Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Poetry ambassador Bob Holman, backed by minAsian collectiVe poets Jackie Sheeler and Vicki Hudspith with their three-piece North Jersey alt-rock band... honored Mitchell's oeuvre better than anyone else, treating it like a river of words on which to skate, and staggered off like they'd just split a case of the good stuff.
- Sound of the City
For the neo-Beatnik, the eclectic wordmusic of minAsian, led by drummer Glenn Minasian, brews jazz, alternative, pop, pretty much anything they feel like. Trying to evoke the sounds of Sonic Youth with lyrics and singing/speaking vaguely reminiscent of Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen),” it’s good wallpaper for hanging out at a bar.
- Voice Choices
Determination: 3 O’clock Parking Lot is an intriguing spoken word piece that offers more complexity than most like pieces (if you disregard the last 15 seconds).
Never have I had the shot to hit a beat club in MILWAUKEE, but I always dug the vibe and wanted to hit that type of spot. At these types of joints, speakers behind jazzy lounge instrumentation would speak to the hep cats hoping for those types to feel his/her vibe. In this case, MinAsian has a similar decent style, but in 3 O’clock Parking Lot offers a much more complex arrangement than the customarily mobile equipment used with the many spoken word works.
If you wish to perform spoken word, it’s extremely important to have a fascinating and/or highly listenable radio voice. MinAsian definitely has a smooth voice that plays perfectly with the wonderful supporting textures to this piece. Jeff Brogowski (speaker) sounds like Paul Hardcastle from 19 (Nineteen) fame.
Lyrically, the topic is cliched (after school fight in the parking lot), but he puts an interesting personal spin that has also been seen or heard. The piece could be summed up quickly; I did not wish to fight this guy and believed that I would lose (while others watched), but beat him up and am forever proud. However, I never heard this in ‘song’ before and was intrigued with how MinAsian was able to put this together and provided a unique spin and intriguing lyrics to work with a topic that was somewhat tired with ‘80’s teen flicks.
Overall, I felt the complex nearly down tempo vibe was quite keen and fit the mood, lyrics and vocals. My only major problem occurred in the last 15 seconds, the layering virtuoso guitar work was fractured and hurt 3 O’clock Parking Lot’s overall aesthetic, which was further weakened by the clipping due to having no fade out.
- Adam Mico
Discography
6xcellence (released 2003)
tracks: Ants; Pickup Line; Murder; Marlboro Woman; Prom Geisha; Matty H
5 Hit Singles (released 2002)
tracks: Young Guy; Fully Charged; Coffee & Ecstasy; Creation; Shine
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Glenn Minasian, who spent years behind the drums in various guitar-driven bands, formed minAsian in October of 2000, and began arranging original compositions and vocals for the trio, which included Lori Adams on bass and Mark Greenberg on guitar. In 2002, award-winning spoken word artists Jackie Sheeler and Vicki Hudspith joined the minAsian collectiVe and the new five-member band began performing extensively at venues all around the NYC tri-state area. Glenn's influences range from Art Blakey to Missy Elliot, both of whom taught him versatility and flexibility as a bandleader. Jackie, influenced as much by Patti Smith as Tina Turner, brings a gritty, urban sensibility to the group; while Vicki's elegant dreamscape work ranges from the snakecharming rhythms of the middle east to the staccato riffs of a soho vamp.
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