Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
When The Minors started up their set, I thought I would be listening to yet another commercial pop group. That is, until Ben Carroll's truly soulful voice hit the sound system. Then, Nick Panasevich ripped into his Wurlitzer keyboard and started rolling out the bluesiest riffs this side of Pinetop Perkins, and Lynne Czekala's walking bass lines joined in with Jeff Rothman's heavy backbeat for a performance that cooked from beginning to end. The musicianship of this entire group is not only stellar, but they don't let that talent get in the way of rockin' the house. They sweat and enjoy the groove along with the rest of us. With heavy doses of folk, jazz and especially rhythm & blues influences apparent, Ben Carroll led this band through a diverse set of moods that built to a climatic finale. Listening to their 5-song CD later, I was surprised to hear just how eclectic they really are - "Tricky Girl" is a smokey blues of a love gone wrong - "Take Me Back Daisy," a folk tune in the tradition of James Taylor (forgive me), but Carroll's voice is sweet, not like saccharine, but rather like a ginger snap, with lots of spice. Both "Hold You" and "Cherry Lane" recall the best of Motown R&B, while the sole live recording, "Feel Alright" recaptures the roadhouse sound of their show. A real nice listen. - By Jeff Rey, for Neon Magazine
On this 12 song debut (in a full-color slipcover case) The Minors bring to mind the sunny, breezy joy of America (the band) and Gilbert O’Sullivan. Moving along into 2004, they are also in the vein of such diverse bands as Toad The Wet Sprocket, Ivy and Prefab Sprout. Within these 12 songs there is a wide range of musical landscape that the band occupies, going smoothly from “no depression” rock to rock-reggae, stax-volt soul to roadhouse blues, Americana folk to melody-driven pop. The sound quality is clear and bright; the colorful instrumentation, while still acoustic guitar-based, features more jazzy arrangements. The band’s playing is impeccable, and the gentle brook of patient melodies prevails at pretty much every turn. It’s the scent of roses, a field of daffodils, combined with the urban excitement of finding something new that makes The Minors wholly out-of-step with what most folks look to, but should be spending more time searching for. Very Highly Recommended! - Not Lame Records
Discography
NOT SO SHY - Independent full-length album, released April, 2004.
THE BEN CARROLL BAND - Independent EP, released April, 2003.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
***NOTE: The Minors recently disbanded. For updates on Ben Carroll's solo career, view his EPK, or visit http://www.bencarroll.com/
To see any news from the rest of musicians, visit http://www.theMinorsNYC.com/
The Minors are a Brooklyn, New York Pop/Rock/Soul band. They debuted on the NY music scene in 2002 to eager audiences. Since then they have seen a busy touring schedule along the northeast, and they have regularly performed at such notable venues as The Bitter End, The Mercury Lounge, and Southpaw. They have also enjoyed some online radio exposure, on-air performances for "regular" radio, and college engagements. As their material and collective musicianship grew and evolved, The Minors made their self-released album debut NOT SO SHY in April, 2004 ("Big Dog", the ninth song on the album, was recently used in a program called "Ultimate Road Trip" on YES!, a cable TV network; and the album's title track "Not So Shy" was recently featured on www.maccast.com). Their style is varied, but always holistic in its sensibility; going from the rock of early-70's Stones, to the floor-shaking soul anthems and ballads of Otis Redding, to the piano-melody pop of Elton John, to the roots-Americana a la The Band.
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