Minque

Without a doubt I can say that this band boasts a strong sense of musicianship. Songs like, "Halogen", "Glamorous" and "Month of May" are just straight ahead, well crafted and a testament to song writing fundamentals. Minque is a song writing band from the singer/guitarist right on back to the drummer.
Decent musicians are not always great technicians, in fact, this music/technique balance seems to always be an issue, especially on the independent scene. The technical expertise of Minque seems to exist in an inverse relationship to the musicianship. Make no mistake, these are no jazz improsarios but they are as capable as any rawk musicians. The strength of Minque's lyrics do not lie in their complexity of wordplay or deep running themes but in their simplicity.
I prefer to think of a band like Minque as one that is "on the cusp". They're right at the summit and threatening to make the other side! - The Musical Revolution

March 13, 2004
by Scott Colbourne

Like concerts? Want to get a free haircut? Read on
A little more off the top? Blond highlights? How about a guitar solo and a stage dive?
Hair salon owner and musician Luke C. Martin has a unique way of promoting his band, Minque – clients who turn up to hear his group play get a free cut or a discount on a colour at his salon, Linus.
When Minque, which Mr. Martin describes as “a simple rock band, not too political and not too poppy,” has a concert on the horizon, he sends his clients an e-mail. At the show, a box is set up where they can drop off the printed e-mail, to be redeemed at a later date for a trim.
“Some people don’t necessarily feel the need to take advantage of it and probably never will,” he says, “but I’d say we pull out maybe a quarter of my clients, not the same people each show but a quarter whenever we e-mail people.”
Minque is taking part in Emergenza, an international battle of the bands that relies on the votes of concertgoers to decide which groups advance in their respective cities. Mar. martin and his band mates – guitarist Alex Marlin, drummer Scott Baker, and bassist Ben Wilson – won their opening round in January to advance to a quarterfinal showdown next Friday at the Reverb. Mr. Martin started Linus two years ago after apprenticing at several storied Toronto salons, including Civello and Poison Ivy. Since then, he has tripled his client list to more than 300 heads and is busy enough to be looking to add staff. The success of Linus has allowed him to pump some of the revenue into his burgeoning music career.
Marian Prejel, a Toronto urban planner and client who followed Mr. Martin to Linus from Poison Ivy, was a fan of his prowess with scissors before taking him up on the offer to see a Minque gig.
“The first time I went to see him for a cut, he said ‘Where do you get your hair cut?’ I said, ‘Hamilton’ and he said, ‘Yeah, I can tell,’” she says. “So I don’t think he’s the kind of guy that would lead you astray. He’s very good at what he does.”
And the concert?
“The bands pretty good. And he gets really excited when his clients show up – kind of like, ‘Oh my God, you’re willing to take a Saturday night to come see us,’” Ms Prejel says. “And any band daring enough to do a Smiths cover is okay with me.”
Linus’s industrial loft setting, in the Yonge and Wellesley area, and the array of exotic pets on display – including a metre-long iguana named Ellen, and Melvin, a bearded dragon – complement the rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic of its owner.
Mr. Marin says it would be difficult to choose between his cutting edge endeavours; for now, he’s enjoying finding a balance betweens his two brand of chops.
“It’s unorthodox,” he says, “but if you’re part of the family – and some of my clients have been clients of mine for four years – I give you the chance to be part of something.
And on a musical level, you’ve done this favour for me, I will exchange that with a service at my salon.”
- The Globe & Mail