mina may
Gig Seeker Pro

mina may

Band Rock

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Mina May Bar St. Laurent 2 November 8, 2008"

As a rule I hate November with the red hot passion of a thousand burning suns. It lacks the aesthetic qualities of the seasons it bridges and dark wet streets and leafless trees tend to keep me indoors. In short, there is no reason to go out in November. This was generally a rule I abided by until a UFO over Montreal in the form of Mina May was sighted over the city flying the French flag. Montreal was being invaded by France and I was kind of into it. Save your misconceptions about these four musical scientists from the French Riviera. This ain’t no French pop. Truth be told, people in France aren’t really that into them, which is why they rolled the dice on a move to Montreal. Mina May seems to have found the elusive sound that makes beautiful girls stand at the front and sway their shoulders and the boys get into fistfights, and truth be told, which band wouldn’t want to sound like this? As a unit, they are tight and there was a joy in just watching the band communicate on stage as they improvised their way through different riffs which inched their way to some punishing builds. There are a number of influences at play here but none seem to dominate since this band is able to turn on a dime each time they start a new song and it works to their advantage. It’s hard to develop an element of surprise that doesn’t seem contrived or discombobulated but if ever there was a band you could call a page-turner this is it. There are tinges of Joy Division, Trans Am, The Cure, Rush, Holy Fuck, or Captain Beefheart all packaged in one live show which is sure to leave any crowd in a state of shock and awe. It’s tempting to search for the right label, perhaps some kind of Avant-Garde-Psychedellic-Power-Pop might do it but most new labels are annoying at best and if that’s the case then put it this way: only a madman would pass on a chance to see this band. Thank November I got to see them in an empty bar because this band will be filling up venues very soon and is a well needed injection in a city where too much credit has gone to bands who are just plain safe. The result is unfortunate for Montreal bands because in a city already touted for its ability to churn out innovative acts, in the course of one live show at one near empty venue – the city’s bar has just been raised very very high.

Sydney S. Pistol - matrix magazine music


Discography

self-titled "mina may" LP released on "Le Jardin Collectif", spring 2008.

"skylarking ep" , released on "Silverstation records", june 09 (for Canada), september for France and Europe.

Photos

Bio

Mina May was formed in 2000 in Southern France
Their first album was released in April 2008 by newborn label Le Jardin Collectif from Grenoble, France.

It was recorded and produced by Sebastien Lehec aka El Produço at Le Châlet Studio in Bordeaux and His Brain studio in Paris.
It was mastered by Kramer (best known for his work with Dot Allison, Low, Daniel Johnston, Urge Overkill, Robert Wyatt or Galaxie 500) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The band toured around France in April 2008 (see gig dates attached) before recording new material in August of the same year.
These new tracks will be released in France as a 7-track EP entitled ‘Skylarking’ in September 2009 by Paris-based label Silverstation (Wendy Code, Molloy) when the band fly back from a year long ‘vacation’ in Montreal.
While in Montreal, they’ve been busy mixing said tracks (recorded by Emmanuel Bonn at La Resse in France and mixed by Emmanuel Bonn with Mina May in Montreal) and playing gigs.
The EP was mastered in Montreal by Harris Newman (greymarket mastering.com) who had mastered albums by the likes of Arcade Fire, Moriarty, Wolf Parade, Silver Mt. Zion in the past.
The band’s adventure in North America is also the subject of a documentary being shot by French journalist Emmanuel Raoul, who has worked for French news channel LCI for 5 years.
The film is produced by Watizdat production.