The Mint Chicks
Encyclopedia
The Mint Chicks were an experimental
noise rock
/power pop
group (the band began to refer to their style of music as "troublegum" and have been referred to as anything from neo-punk to schizo-pop to the only half-serious genre definition of shit-gaze along with groups like No Age
and Wavves
) originally from Auckland
, New Zealand
, who relocated to Portland
, Oregon
, USA in 2007. They are known for mixing pop hooks and structures with elements of noise rock and experimental music and also for their exciting live performances, where Kody and Ruban Nielson have been known to climb P.A. stacks, hang from lighting rigs, destroy guitars, engage in self-harm and even attack the stage with a chainsaw.
. They released two EPs and three albums under the Flying Nun Records
banner: Octagon, Octagon, Octagon
EP (2003), Anti-Tiger
EP (2004), Fuck the Golden Youth
(2005), Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!
(2006) and Screens
(2009), as well as one EP on a minor label, Bad Buzz (2010). All were produced and recorded by the band's core members Ruban and Kody Nielson, with the exception of Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! which was produced by the Nielson brothers and their father Chris Nielson at two different home studios.
All four original band members met at Orewa College
in Orewa
, New Zealand, although the band starting moving between Portland, Oregon
and Auckland , as the Nielson brothers have dual citizenship in New Zealand and the U.S.
In 2006, the band played support for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
. The volume of the show was reportedly so loud that part of the St James theater complex
fell down, injuring two concert goers. They have also played support slots for The White Stripes
, Death From Above 1979
, TV on the Radio
, The Blood Brothers, The Black Lips, and The Bronx
. They were also part of the New Zealand line-up for Big Day Out
2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009. In 2005, it was notable that Kody Nielson wielded a chainsaw on stage and destroyed a corporate sponsor's overly prominent sign with it.
At the 2007 New Zealand Music Awards the band won five Tui awards including best rock group, best album, best rock album as well as winning best album cover and best music video for the single "Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!".
On 24 October 2007, it was announced on the band's website that their bassist Michael Logie would leave the band when they relocated to Portland
. The group continued as a trio, with Logie relocating to London, England. The band played a free show in Portland on the 29th June 2008, in which they played their then-upcoming third album from beginning to end live. The band later supported Shihad
on the July 2008 Beautiful Machine
Tour and tested their new songs in front of a home audience. As a result of their bass player having left the band, the Mint Chicks weren't able to play hits from earlier songs, angering some fans. To counter this Shihad's bass player, Karl Kippenberger
, filled in for several more popular songs.
On December 25, 2008, The Mint Chicks released the Mintunes
EP consisting of "8-bit versions" of both previously released songs and tracks from the upcoming album. The band also released an iTunes-only single during 2008, "Life Will Get Better Some Day", a teaser for the album "Screens
", which was released in New Zealand on March 16, 2009 after having been recorded sporadically over the preceding two years.
In October 2009 the Mint Chicks performed a rendition of Ray Columbus and the Invaders' classic hit She's a Mod at the New Zealand Music awards as a four-piece band, later released as a standalone single. Shortly afterwards on October 16, 2009, it was announced Michael Logie would be rejoining the band in a post on the band's Twitter. The band joined with New Zealand music website MusicHy.pe to promote their next record, the Bad Buzz EP, released in February 2010.
Shortly after the release of the EP, the band played their final show on 12 March 2010. The show, originally a fundraiser for MusicHy.pe, ended in chaos after Kody Nielson detroyed the two drumkits and equipment, imploring the crowd to 'start your own f-----g band'.
. Guitarist Ruban Nielson now fronts Unknown Mortal Orchestra
with producer Jacob Portrait. Michael Logie continues his solo project F In Math.
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
/power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
group (the band began to refer to their style of music as "troublegum" and have been referred to as anything from neo-punk to schizo-pop to the only half-serious genre definition of shit-gaze along with groups like No Age
No Age
No Age is a two-person American indie rock group consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles and is currently signed to Sub Pop records...
and Wavves
Wavves
Wavves is an American surf pop/noise punk band based out of San Diego, California.-History:Wavves started in 2008 as the recording project of Nathan Williams. Wavves released several 7"s as well as a cassette leading up to the first two releases 'Wavves' and 'Wavvves'...
) originally from Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, who relocated to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, USA in 2007. They are known for mixing pop hooks and structures with elements of noise rock and experimental music and also for their exciting live performances, where Kody and Ruban Nielson have been known to climb P.A. stacks, hang from lighting rigs, destroy guitars, engage in self-harm and even attack the stage with a chainsaw.
History
Meeting in high school, the band formed in 2001, and began by playing punk house parties and low profile shows before being discovered by acclaimed New Zealand independent record label Flying Nun RecordsFlying Nun Records
Flying Nun Records is an independent record label formed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1981 by music-store proprietor Roger Shepherd.-History:The label was formed in the flurry of new punk rock-inspired labels forming in the early 1980s...
. They released two EPs and three albums under the Flying Nun Records
Flying Nun Records
Flying Nun Records is an independent record label formed in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1981 by music-store proprietor Roger Shepherd.-History:The label was formed in the flurry of new punk rock-inspired labels forming in the early 1980s...
banner: Octagon, Octagon, Octagon
Octagon, Octagon, Octagon
Octagon, Octagon, Octagon is the first recorded release by The Mint Chicks on Flying Nun Records, and is their first officially released CD-EP...
EP (2003), Anti-Tiger
Anti-Tiger
Anti-Tiger is the second release by The Mint Chicks on Flying Nun Records and is their follow-up to the well-received Octagon, Octagon, Octagon. Anti-Tiger was issued in three formats: a 2-track 7"-single, a 6-track 10"-EP and a 6-track CD-EP. One of the EP-tracks, "Opium Of The People", was...
EP (2004), Fuck the Golden Youth
Fuck the Golden Youth
Fuck the Golden Youth is the first full-length album released by The Mint Chicks on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody and Guitarist Ruban Nielson and recorded by the band in total isolation in a house on a beach in Northland, New Zealand which was inaccessible except at...
(2005), Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!
Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!
Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! is the second full-length album released by The Mint Chicks and was originally released in New Zealand on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody, guitarist Ruban Nielson, and their father Chris Nielson...
(2006) and Screens
Screens
Screens is the third studio album from Portland, Oregon-based "troublegum" group The Mint Chicks and thus far the only Mint Chicks release not to feature bassist Michael Logie. It was released on March 16, 2009 in New Zealand, The Mint Chicks' homeland on Flying Nun Records...
(2009), as well as one EP on a minor label, Bad Buzz (2010). All were produced and recorded by the band's core members Ruban and Kody Nielson, with the exception of Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! which was produced by the Nielson brothers and their father Chris Nielson at two different home studios.
All four original band members met at Orewa College
Orewa College
Orewa College is a Year 7 to 13 college/high school in Orewa on the Hibiscus Coast, north of Auckland, New Zealand.The 2007 roll is 1,696. The school has strong music, media, drama and sport departments with a prosperous international programme...
in Orewa
Orewa
Orewa, a town in New Zealand's North Island lies on the Hibiscus Coast, just north of the base of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and 40 kilometres north of central Auckland. Orewa's population was 7,326 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 1,692 from 2001. It is a popular holiday destination...
, New Zealand, although the band starting moving between Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and Auckland , as the Nielson brothers have dual citizenship in New Zealand and the U.S.
In 2006, the band played support for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...
. The volume of the show was reportedly so loud that part of the St James theater complex
St. James Theatre, Auckland
The St James Theatre is a heritage stage theatre and cinema located on Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand. Built in 1928, it was a replacement for the older Fuller's Opera house and was originally designed for vaudeville acts...
fell down, injuring two concert goers. They have also played support slots for The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, Death From Above 1979
Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
, TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music....
, The Blood Brothers, The Black Lips, and The Bronx
The Bronx (band)
The Bronx is an American hardcore punk band from Los Angeles formed in 2002. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist Matt Caughthran, guitarists Joby J. Ford and Ken Horne, bass guitarist Brad Magers, and drummer Jorma Vik...
. They were also part of the New Zealand line-up for Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009. In 2005, it was notable that Kody Nielson wielded a chainsaw on stage and destroyed a corporate sponsor's overly prominent sign with it.
At the 2007 New Zealand Music Awards the band won five Tui awards including best rock group, best album, best rock album as well as winning best album cover and best music video for the single "Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!".
On 24 October 2007, it was announced on the band's website that their bassist Michael Logie would leave the band when they relocated to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The group continued as a trio, with Logie relocating to London, England. The band played a free show in Portland on the 29th June 2008, in which they played their then-upcoming third album from beginning to end live. The band later supported Shihad
Shihad
Shihad is a New Zealand hard/alternative rock band, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. During Shihad's recording career, they have produced four number-one studio albums and three top-ten singles in their home country of New Zealand....
on the July 2008 Beautiful Machine
Beautiful Machine
Beautiful Machine is the seventh album from Shihad and was released 21 April 2008, in New Zealand and released 17 May 2008, in Australia....
Tour and tested their new songs in front of a home audience. As a result of their bass player having left the band, the Mint Chicks weren't able to play hits from earlier songs, angering some fans. To counter this Shihad's bass player, Karl Kippenberger
Karl Kippenberger
Karl Brenton Jamie Kippenberger , grandson of Captain E.T Kippenberger, great nephew of Major-General Sir Howard Kippenberger, is the bass guitarist of the New Zealand band Shihad....
, filled in for several more popular songs.
On December 25, 2008, The Mint Chicks released the Mintunes
Mintunes
Mintunes is an EP by Portland-based New Zealand band The Mint Chicks. Released as a free download on Christmas 2008, it contained "8-bit" versions of two previously released songs as well as 4 would appear on the Mint Chicks' upcoming album Screens....
EP consisting of "8-bit versions" of both previously released songs and tracks from the upcoming album. The band also released an iTunes-only single during 2008, "Life Will Get Better Some Day", a teaser for the album "Screens
Screens
Screens is the third studio album from Portland, Oregon-based "troublegum" group The Mint Chicks and thus far the only Mint Chicks release not to feature bassist Michael Logie. It was released on March 16, 2009 in New Zealand, The Mint Chicks' homeland on Flying Nun Records...
", which was released in New Zealand on March 16, 2009 after having been recorded sporadically over the preceding two years.
In October 2009 the Mint Chicks performed a rendition of Ray Columbus and the Invaders' classic hit She's a Mod at the New Zealand Music awards as a four-piece band, later released as a standalone single. Shortly afterwards on October 16, 2009, it was announced Michael Logie would be rejoining the band in a post on the band's Twitter. The band joined with New Zealand music website MusicHy.pe to promote their next record, the Bad Buzz EP, released in February 2010.
Shortly after the release of the EP, the band played their final show on 12 March 2010. The show, originally a fundraiser for MusicHy.pe, ended in chaos after Kody Nielson detroyed the two drumkits and equipment, imploring the crowd to 'start your own f-----g band'.
Post-Breakup activity
Singer Kody Nielson is making music under the alias Opossom (http://www.opossom.bandcamp.com) with former bassist Michael Logie and Bic RungaBic Runga
Briolette Kah Bic Runga MNZM is a New Zealand pop recording artist whose first solo album, Drive, debuted at number one on the New Zealand RIANZ charts. She has since become one of the highest-selling New Zealand artists in recent history...
. Guitarist Ruban Nielson now fronts Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Unknown Mortal Orchestra are an American and New Zealand indie rock band originating in Portland, Oregon. Their self-titled debut album has received mostly positive reviews. According to some Unknown Mortal Orchestra fucking rule.-References:****...
with producer Jacob Portrait. Michael Logie continues his solo project F In Math.
Band members
- Ruban Nielson (guitar, vocals)
- Kody NielsonKody NielsonKody Nielson is a producer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the former lead singer and producer of the band The Mint Chicks and producer of Bic Runga's fourth studio album Belle...
(vocals, keyboards, drums) - Paul Roper (drums)
- Michael Logie (bass) (except 2008)
Discography
- Octagon, Octagon, OctagonOctagon, Octagon, OctagonOctagon, Octagon, Octagon is the first recorded release by The Mint Chicks on Flying Nun Records, and is their first officially released CD-EP...
(2003) - Anti-TigerAnti-TigerAnti-Tiger is the second release by The Mint Chicks on Flying Nun Records and is their follow-up to the well-received Octagon, Octagon, Octagon. Anti-Tiger was issued in three formats: a 2-track 7"-single, a 6-track 10"-EP and a 6-track CD-EP. One of the EP-tracks, "Opium Of The People", was...
(2004) - Anti-Tiger / Octagon, Octagon, Octagon (Live) 7" (2004)
- Blue Team Go / Blue (Whirlwind Heat) Split 7" Pale blue vinyl (2004)
- Blue Team Go / Post No Bills 7" Clear green vinyl (2004)
- Fuck the Golden YouthFuck the Golden YouthFuck the Golden Youth is the first full-length album released by The Mint Chicks on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody and Guitarist Ruban Nielson and recorded by the band in total isolation in a house on a beach in Northland, New Zealand which was inaccessible except at...
(2005) - Fuck The Golden Youth / Oh Yeah 7" and 3" CD (2005)
- Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! is the second full-length album released by The Mint Chicks and was originally released in New Zealand on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody, guitarist Ruban Nielson, and their father Chris Nielson...
(2006) - Anti-Tiger (84 Tigers edition) 10" (2007)
- 2010 / Walking Off A Cliff Again 7" White vinyl (2008)
- MintunesMintunesMintunes is an EP by Portland-based New Zealand band The Mint Chicks. Released as a free download on Christmas 2008, it contained "8-bit" versions of two previously released songs as well as 4 would appear on the Mint Chicks' upcoming album Screens....
(2008) - ScreensScreensScreens is the third studio album from Portland, Oregon-based "troublegum" group The Mint Chicks and thus far the only Mint Chicks release not to feature bassist Michael Logie. It was released on March 16, 2009 in New Zealand, The Mint Chicks' homeland on Flying Nun Records...
(2009) - She's A Mod (2009)
- Bad BuzzBad BuzzBad Buzz is the third EP by The Mint Chicks, released in February 2010 by MusicHy.pe. Title track "Bad Buzz" was featured on 95bfm's "Newsgood" segment co-hosted by guitarist Ruban Nielson in January 2010, and it was revealed by website MusicHy.pe that the EP will be released on a limited edition...
(USB Figurine) (2010)
Awards
| Awarded at | Award |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Music Awards 2007 | Album of the Year (Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! is the second full-length album released by The Mint Chicks and was originally released in New Zealand on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody, guitarist Ruban Nielson, and their father Chris Nielson... ) |
| Best Album Cover (Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! is the second full-length album released by The Mint Chicks and was originally released in New Zealand on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody, guitarist Ruban Nielson, and their father Chris Nielson... , designed by Ruban Nielson) |
|
| Best Group | |
| Best Music Video ("Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! is the second full-length album released by The Mint Chicks and was originally released in New Zealand on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody, guitarist Ruban Nielson, and their father Chris Nielson... ", directed by Sam Peacocke) |
|
| Best Rock Album (Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! is the second full-length album released by The Mint Chicks and was originally released in New Zealand on the Flying Nun label. The album was produced by singer Kody, guitarist Ruban Nielson, and their father Chris Nielson... ) |
|
| New Zealand Music Awards 2009 | Best Album Cover (Screens Screens Screens is the third studio album from Portland, Oregon-based "troublegum" group The Mint Chicks and thus far the only Mint Chicks release not to feature bassist Michael Logie. It was released on March 16, 2009 in New Zealand, The Mint Chicks' homeland on Flying Nun Records... , designed by Ruban Nielson) |