NEWSFLASH!

We're proud to report that Unpersons, the fourth full length release from The Pack a.d., will be out on Mint Records this September 13th. The record was engineered by Vancouver's infamous Jesse Gander at The Hive Studios and produced by mastermind Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs, The Paul Collins Beat, The White Stripes) and will melt your face off.

We've captured a little bit of studio footage from the making of Unpersons and you can watch that here!

END OF NEWSFLASH!

The latest issue of our fancy little fanzine, Fresh Breath of Mint is hot off the press. As you've come to expect, it’s filled with all sorts of comics, tour stories and good advice. This time, it comes with custom cover art by Jenny of The Organ as well as Nardwuar interviews and some Kellarissa shopping tips. If you haven’t picked up a copy from your local campus radio station or record shop send us a note and we'll send you a copy. Easy peasy.

Hmm.

New York City. Let's see. There's Coney Island. That house from Ghostbusters. Amazing pizza. Crazy cab drivers. Galleries. Museums. AND THE MINT RECORDS CMJ SHOWCASE! (our apologies for yelling. we're excited - please come)

The night is looking like this:

Mint CMJ Showcase
Fri Oct 23 @ Fat Baby
(112 Rivington St)

8:30pm: Immaculate Machine
9:15pm: Hot Panda
10pm: The Pack A.D.

Click on the links below to hear some music from these three kick-ass bands!

Immaculate Machine

Sound the Alarms

I Only Love You for Your Car (video)

Hot Panda

Chinatown Bus

The Pack A.D.

Making Gestures

Blackout (video)

Becky and Maya of The Pack a.d. are loading up their new van, named HAL, and bracing themselves for the tour of a lifetime! To commemorate the September 13th release of Unpersons, they'll be playing 40+ shows over three months. Be sure to check them out, and buy them a beer. Those girls work hard!

To satiate your appetite for Unpersons, we've posted "Sirens" from the new record here.

As gritty and intoxicating as ever, Maya Miller and Becky Black pound punk and garage rock into a fuzzy pulp.“Sirens” lures you in with that snarl and keeps you planted until the drums have burned solidly through your skull. - RCRD LBL

Sept 03 - KEXP session, Seattle, WA (will be airing at a later date)

Sept 10 - Fresh U Jamboree, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB
Sept 12 - The Alibi, Arcata, CA
Sept 13 - Streetlight Records, San Jose, CA (afternoon show, all ages)
Sept 13 - Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco, CA
Sept 14 - The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA

Sept 15 - Hypnotic Lounge, Las Vegas, NV

Sept 16 - Soma, San Diego, CA
Sept 17 - Whisky a Go-Go, West Hollywood, CA (with LA Guns)
Sept 18 - TBA, Las Vegas, NV
Sept 19 - The Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
Sept 20 - The Badlander, Missoula, MT
Sept 21 - Mootsy's, Spokane, WA

Sept 23 - OLIO Music Festival - Vancouver, BC
Sept 24 - Rifflandia Music Festival, Victoria, BC
Sept 26 - Habitat, Kelowna, BC (with guests Sun Wizard)
Sept 27 - Republik, Calgary, AB (with guests Sun Wizard)
Sept 28 - The Pawn Shop, Edmonton, AB (with guests Sun Wizard)
Sept 29 - Louis' Pub, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK (with guests Sun Wizard)
Sept 30 - Lo Pub, Winnipeg, MB (with guests Sun Wizard)

Oct 01 - The Aquarium, Fargo, ND
Oct 02 - Hell's Kitchen, Minneapolis, MN

Oct 03 - Bayport BBQ, Bayport, MN
Oct 04 - Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA
Oct 05 - OFF Minor, Dubuque, IA
Oct 06 - Daytrotter Session Recording - Rock Island, IL
Oct 06 - The Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL

Oct 07 - Call The Office, London, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 08 - Casbah, Hamilton, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 09 - The Mansion, Barrie, On (with Hollerado)
Oct 10 - Mansion House, St. Catharines, ON
Oct 12 - Market Hill, Peterborough, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 13 - The Mansion, Kingston, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 14 - The Alexander, Brantford, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 15 - The Opera House, Toronto, ON (with Hollerado)
Oct 16 - Cafe Dekcuf, Ottawa, ON

Oct 19 - Phog Lounge, Windsor, ON
Oct 20 - Lager House, Detroit, MI

Oct 22-28 QUEBEC Shows TBA

Oct 29 - The Vibe Lounge, Rockville Centre, NY
Oct 30 - The Charleston, Brooklyn, NY

Nov 01 - O'Brien's Pub, Allston, MA
Nov 02 - Hard Rock Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
Nov 03 - Motr Pub, Cincinnati, OH 
 

It has been a busy fall for Mint. Lots of bands on the road and lots of music conferences. Next up is our CMJ showcase will be on October 14th at Fat Baby (112 Rivington St - right in the heart of the Lower East Side) and will feature The Pack A.D., Novillero, Vancougar, The Awkward Stage and our newest signing Hot Panda (album out in February).

See you there!

 

Meet the latest addition to the Mint Records family, Olivia Fetherstonhaugh or, as we like to call her musical alter ego, fanshaw. As a prior member of The Choir Practice and important part of Vancouver's eclectic music community, we think she's going to fit in just nicely. Her Mint debut, Dark Eyes, will arrive in record shops on February 9th 2010.

Always one to support her friends, Olivia recruited fellow Choir singers, Larissa Loyva (Kellarissa, P:ano) and Shane Turner (Love and Mathematics) to play on her record. Visual artist Karin Bubaš (also a Choir member) created fanshaw artwork and took photographs. She also snatched up fellow CiTR Shindig winner, Johnny Payne (Victoria, Victoria, The Shilohs) to play drums.

fanshaw is able to toe the line between accessible and adventurous. Her voice reminds me of Laura Gibson. The warbles and fluctuations challenge you, but the sounds warm you even with only the minimal instrumental backing. The thing that helps her stand out? She can effortlessly switch from intimate quirky vocal delivery to a chanteuse with the vocal power to dominate a song as well.herohill.com

Our pals in Hot Panda are feeling a little restless. In addition to preparing for Vancouver's always exciting Victory Square Block Party, they are writing new material and packing their bags for their second European tour. Not bad guys, not bad. 

Their dates look like this:

Aug 18 - Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA
Sep 04 - Victory Square Block Party, Vancouver, BC
Sep 15 - Guilt and Co, Vancouver, BC
Sep 24 - Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg, Germany

Sep 26 - Weekender, Innsbruck, Austria
Sep 28 - L'Internationale, Paris, France
Sep 30 - The Brixton Windmill, London, UK

Oct 01 - Labour Club, Northhampton, UK
Oct 02 - The Old Queen's Head, London, UK
Oct 03 - The Bull and Gate, London, UK

Well, it's certainly a first for us here at Team Mint H.Q. to have one of our roster nominated for not one, but TWO Grammy Awards. That's right, our dear friend Neko Case appears twice as a nominee for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards! In the category of Best Contemporary Folk Album, Neko's brilliant Anti- Recordings release Middle Cyclone goes head to head with the likes of Tracy Chapman, Elvis Costello and Steve Earle, and for Best Recording Package, she's duking it out with David Byrne and Brian Eno and Spinal Tap, among others!

Keep your fingers crossed and your rabbits' feet close to your hearts on January 31, 2010. Let's see Neko bring home the gold (or whatever a Grammy is made of)!! We're proud of you Neko; we knew you had it in ya, even waaaay back.

...or even waaaaaaay back.

It looks like our Geoff Berner is once again Europe bound. This time, he's traveling with his klezmer trio of Wayne Adams and Diona Davies. 

Beginning in Bremen, Germany on Oct. 28, and finishing in Aalborg, Denmark on Nov. 27, the trio will hit Germany, England, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark, in a circuitous tour that takes them through 5 major festivals and a rash of sweaty club gigs.

 

This is their 2nd European tour of 2011, already having taken the new album to France, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and other shows in Germany.  Reviews have been terrific for the new disc, which is available on CD, LP and all digital formats, including iTunes.

 

The trio's live shows are legendary debauches of drunken dancing, and the crowds have been getting ever-larger on each tour. Come on out for the Victory Party!

 

Dates Include:

 

Oct 28 -  Bremen, Germany at Weserterrassen, Klezmerwochen Festival

Oct 29 - Hildesheim, Germany at Folk n Fusion Festival   

Oct 30 - Halle, Germany at Objekt 5   

Nov 02 - Croydon, UK at The Green Dragon 

Nov 03 - London, UK at Jamboree

Nov 04, 2011 Bridlington, UK at MusicPort Festival   

Nov 05 - Bridlington, UK at MusicPort Festival   

Nov 06 - Vienna, Austria at Ostklub (Klezmore Festival)   

Nov 07 - Kronach, Germany at Struwwelpeter

Nov 08 - Fuerth, Germany at Babylon

Nov 09 - Augsburg, Germany at Ballonfabrik

Nov 10 - Fulda, Germany at Kreuz   

Nov 11 - Langenthal, Switzerland at Chramerhuus   

Nov 12 - Fribourg, Switzerland at Elvis et Moi   

Nov 13 - Schaffhausen, Switzerland at Tap Tab   

Nov 14 - Biel, Switzerland at International Lokal   

Nov 15 - Kassel, Germany at Schlachthof   

Nov 16 - Erfurt, Germany at Stadtgarten   

Nov 17 - Hamburg, Germany at Astrastube   

Nov 18 - Flensburg, Germany at Volksbad   

Nov 19 - Odense, Denmark at Studenterhuset

Nov 22 - Goteborg, Sweden at Mitt Andra Hem (with Blue Eyed Blondes)

Nov 23 - Stockholm, Sweden at Mosebacke (with Peter Murphy)

Nov 25 -  Frankfurt on Oder at Trans Vocale Festival

Nov 26 - Copenhagen, Denmark at Huset Magstraede 

Nov 27 - Aalborg, Denmark at 1000fryd   

 

"I'd heard other recordings from Berner, but this was the first time I'd been struck so viscerally and so deeply. The songs here make me want to dance. And sometimes they make me want to fight. Often they make me want to do both at exactly the same time." --Rootsworld Magazine

 

"Like rabbit tracks going through the backyard, Geoff Berner's intellectual path is both mysterious and twinkling. I would call him the perfect Canadian musician in that he spices so much of the soup with history while simultaneously delivering a heck of a tasty bowl." --SEE Magazine Edmonton