Self described as "dreamy, dark, western, goth pop", Coal was a prominent pop-noir figure in Vancouver in the early '90s. They appeared with Low, Oh Susanna, Veda Hille, Mae Moore, The Corn Sisters, The Inbreds, and countless others. However, eventually, like all good things, Coal came to an end. And that's not to say they went out in a fizzle; by that time, these cats had 3 albums, 6 videos, and plenty of compilations under their belts. One of which was with Minty friends cub, Windwalker, and Tankhog. It's a little 7" that is way out of print, so snap it up if you find a copy!

If, like many folks, you fondly remember Canadian instro-rockers Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet and their theme music for the legendary sketch comedy program The Kids in the Hall, then you're ready for this slab of instrumental gold from Brian Connelly (one of the Shadowy geniuses) and his band, Atomic 7.

With their feverish punk energy, Operation Makeout were darlings on the Vancouver scene from '99 to '03. Sadly, the project was short lived, and the band split after releasing an EP and a full length on Mint. Here's a note from Katie Makeout circa '01, check out her rock 'n' roll spunk! ...Oh, and, we're not sure whether that email address is still active, but, hey, it's worth a try!

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Imagine how thrilled we were, a small, very young record label on Canada's (then) sleepy West Coast, to get an email from a kid out in Halifax who claimed to know Lou Barlow and claimed to have pitched him, unbeknowst to us Minters, on putting out a record with us. Well, we were very very thrilled. A few nervous calls to Mr. Barlow later, we had in our hands the master tapes for Another Collection of Home Recordings.

Bella's career path rose quickly, forming in 2003 and recording their debut album Pretty Mess in singer/guitarist Cameron Fraser's bedroom in 2004. With Tiffany Garrett Sotomayor on drums (also adding some guitar and vocals) and Charla McCutcheon on keys, Bella's '80s tinged synth-pop saw positive reviews roll in from the likes Exclaim! and The Province (Vancouver, BC). All the buzz caught Mint's attention, who enthusiastically signed them for the release of their sophomore album.

The Evaporators won't be taken seriously.

Duotang formed in Winnipeg in the summer of 1995, by two young gentlemen who shared a penchant for red wine on good days, and Labatt Blue on the rest. They also shared a great love for '60s bands such as The Who, The Beatles, The Kinks, and such. Early in the year, Rod Slaughter (later of Novillero) played bass and Sean Allum played drums in different bands. Late one night, they got together at the warehouse their respective band’s shared, and played '60s songs until dawn. No one else ever wanted to join in, so Rod became the singer.

Some things are just meant to be. Birds are born to fly, politicians were born to lie, big fat guys with giant beards were born to ride their machines without getting hassled by the man, and Carolyn Mark was born to make music.