate of old records and a minivan named Maple Syrup?

A. A rock 'n' roll cocktail of one part retro pop, and one part attitude.

B. The latest band to sign to Mint Records.

C. Vancougar.

D. All of the above.

The correct response is, indeed, D. All of the above.

Now watch out! The girls of Vancougar are out to get you. Eden Fineday, Becca Stewart, Megan Johnson and CC Rose (The Cinch, Pink Mountaintops) are back from touring the US and are tearing up JC/DC Studios (New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara, Bella), recording Canadian Tuxedo, their Mint debut and the followup to their Scratch Records release, Losin' it Look for it in early2008!

The Western Canadian Music Association award nominations are in. And not one - but three of our Minty comrades' releases are up for awards!

Carolyn Mark - Nothing is Free
(Outstanding Solo Roots Recording)

The Evaporators - Gassy Jack and Other Tales
(Outstanding Rock Recording)

Immaculate Machine - Fables
(Outstanding Independent Album)

And, Mint is up for an industry award - Independent Record Label of The Year. We've got our fingers crossed for our friends. And, if you happen to be in Edmonton October 16 - 19, be sure to pop by and say hi. Our Ramblin' Ambassadors and Buttless Chaps shall be performing at the WCMA festivities. Hot dog!

Psst... Have you heard, Mint Records is at it again, preparing to release more untamed albums into the wild.

May 15, 2007 - Nick Krgovich (of P:ano) shall be celebrating the birth of his latest vinyl creation titled, One Woman Show. This 7" features three savoury experiments in pop.

May 15, 2007 - The Awkward Stage and Young and Sexy or The Young and Sexy and Awkward Stage share the glory in the first of our upcoming Double A Side 7" Series.

May 15, 2007 - The Choir Practice, our very own vocal collective of indie pop bliss, shall greet the world with their first collection of songs.

June 12, 2007 - Immaculate Machine's Fables a followup to Ones and Zeros shall magically appear on record store shelves. (Want to get at it NOW? Fables shall be available on itunes early, like May 30th early!)

July 3, 2007 - Carolyn Mark, knows it and will be telling Canada, Nothing is Free. The album will be released in the USA September 18,2007!

What about Bella, you ask? No One Will Know, their Mint debut CD, will be hitting also on September 18, 2007!

So there. It's out. Now, go tell your friends!

 

Immaculate Machine do not speak Mandarin, but they certainly can sing it. After being teased about their French EP by CBC Radio 3 personality Grant Lawrence, the band went back to the studio with their friend Marie (pictured with Brooke, at right), who translated “Dear Confessor” into Mandarin and taught it to them phonetically. Brooke, Kathryn and Luke then went to the CBC Studios and personally presented the song to Grant. According to Brooke, they don't know precisely what they're saying but those fluent in Mandarin have told them it is quite well done.

...and Immaculate Machine have a surprise for you too. You can download, “Wo Xiang Tanbai” right here, for free!

May 29th is a big day for us at Mint Records. Not only is our Fancy New Website up and rolling (Hooray!!), but today, our pals at itunes are offering Immaculate Machine's single, "Jarhand" for FREE!! Get it here. It's the illustrious single of the week!

Then, on May 30th, download all of Fables on itunes, it's specially priced (and you'll have it two weeks earlier than your friends). If you'd like a physical copy of the CD/LP for your collection, visit a record store (It's out on June 12th), or if you live in the woods, order it from our friends at Maple Music.

Vancouverites! Be sure to visit us at Red Cat Records (4307 Main St.) on June 1st; we're having a little advance listening shindig and showing off some Immaculate artwork by the band's resident artist, Caitlin Gallupe. Afterwards, we're marching across the street to The Main for some late night eats and a performance by Victoria's Vincat!

If you're busy that night, stop by the Ukrainian Hall (805 E. Pender) for the CD Release Party on June 16th. Immaculate Machine, Meatdraw and Victoria, Victoria will be there. We'll be there. And you should be there too.

 

To celebrate Nardwuar's 20th Anniversary on CiTR, on the evening of November 2nd, there will be a special free, all ages gig. Come see Nardwuar's band, The Evaporators, plus The Tranzmitors, The Pack A.D. and Kid Kordene at the Sub Ballroom in Vancouver.

ps: This is all happening AFTER Nard's 20 hour Interview Marathon on CiTR. Beginning at 9:00 on November 1st, Nardwuar is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of his Vancouver Radio Show (1987-2007) on CiTR 101.9 FM with a 20 hour, "Live on the Air" Nardwuar Interview Marathon. You can tune in and listen online here.

Who: Nardwuar, The Evaporators, The Tranzmitors, The Pack A.D. and Kid Kordene.

What: Nardwuar celebrates his 20 years on CiTR with a free all ages show.

Where: The UBC SUB Ballroom, Vancouver, BC.

When: Friday, November 2nd at 7:30pm.

Why: Just baking a cake just wouldn't cut it.

 

Yes, that's right folks, just a few days until Immaculate Machine's Fables is on those record store shelves on Tuesday, June 12. If you haven't had a chance to preview the record, the entire thing is available to stream here. Thanks Quicktime! And, our pals at Pitchfork are up on the Immaculate fun too, here's what they've said so far. We know, we know, Ian Danzig said it first, but, hooray for Tuesdays indeed!!!