Minutes to Monday

Minutes to Monday is a very new band and thus does not have any press yet. However, Shannon Perkins and Shona Fraser played in, and were the main songwriters in SixBlockRadius. The following articles are about their former band, SixBlockRadius. - Minutes to Monday

SixBlockRadius want people to know they aren't a "chick band" -- they're a band.
"A lot of people think 'They're a girl band that's teenagers, OK, they suck,'" says lead singer and bassist Lisa Bond.
The all-female trio, made up of Bond, guitarist Shannon Perkins and drummer Shona Fraser, have been jamming since 1997, when the North Shore classmates decided to start playing music.
They are one of the groups selected to play this year's New Music West, a festival showcasing up-and-coming talent at various venues around Vancouver. The annual event kicked off on Wednesday and continues until Saturday.
SixBlockRadius has played at community centres, coffee shops, and local events for some time, but nothing as large as New Music West.
"We just sent in a registration form and a demo," says Perkins, 18. "We were jumping up and down on the lawn when we found out."
The girls get together once a week to practice in Fraser's basement, part of which has been turned into a small studio for their Saturday sessions.
"It's a group thing -- there's no one person. Everything goes through everyone else first," says Bond, 19. "If someone's not happy with something, we change it or put it on hold."
"We're friends first," adds Fraser, 18. "The band is just something we do." There are times, however, when the girls disagree about the direction the music is taking.
"Shannon and Lisa can't discuss -- they have to scream," says Fraser. "I get the kleenex." Which is why Fraser is called "the mom" of the three, according to Perkins and Bond. "She's the practical, responsible one," says Perkins. "Lisa's the partier, the fun one."
And Perkins? "She's a mix of both, I think," agree Bond and Fraser, who have been friends since Grade 4. "She's the bubbly one." Perkins, a 1999 graduate of Carson Graham Secondary school, met her future bandmates in Grade 8, and SixBlockRadius was formed soon after.
SixBlockRadius gets its name from an experience at a local gas station, after an attendant told an amused Fraser about the dangers of exploding propane tanks --"it'll take out everything within a six-block radius."
The band is slowly gaining exposure, working mostly by word-of-mouth. They have little recorded material, don't play crowded bars or well-known shows, and lack proper equipment. The girls, who rent instruments before many of their concerts (sic), say their demo consists of only a few songs from two years ago.
Their latest collaboration, "Martyr Love," was written by email, with each girl making changes to the lyrics before passing it on to the next band member.
Each girl names different musical influences, from Sarah McLachlan to the Beatles, to Ginger Baker -- even a little Metallica. Some of the band's influences are apparent in the songs, which often build into heavier, alternative rock sounds but always find their way back to the gentler instrumentals and vocals.
At times, Bond's voice is amazingly similar to Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan's, and Perkins switches from intricate, rapid guitar playing to softer strumming without a hitch. Fraser's performance on the drums is notable as well -- forcible drum beats that don't overpower Bond's voice even at its quietest. Fraser is a natural -- completely self-taught, without ever having taken a drum lesson.
SixBlockRadius will be performing three concerts at NewMusicWest, starting at the Cordova Cafe on May 11 at 9p.m. On May 13 they will be at Tom Lee Music at noon, finishing at Pemberton Station that evening at 8:30 p.m. - North Shore News

Six Block Radius
Veterans of local youth centres, this North Shore, 17-year-old (sic) girl band features phenomenal guitar player Shannon Perkins. Comparisons range from Throwing Muses to Velvet Underground. Cordova Cafe (all ages), with Pepper Sands, Clover Honey and Radio, May 11. - The Vancouver Sun