The Stolen Minks
Encyclopedia
The Stolen Minks are a three-piece Canadian
garage punk
band who have been praised as "Halifax's answer to The Gossip
and The Detroit Cobras
".
They have shared stages with prominent bands of their genre, including the Black Lips
, Wanda Jackson
, King Khan & BBQ, Brutal Knights
, The Death Set
, Statues and An Albatross
. The Stolen Minks have been showcased at a range of festivals including Halifax Pop Explosion
, Pop Montreal
, Sappyfest
and Ladyfest
Ottawa
.
The band has toured Canada extensively and in recent years covered large portions of the United States.
, Nova Scotia
. The name of the band is a play on the words "minks stole
". Drawing influence from artists of the likes of Link Wray
and Wanda Jackson
, the band was initially recognizable for an energetic rockabilly
or rock and roll
style, but have evolved since into the garage rock
and indie rock
scenes. In early years, the band gained popularity playing shows locally in Halifax, and in April 2005 was voted the best new local artist by "The Coast
's Best of Music" reader's poll.
The Stolen Minks released their debut, self titled EP in August 2005. The album sold all the original copies produced in a few months.
independent label New Romance for Kids
before the release of their second recording, "Family Boycott". The album first sold on the band's August 2006 tour before being released officially in Halifax in September and nationally in October. "Family Boycott" was praised as "eight songs of dance floor coups and back alley bruising" (Skyscraper). The album hit number one twice on Earshot in the thirteen weeks in charted.
Halifax animator Ben Jeddrie produced two videos for the band, "Boys on the Floor" in 2006 (from the previous "Stolen Minks EP" release), and "Stop Talking" in 2007 (from Family Boycott). "Stop Talking" was screened at the Atlantic Film Festival, and both videos received airplay on MuchMusic and MuchLoud.
In 2007, New Romance for Kids re-released the Stolen Minks' sold-out 2005 self-titled E.P. on 7-inch vinyl. The album was distributed by New Romance for Kids in Canada and Morphius Records in the United States.
), High Kicks was well received in Canada. The album charted for thirteen weeks (with six weeks in the top ten) on Canadian campus and community radio and reached number two on Exclaim!
's monthly Earshot! charts.
In the fall of 2008, the band completed their most extensive tour, covering North America in ten weeks and heading as far south as Austin
, Texas
. The band's most recent tour took place across North America in June 2009.
The Stolen Minks are featured in the 2008 documentary 6015 Willow along with fellow Halifax bands including Dog Day and North of America
.
A video for "Consecutives" (off High Kicks) was recently produced by Halifax visual artist, Paul Hammond of Yo Rodeo.
Four songs have been recorded for a rumored upcoming 7" vinyl release in the new year.
All songs were written by The Stolen Minks except as noted.
label.
All songs written by The Stolen Minks.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
garage punk
Garage punk
Garage punk is a fusion of garage rock and punk rock. It is fast-paced lo-fi music characterized by a dirty, choppy guitar sound—usually played by bands who are on independent record labels or who are unsigned...
band who have been praised as "Halifax's answer to The Gossip
The Gossip
Gossip is a three-piece American indie rock band formed in 1999. The band consists of singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control . A follow-up, Music for...
and The Detroit Cobras
The Detroit Cobras
The Detroit Cobras are an American garage rock cover band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1994.-History:The Detroit Cobras signed with Sympathy for the Record Industry and released their first full-length album, Mink Rat or Rabbit, in 1998...
".
They have shared stages with prominent bands of their genre, including the Black Lips
Black Lips
Black Lips are a "Flower Punk" band from Atlanta, Georgia.-History:The band formed in 1999 in Dunwoody, Georgia after guitarist Cole Alexander and bassist Jared Swilley left the Renegades, and guitarist Ben Eberbaugh left the Reruns. Alexander and Swilley were known for their crude antics both...
, Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson
Wanda Lavonne Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 60s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist...
, King Khan & BBQ, Brutal Knights
Brutal Knights
Brutal Knights are a punk band from Toronto, Canada. The band has been described as having a "raw" punk rock-and-roll sound reminiscent of early-1980s hardcore. Brutal Knights are also known for their humorous lyrics, written by vocalist Nick Flanagan. Flanagan is also a comedian, and sometimes...
, The Death Set
The Death Set
The Death Set is an art punk music group formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia. Six months after its inception the band moved to the East Coast of the United States, living in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Brooklyn respectively, where the band found an audience for its style of experimental, cross...
, Statues and An Albatross
An Albatross
An Albatross is a noise rock band based in Wilkes-Barre, PA, known for their chaotic live shows and psychedelic/circus-like presentation.-History:Formed in the fall of 1999 by guitarist Jake Lisowski, vocalist Edward B...
. The Stolen Minks have been showcased at a range of festivals including Halifax Pop Explosion
Halifax Pop Explosion
The Halifax Pop Explosion is a music festival that takes place every fall, two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada.-History:...
, Pop Montreal
Pop Montreal
Pop Montreal is an annual music festival occurring in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the early fall, usually at the end of September or the beginning of October. More than 400 acts are scheduled to play in more than 50 venues across the city, mostly located in the Mile End area...
, Sappyfest
Sappyfest
SappyFest is an annual independent arts & music festival held in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. It was first held in 2006.The Festival is produced by Sappy Records in partnership with OK.Quoi?! Contemporary Arts Festival, Struts Gallery and the Faucet Media Arts Centre. Sappyfest is headlined...
and Ladyfest
Ladyfest
Ladyfest is a community-based, not-for-profit global music and arts festival for female artists that features bands, musical groups, performance artists, authors, spoken word and visual artists, films, lectures, art exhibitions and workshops; it is organized by volunteers. The first ever Ladyfest...
Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
The band has toured Canada extensively and in recent years covered large portions of the United States.
Formation and EP (2003-2005)
The Stolen Minks were formed as a four-member all girl band in the fall of 2003 in HalifaxHalifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. The name of the band is a play on the words "minks stole
Stole (shawl)
A stole is a lady's shawl, especially a formal shawl of expensive fabric used around the shoulders over a party dress or ballgown.A stole is typically narrower than a shawl, and of simpler construction than a cape; being a length of a quality material, wrapped and carried about the shoulders or arms...
". Drawing influence from artists of the likes of Link Wray
Link Wray
Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer....
and Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson
Wanda Lavonne Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 60s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist...
, the band was initially recognizable for an energetic rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
or rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
style, but have evolved since into the garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
scenes. In early years, the band gained popularity playing shows locally in Halifax, and in April 2005 was voted the best new local artist by "The Coast
The Coast
The Coast is a free weekly newspaper in Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada. The paper distributes 24,000 copies per week throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality. The paper is owned by Coast Publishing Limited....
's Best of Music" reader's poll.
The Stolen Minks released their debut, self titled EP in August 2005. The album sold all the original copies produced in a few months.
Label Signing and Family Boycott (2006-2007)
The Stolen Minks were picked up by the MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
independent label New Romance for Kids
New romance for kids
New Romance for Kids is a DIY record label out of Montreal, Quebec. Started in 2001, the label is owned and operated by Mathieu Lachapelle, Guillaume Boudreau-Monty and Jason Bissessar.- External links :* * on Myspace...
before the release of their second recording, "Family Boycott". The album first sold on the band's August 2006 tour before being released officially in Halifax in September and nationally in October. "Family Boycott" was praised as "eight songs of dance floor coups and back alley bruising" (Skyscraper). The album hit number one twice on Earshot in the thirteen weeks in charted.
Halifax animator Ben Jeddrie produced two videos for the band, "Boys on the Floor" in 2006 (from the previous "Stolen Minks EP" release), and "Stop Talking" in 2007 (from Family Boycott). "Stop Talking" was screened at the Atlantic Film Festival, and both videos received airplay on MuchMusic and MuchLoud.
In 2007, New Romance for Kids re-released the Stolen Minks' sold-out 2005 self-titled E.P. on 7-inch vinyl. The album was distributed by New Romance for Kids in Canada and Morphius Records in the United States.
High Kicks and Future Plans (2008-Present)
The Stolen Minks' third release, "High Kicks", was launched out of New Romance For Kids Montreal in September 2008. Lauded as a "drenched-in-fuzz blend of garage rock meets sassy punk" (Exclaim!Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
), High Kicks was well received in Canada. The album charted for thirteen weeks (with six weeks in the top ten) on Canadian campus and community radio and reached number two on Exclaim!
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
's monthly Earshot! charts.
In the fall of 2008, the band completed their most extensive tour, covering North America in ten weeks and heading as far south as Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The band's most recent tour took place across North America in June 2009.
The Stolen Minks are featured in the 2008 documentary 6015 Willow along with fellow Halifax bands including Dog Day and North of America
North of America
North of America is a rock band from Nova Scotia that has recorded with Matlock Records in Canada and the American label Level Plane Records. Members of Halifax's State Champs and Truro's The Motes formed North of America in 1997...
.
A video for "Consecutives" (off High Kicks) was recently produced by Halifax visual artist, Paul Hammond of Yo Rodeo.
Four songs have been recorded for a rumored upcoming 7" vinyl release in the new year.
The Stolen Minks EP
Released August 2005- "Minks Riot" (The Stolen Minks) – 0:49
- "Black Widow" (Link Wray) – 2:36
- "Chug a Lug" (Roger Miller) – 1:15
- "Boys on the Floor" (The Stolen Minks) – 2:10
- "Peppy Twist" (Joey Dee) – 2:32
Family Boycott
Released October 14, 2006All songs were written by The Stolen Minks except as noted.
- "Rip It Up"
- "Stop Talking"
- "Charles Bronson"
- "Batman (You're the Sex)"
- "Fight"
- "Role Model"
- "Branded" (Link Wray)
- "Pony (secret track)" (Ginuwine)
The Stolen Minks EP – 7" vinyl re-release
In 2007, The Stolen Minks EP, originally an independent release, was re-released as a seven-inch by Montreal’s New Romance for KidsNew romance for kids
New Romance for Kids is a DIY record label out of Montreal, Quebec. Started in 2001, the label is owned and operated by Mathieu Lachapelle, Guillaume Boudreau-Monty and Jason Bissessar.- External links :* * on Myspace...
label.
High Kicks
Released September, 2008All songs written by The Stolen Minks.
- "Bring It"
- "North End Strangler"
- "Reflexes"
- "Drive-in (One)"
- "Get Wet"
- "Consecutives"
- "Your Broken Heart"
- "Drive-in (Two)"
- "I Hate You"
- "Viola Desmond"
- "Strange Adventures Theme Song" (secret track)