Mink

“We’re totally ready,” says MINK singer Neal Carlson.

“To play until the end of time,” drummer Stella Mozgawa continues. “Until the end of the universe.”

These days it seems rock can move at a snail’s pace – what with bands marching to corporate schedules and marketing strategies, over-thinking everything along the way, it can take a couple of years just to get an album released.

But MINK is seizing the moment . . . and intends to hold on tightly.

The band has clearly hit the ground running. Formed just a blink ago in Spring 2006, MINK has already written more than 60 songs (30 of them in one intense three-week stretch), recorded their debut album in just four weeks (with noted producer Sylvia Massy of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tool fame), shot one of the most fun videos of recent times for its infectious song “Talk to Me” with director Christian Lamb (Madonna, Korn, Kelly Clarkson, Incubus), had another song “Pressure Pressure” featured nightly in ESPN’s 2006 Major League baseball playoffs coverage and has established itself as one of the most exciting new live acts on the scene both in its own club shows and opening big-venue concerts by Angels & Airwaves among others. And all that whilst going back and forth between New York (from where Carlson hails) and Australia (home to drummer Mozgawa, lead guitarist Nick Maybury, rhythm guitarist David Lowy and bassist Grant Fitzpatrick).

But it’s not all about the moment.

“We want to be important, have a legacy, get better and better, and get to the same level of bands we love, like the Foo Fighters and the Chili Peppers,” says Fitzpatrick.
“To keep rock ‘n’ roll alive,” says Maybury. “We’re flying the flag.”

The flag was raised in New York City during all-night jam sessions with Carlson (who’d previously performed solo and in a series of bands around town) and musicians he’d met through his Australian manager. Quickly, the casual get-togethers coalesced into a committed band, the final piece coming with the arrival of Mozgawa, whose heavyweight-champ force -- they really don’t make drummers who hit harder -- proved the perfect power behind Maybury’s and Lowy’s slashing guitars, Fitzpatrick’s bone-rattling bass and, at the front of it all, Carlson’s passionate-yet-playful vocals.

The members come from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from the garage-rock, punk, solo and experimental backgrounds of Carlson, Fitzpatrick and Mozgawa to the formal jazz studies of Maybury, to what may be the most unusual combination of credits for any rocker in Lowy – he’s a successful businessman, a producer of the Tony Awards-nominated Broadway musical “The Color Purple” and an avid aviation enthusiast and stunt pilot! And though members cite influences and favorites ranging from classic punk to Prince to Bjork to Miles Davis, a chemical bond formed instantly that gave Mink its own enticing character.
“Heavenly sounds of bliss! Thunderous sounds of a demon’s breath,” says Carlson, tongue at least somewhat in cheek, before stating more seriously, “All of us sensed there was a cool energy.”

“Thunderous,” adds Mozgawa, dryly. “Demonic.”
In truth, it’s much more down-to-earth than that.

“We’re just trying to do something fun, without pretension,” Carlson says. “I think back to shows I went to in my teens. I was always drawn to energy. Redd Kross and the Lemonheads – that was one of the first shows I went to. Everyone was jumping around, the band and the kids, and I want to convey that on stage.”

It’s also conveyed in the songs, mostly written by Carlson, though Mozgawa, Maybury and Fitzpatrick have also contributed to the set that will be on the album.

The first single, “Talk to Me,” is the perfect introduction, a churning rock groove with a killer hook that was spun in the video into a surreal Japanese talk show experience complete with the band in a cooking segment and a Japanese Elvis impersonator lip-syncing (more or less) the words.

“The video really captured the fun of the tune,” Carlson says. “I guess with the song I related to when I was in school, liking the girls who weren’t all done up and trying too hard.”

That’s a good description of Mink’s overall approach as well. The songs are free of the gimmicks and production tricks that infect so much rock these days. Instead, this is all about the natural talents of the musicians and dynamics of the band. On “Dematerialize,” Carlson flashes the arid bite of a Mick Jagger or Lou Reed, while “Pills” has choruses comparable to David Bowie at his Ziggy Stardust rocking-est. “Jodi” has a soaring pop chorus riding a wave of crunchy guitar-rock. And live, “Get it Right” showcases Mozgawa’s awesome power.

“My favorite new song is ‘Sweeter,’” Mozgawa says. “That came together while working on the album. It addresses our pop sensibility. We love classic pop. It’s like a Police song meets Justin Timberlake.”

She’s kidding. A little.

“And I sound just like Justin!” Neal says, kidding a