MINK

One of the hottest rock acts to hit New York in recent years, Mink have catapulted from late night jam sessions between friends to a huge live success. From their base in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and with their pared-down, no-nonsense rock sound, Mink have taken the city by storm.

Mink are fronted by Neal Carlson, charismatic singer/songwriter and finalist from the Rock Star: INXS TV show. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Neal was weaned on Led Zeppelin and got through high school listening to Guns ‘n’ Roses, Metallica, Violent Femmes and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The music of Otis Redding and various folk classics later inspired him to pick up an acoustic guitar and start playing open mic nights on the Lower East Side. Then, after a year-long break in Chicago, he came back to New York to form Queens-based rockers Bona Roba. It was after his appearance on Rock Star: INXS last year that he joined the Mink as the final piece in the jigsaw.

At the core of Mink’s low-slung, hard-hitting sound is Australian-born powerhouse drummer Stella Mozgawa. Ignoring her mother’s advice that drums were no instrument for a girl, Stella started playing in bands at 13. Within a year she was pretending to be a 20-year-old Polish immigrant with no ID so she could play at clubs across Sydney. Modest and with an unconventional streak, Stella is the driving force behind Mink’s sound.

Nick Maybury on lead guitar pulls no punches with his straight-up rock ‘n’ roll style. Also a Sydney native, Maybury grew up heavily inspired by the records in his dad’s collection: anything from the Beach Boys to Ben E. King, Sam Cooke and even Bruce Springsteen. He perfected his style learning the riffs of B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf, and has been playing in bands with Stella since 2000.

David Lowy is Mink’s rhythm guitarist. Far from your average rock musician, he’s also a successful businessman, champion aerobatic pilot and collector of vintage airplanes. After meeting Neal through a mutual friend last year, David was central to Mink’s formation. Influenced by four of rock's cornerstones AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Woodstock, he played bass in garage bands in his early teens before returning to the world of rock music with Mink.

Locking down Mink’s central groove is Brisbane-born bassist Grant Fitzpatrick. With his gristly punk style and onstage antics, Grant perfectly complements his band mates’ talents. As a kid, Grant spent most evenings absorbing the seminal sounds of 1970’s soul. Later he discovered punk and got inspiration from the Dead Kennedys and cult UK group The Exploited. Soon after hearing about Mink from an old friend, Grant decided to give up his day job at Sony/BMG in Sydney. Since then he’s been laying down the bass for the band. He hasn’t looked back.