Minus Ned

There’s something totally whole and fulfilling about this album. There’s a nostalgic formula buzzing around its tracks – partly due to the open (and wonderful!) use of the word “Daddio” – but mostly it’s down to the sweet harmonies, tight song structure, cooing vocals and compositional authority on the album. The songs on Are We Finally Fitting In? sound cool – they sound very much like the band are playing it loose – which is a testament to the talent of the band members. “Cool” is, as we all know, something that is hard to bottle or stumble upon. Most of the songs I’d call “cool” are one-offs (singles or just random songs) – if you set out to write a “cool” album, you’re almost certainly doomed to fail. But by golly, Minus Ned went and did it. The songs balance well the musical tropes of yesteryear with a smooth, cool atmosphere. The vocals also manage to be a record highlight, ranging from polished crooning to Alison Moorer-esque vocal highlights, and the music never fails to keep up. Minus Ned’s Are We Fitting In? is the album you’ve been searching for all this time to listen to when you look behind you, smile slightly and then walk into the sunset. What, isn’t your life like that? - The Silver Tongue

Minus Ned stopped by the KXAN news studio to rock it out - KXAN, Austin, TX's NBC affiliate

I can't tell you how exciting it is to finally be blogging about Minus Ned, who are in my opinion, one of the most unique up-and-coming bands in LA. They recently released their debut EP The Wayside Bounce, which comes off sounding like the unique lovechild of Ben Folds Five, Rufus Wainwright and 10,000 Maniacs. The Woodbridge, CT-based band craftily builds unique vocal accompaniments on the album, most evident in my favorite track on the EP, "All She Wrote", which could not have happened without the addition of two more vocalists, Warped Tour veteran Marissa Dubois and long-time band collaborator Todd Kramer.

Hailing from the great state of Connecticut, Minus Ned formed in 2002 when drummer/producer Zach Guglin and guitarist Michael Martins linked up with lead guitarist Ned Bridges. When Ned left for college, Mark Pinkert, the band's current lead guitarist, and bassist Trevor Raffauf, came on board, giving the crew a slightly obvious yet logical band name, and thus Minus Ned was born. After graduating from college in 2009, the boys from Woodbridge headed out West in search of fame and fortune, which led them to recruit another long-time friend and fellow Nutmegger Todd Kramer and the multi-talented singer/songwriter/actress Marissa Dubois. If you're out in LA in the coming weeks, make sure to hit up their EP release show this Wednesday (October 13th) @ The Mint, and be sure to check out their official site for more upcoming shows. - Ben Decker (Audionugs, Oct 2010)

Imagine you’re in college, and you just took your, your girlfriend’s, and the stoner down the hall’s CD collections and threw them in a blender. Voila, you have Minus Ned. - Atlanta Music Guide

"[Minus Ned has] soul, zest and a bit of funk!" - WTNH Channel 8, CT's ABC affiliate

Minus Ned's Interview with Sheena Metal on La Talk Radio - Sheena Metal (Music Highway, Sept 2011)

"Minus Ned covers an impressive amount of sonic terrain." - Brian LaRue (New Haven Advocate, Nov 2010)