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The Stripminers was born out of a Sugar Knives music video casting of Brett Anderson, vocalist for The Donnas, and Paul Stinson of the punk band The Radishes. The two musicians got to talking, writing and recording, and formed the newest duo that stands up to other powerhouse guy/girl pairings like John Doe and Exene Cervenka (X) and Jamie Hince and Alison Mossheart (The Kills). Their debut album, Movies, is packed with kick-arse, high energy tunes that get your heart racing from the first raucous chords.
What is most striking about this album is how varied the tracks are, yet they come together seamlessly to school the listener in all that’s awesome in punk, alt-country, and garage rock. We are treated to fast and furious punk-laced songs like “Unnatural Lovers” and “No Luck,” then drift over to the sultry alt-country vibe of “Better Than A Song” and “Poison in the Paint” that is reminiscent of the recent collaboration between Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan. By the time you reach the title track, Movies leaves you completely spent, but with just enough energy to move your finger and tap “Repeat.” - The Owl Mag
No idea why it’s taken me so long to post about the Stripminers. Maybe it’s because, as Brett Anderson is quoted as saying, “All our songs are totally different.” And it’s true, their debut album “Movies” appeals to any number of old-school sensibilities — punk, Americana and garage-rock — paralleling most closely the work of L.A. legends X. Anderson, of course, made her mark in the Donnas, and in the Stripminers she teams up with Paul Stinson of the Radishes, whom she met while working on a Sugar Knives video. The music took shape under the direction of multi-instrumentalist producer Scrote, with helping hands Brett Simons (bass), Chris Bruce (guitar) and DJ Bonebrake (drums), among others. The simmering rocker “Like a Harp” is probably the album’s most straight-ahead offering, if you like straight-ahead. There are any number of ways “Movies” (which came out in March) can work up your sweat, though. Like Anderson says, “If you hate one [song], you’re in luck – because you’ll never hear one like that again.” That said, no idea why it’s taken me so long to post about the Stripminers. My bad. - LA Buzzbands
Discography
"Movies" single - May, 2011
"Movies" LP - March, 2012
"Frail Hope Ranch" - October, 2012
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While The Stripminers’ debut release, “Movies” (early 2012) proved the band’s penchant for an eclectic and varied mix of punk, alternative country, garage rock and Pixies-like flair, their second studio album, “Frail Hope Ranch”, takes on a more cohesive musical theme. Unlike “Movies”, the album is comprised almost entirely of moody alt-country ballads conveying the visual of the name behind the title track. (Interestingly enough, all of the material from the debut and this new release was recorded at around the same time, but the band saved these more atmospheric, melancholy tracks on “Frail Hope Ranch” to be packaged together in this standout release).
The Stripminers are Brett Anderson, vocalist for rock/pop dynamos The Donnas, and Paul Stinson from punkers The Radishes. L.A. producer Scrote, in turn, brings in a veteran lineup of LA heavyweights, including Brett Simons on bass, DJ Bonebrake (of X fame) on drums, Chris Bruce on guitar, Holland Greco on vocals and various instruments, and Scrote himself on guitar and keys.
The album kicks off with “Gothic”, which begins with a somewhat sad, spooky instrumental of guitar and violins, painting a picture of fear, pathos and confusion. The track has a cinematic flair that continues throughout the album. The cleverly titled corresponding tracks, “Y’all Part 1” and “Y’all Part 2” sound like they could have been lifted from David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” soundtrack. With their slow-motion fuzzy guitars, lethargic, deep bass picking and atmospheric cymbal rolls, the lyrics are equally dark, with matching male/female heartbreaking refrains, “I’m still hiding away with you” and “I’m still pining away over you”, sung by Stinson on #1 and Anderson on #2. The songs are just the bookends Lynch might use to begin and end his next noir masterpiece. Standout album track, “The Twins” demonstrates the album’s lyrical poetry, depth and complexity while “The Captive” features Stinson singing melodic vocals (in contrast to his more common punk delivery), on a bluesy ballad, proving he’s got the chops for a sad blues dirge as much as a punchy punk popper. And, when Anderson joins in the sadness mid-song, the duos combined delivery is as good as any Lee Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra tragi-drama. The album finale, a rockin’ cover of The Zombies’, “She’s Not There”, is perhaps the most impressive cover of the song to date, incorporating xylophones, tight harmonies, and (eventually) the anger that the lyrics convey.
While the band hinted at this direction on their debut with standout tracks “Better Than A Song’ and the sultry Anderson-sung “Like a Harp”, “Frail Hope Ranch” takes the band further toward their alt-country leanings and is sure to drive an entire new fan base to the band’s unique sound.
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