Walt Mink
Encyclopedia
Walt Mink, a power trio
, is an indie rock
band formed at St. Paul
, Minnesota
's Macalester College
in 1989 by singer-guitarist John Kimbrough, drummer Joey Waronker
and bassist Candice Belanoff. The band takes its name from a beloved psychology professor. Kimbrough's father Charles
was an actor on the television series Murphy Brown
. Joey Waronker is the son of successful Warner Bros. record producer Lenny Waronker.
school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kimbrough and Waronker reconvened there after briefly attending high school together in Massachusetts
, and at once they began playing music and looking for a bass player to fill out a trio. They were introduced to Candice Belanoff, who had only been playing bass for a few months, and the line-up was set.
The band started out by playing at college house parties on the weekends, always with an eye to the next potential basement venue. In December 1989, a fellow student offered to record them for a 7" single he was releasing on his own independent label, Skene! Records. With that, the band made their first trip into the studio, recording versions of the songs "Fragile" and "Croton-Harmon (local)," both of which would later appear in newer versions on the albums Miss Happiness and Bareback Ride.
In March 1990 the trio began recording what was to become Listen Little Man!, an album-length cassette demo, recorded on a four-track machine in the basement of the house John and Joey were living in at the time. Distributed to friends and sold on consignment in local record stores, the tape gained modest notoriety and furthered the name of the band in the Twin Cities.
By the end of the spring the members of Walt Mink pledged to pursue the goal of getting more club gigs in Minneapolis after going their separate ways over the summer. When they returned to the Twin Cities in September, they found a large house in the uptown section of Minneapolis that had been owned at one time by a music production company and had been renovated in order to accommodate loud rock bands, complete with a large, soundproofed rehearsal room. It was here that they began recording their second full-length demo cassette, The Poll Riders Win Again!!!
, in February 1991.
After opening for Babes in Toyland
in December 1990, Babes drummer Lori Barbero
had become a fan, and tipped off a friend who worked at the New Music Seminar in New York City
This led to a spot at the seminar for the band, and in June 1991 they traveled to New York for their first out-of-state show. It was here they were introduced to Matt Quigley, a former member of the band Skunk
, who became a fan and, armed with copies of the band's demos, quickly alerted friends to their existence. One of those friends was Janet Billig, the label manager of the New York independent record label
Caroline Records, who liked the tapes and contacted the band about playing another New York show.
Walt Mink continued to play in Minneapolis throughout the summer of 1991, garnering lots of local press and building a respectable fan base. In October, they returned to New York to play at the CMJ music conference, and it was here that Billig finally saw them live. After the show, she offered to sign them to Caroline Records.
in Madison, Wisconsin
in March 1992. Released in June 1992, Miss Happiness
provided the impetus for a hefty amount of touring, both in the U.S. and the UK
, in support of The Lemonheads
, fire hose
, Pavement
, Mudhoney and others. It was also in the spring of this year that the band made their first video. Directed by Kevin Kerslake, the video for "Chowdertown" aired on MTV
's 120 Minutes
on July 9, 1992.
After touring their way out to L.A., recording of the second record began there in February 1993. Bareback Ride
was released in June of that year and paved the way for continued touring, both as headliners and as support for bands such as Hole
, Urge Overkill
, Paul Westerberg
and Cracker
, among others. It was also in the spring of '93 that the band made their second video, for the song "Fragile." Directed by Miguel Arteta
, the video was rejected by MTV
but received airplay on a variety of other video programs.
While touring to support the new record, the band began to address the question of where to go after their two-record contract with Caroline Records was fulfilled. Billig had since left the label to manage bands at Gold Mountain
, a company whose clients included Nirvana
and Beastie Boys
, and as Walt Mink's new manager, she began the process of shopping them to major labels. By mid-summer of 1993, the band had decided that Columbia Records
seemed to be the most enthusiastic, and so while on tour in Memphis, Tennessee
, the three members signed a six-record contract with under a statue of the great blues songwriter W.C. Handy.
Touring continued throughout that summer and into the fall, pausing only briefly to shoot the band's third video, for the song "Shine". Directed by Sofia Coppola
, and shot by Spike Jonze
, the video was filmed at the Coppola
vineyard in Rutherford, California, in and around the family swimming pool.
. Soon John and Candice relocated to their hometown as well, arriving in New York City in February 1994. While John worked on writing songs, Joey began playing in L.A. with the as-yet-unknown singer Beck
. By the late spring of that year, with the success of the album Mellow Gold
keeping him busy as Beck
's drummer, Joey decided to leave Walt Mink.
The summer of 1994 was devoted to finding a new drummer for the band. John and Candice finally found one in the person of Orestes Morfin, formerly of the band Bitch Magnet
. They quickly began rehearsing in preparation for a small fall tour, to be followed by the recording of their Columbia debut.
On the last night of that tour the band arrived home to find that the plug had been pulled on their record, and they promptly asked to be released from their contract. The label obliged, and the band began working to find another record deal. Billig, who had left their management company that fall to become an executive at Atlantic Records
, expressed interest, and in February of '95 the band signed a one-record deal with Atlantic.
Recording of what was now to be their Atlantic debut began in April of that year at Dreamland in Woodstock, New York, with John Agnello
producing. The process continued through that spring and into the summer, and after mixing once in Chicago
it was determined that the record needed to be mixed again, which it later was.
El Producto
was released in January 1996, and from the beginning there were ominous signs. On the first day of their first tour supporting the record, the band discovered that their A&R
person had just been fired. In spite of an uplifting piece about the band in Billboard that day, in which it cheerfully asserted that after so many disappointments it seemed that Walt Mink was finally going to get a chance to be heard, the mood of the moment was one of deep uncertainty.
The spring of '96 was to be the last significant period of touring for Walt Mink. The months of February to May of that year were spent both headlining and opening for bands like Tripping Daisy
and Tracy Bonham
. In June, Atlantic dropped the band, part of the great "purge" which saw the label drop nearly half its artist roster.
The band's next album was mixed at Smart Studios
in November 1996. It was at about this time that Orestes decided to leave the band in order to pursue a degree at the University of Arizona
in his chosen field, geology
.
.
Into this climate stepped Will Tanous
, a friend who had wanted Colossus on his label, and who also worked for the HBO live music show "Reverb
." He asked if John and Candice would be interested in appearing on the show. They were, but they would need a drummer. Fortunately Will had that covered. It just so happened that his friend from high school was a drummer, and would be willing to play with the band for the taping of the show.
Zach Danziger first appeared with Walt Mink on the June 20, 1997, broadcast of "Reverb". He had learned the band's entire set in three days. Armed with a ferocious new drummer, the reinvigorated members of Walt Mink began to contemplate a tour supporting Colossus.
Meanwhile, the band's business infrastructure was eroding badly. Within a matter of weeks in mid-1997, the group, who had been dropped by their management the previous year, was dropped by their booking agent and accountant, and with no money coming in there was virtually no way to pay for a tour, no matter how badly they needed one. John Szuch, the label head of Deep Elm, got them a new booking agent and gave them a small amount of tour support, but his label's modest financial resources were no match for the demands of a band on an extensive tour.
A two-week tour through the upper midwest and parts of New England was booked for mid-summer, and the band hit the road in a cautiously optimistic frame of mind. But the few crowded, raucous shows in Minnesota
, Wisconsin
and Michigan
contrasted sharply with the virtually empty venues elsewhere in the country, and as the tour ended there was a prevailing feeling that the writing was on the wall.
Months later, after a particularly empty show in Albany, N.Y., it was decided that it was time to end the band. Deep Elm promoted one last New York show for Walt Mink at the Mercury Lounge
on November 1, 1997. The show was recorded for posterity, and was later released as Goodnite on Deep Elm Records.
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
, is an 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...
band formed at St. Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
's Macalester College
Macalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
in 1989 by singer-guitarist John Kimbrough, drummer Joey Waronker
Joey Waronker
Joseph "Joey" Waronker is an American drummer and music producer. He is the son of record producer Lenny Waronker and singer/actress Donna Loren; his younger sister is musician Anna Waronker; and his grandfather is record executive and professional violinist Simon Waronker. He has three other...
and bassist Candice Belanoff. The band takes its name from a beloved psychology professor. Kimbrough's father Charles
Charles Kimbrough
Charles Kimbrough is an American character actor known for playing the straight-faced anchorman Jim Dial on Murphy Brown. In 1990, his performance in the role earned him a nomination for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series".-Biography:Born in St. Paul, Minnesota,...
was an actor on the television series Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown
Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
. Joey Waronker is the son of successful Warner Bros. record producer Lenny Waronker.
Early Days
Walt Mink was formed in February 1989 at Macalester College, a small, liberal artsLiberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kimbrough and Waronker reconvened there after briefly attending high school together in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and at once they began playing music and looking for a bass player to fill out a trio. They were introduced to Candice Belanoff, who had only been playing bass for a few months, and the line-up was set.
The band started out by playing at college house parties on the weekends, always with an eye to the next potential basement venue. In December 1989, a fellow student offered to record them for a 7" single he was releasing on his own independent label, Skene! Records. With that, the band made their first trip into the studio, recording versions of the songs "Fragile" and "Croton-Harmon (local)," both of which would later appear in newer versions on the albums Miss Happiness and Bareback Ride.
In March 1990 the trio began recording what was to become Listen Little Man!, an album-length cassette demo, recorded on a four-track machine in the basement of the house John and Joey were living in at the time. Distributed to friends and sold on consignment in local record stores, the tape gained modest notoriety and furthered the name of the band in the Twin Cities.
By the end of the spring the members of Walt Mink pledged to pursue the goal of getting more club gigs in Minneapolis after going their separate ways over the summer. When they returned to the Twin Cities in September, they found a large house in the uptown section of Minneapolis that had been owned at one time by a music production company and had been renovated in order to accommodate loud rock bands, complete with a large, soundproofed rehearsal room. It was here that they began recording their second full-length demo cassette, The Poll Riders Win Again!!!
The Poll Riders Win Again!!!
-Track listing:All tracks by John Kimbrough except were notedSide 1# "Everything Worthwhile"# "Miss Happiness"# "New Life"# "Pink Moon" # "Disappear"# "Pop Song"Side 2# "Quiet Time"# "Smoothing The Ride"# "Twinkle & Shine"# "Erasable You"...
, in February 1991.
After opening for Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland (band)
Babes in Toyland was an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1987. The band was formed by Oregon native Kat Bjelland , with Lori Barbero and Michelle Leon , who was later replaced by Maureen Herman in 1992...
in December 1990, Babes drummer Lori Barbero
Lori Barbero
Lori Barbero was the drummer for the Minneapolis-based band Babes in Toyland. She subsequently played drums for the bands Eggtwist and Koalas....
had become a fan, and tipped off a friend who worked at the New Music Seminar in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
This led to a spot at the seminar for the band, and in June 1991 they traveled to New York for their first out-of-state show. It was here they were introduced to Matt Quigley, a former member of the band Skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
, who became a fan and, armed with copies of the band's demos, quickly alerted friends to their existence. One of those friends was Janet Billig, the label manager of the New York independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Caroline Records, who liked the tapes and contacted the band about playing another New York show.
Walt Mink continued to play in Minneapolis throughout the summer of 1991, garnering lots of local press and building a respectable fan base. In October, they returned to New York to play at the CMJ music conference, and it was here that Billig finally saw them live. After the show, she offered to sign them to Caroline Records.
Two Albums With Caroline
The band began recording their first album at Smart StudiosSmart Studios
Smart Studios was a recording studio located at 1254 E Washington Ave in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands....
in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
in March 1992. Released in June 1992, Miss Happiness
Miss Happiness
Miss Happiness is the name of the 1992 debut album of Walt Mink. Hailed by many as Walt Mink's shining moment, Miss Happiness is considered to be one of the brightest alternative debut albums of the 90's.- Track listing :...
provided the impetus for a hefty amount of touring, both in the U.S. and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, in support of The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
, fire hose
Fire hose
A fire hose is a high-pressure hose used to carry water or other fire retardant to a fire to extinguish it. Outdoors, it is attached either to a fire engine or a fire hydrant. Indoors, it can be permanently attached to a building's standpipe or plumbing system...
, Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
, Mudhoney and others. It was also in the spring of this year that the band made their first video. Directed by Kevin Kerslake, the video for "Chowdertown" aired on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
on July 9, 1992.
After touring their way out to L.A., recording of the second record began there in February 1993. Bareback Ride
Bareback Ride
Bareback Ride, released in 1993, is the second full length album by the band Walt Mink. Sales and acclaim for this album feel short of Walt Mink's debut album Miss Happiness, which had been released the previous year....
was released in June of that year and paved the way for continued touring, both as headliners and as support for bands such as Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
, Urge Overkill
Urge Overkill
Urge Overkill is an alternative rock band, formed in Chicago, United States, consisting of Nash Kato , and Eddie "King" Roeser . Their cover of Neil Diamond's song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" appeared prominently in the movie Pulp Fiction, and became a hit in 1994...
, Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
and Cracker
Cracker (band)
Cracker is an American alternative rock band featuring founders/songwriters singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman. They are best known for their platinum-selling 1993 album, Kerosene Hat, featuring the hit songs "Low", "Euro-Trash Girl", and "Get Off This".Founders Lowery and Hickman...
, among others. It was also in the spring of '93 that the band made their second video, for the song "Fragile." Directed by Miguel Arteta
Miguel Arteta
Miguel Arteta is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film Chuck & Buck , for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.-Early life:...
, the video was rejected by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
but received airplay on a variety of other video programs.
While touring to support the new record, the band began to address the question of where to go after their two-record contract with Caroline Records was fulfilled. Billig had since left the label to manage bands at Gold Mountain
Gold Mountain
Gold Mountain is the name given by the Chinese to western regions of North America, particularly California, USA and British Columbia, Canada. After gold was first discovered in the state of California in 1848, thousands of Chinese from Toisan in Guangdong , began to travel to California in search...
, a company whose clients included Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, and as Walt Mink's new manager, she began the process of shopping them to major labels. By mid-summer of 1993, the band had decided that Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
seemed to be the most enthusiastic, and so while on tour in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, the three members signed a six-record contract with under a statue of the great blues songwriter W.C. Handy.
Touring continued throughout that summer and into the fall, pausing only briefly to shoot the band's third video, for the song "Shine". Directed by Sofia Coppola
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American screenwriter, film director, actress, and producer.In 2003 she received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation, and became the third woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing...
, and shot by Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
, the video was filmed at the Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
vineyard in Rutherford, California, in and around the family swimming pool.
Loss and Label Troubles
In October of that year, Waronker moved back to his hometown of Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Soon John and Candice relocated to their hometown as well, arriving in New York City in February 1994. While John worked on writing songs, Joey began playing in L.A. with the as-yet-unknown singer Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
. By the late spring of that year, with the success of the album Mellow Gold
Mellow Gold
Mellow Gold is the third studio album by American alternative rock musician Beck, as well as his major label debut. Mellow Gold was released on March 1, 1994 on the strength of the surprise hit "Loser"...
keeping him busy as Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
's drummer, Joey decided to leave Walt Mink.
The summer of 1994 was devoted to finding a new drummer for the band. John and Candice finally found one in the person of Orestes Morfin, formerly of the band Bitch Magnet
Bitch Magnet
Bitch Magnet was a post-hardcore band during the late 1980s and early 1990s who formed at Oberlin College in Ohio and later moved to North Carolina. They released their first record in 1988. All of the band's full-length albums were released on Communion Records in the US; they were also signed to...
. They quickly began rehearsing in preparation for a small fall tour, to be followed by the recording of their Columbia debut.
On the last night of that tour the band arrived home to find that the plug had been pulled on their record, and they promptly asked to be released from their contract. The label obliged, and the band began working to find another record deal. Billig, who had left their management company that fall to become an executive at Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, expressed interest, and in February of '95 the band signed a one-record deal with Atlantic.
Recording of what was now to be their Atlantic debut began in April of that year at Dreamland in Woodstock, New York, with John Agnello
John Agnello
John Agnello is a producer, recording engineer and mixer who has been involved with many albums throughout the last 25 years. Most recently, John has been involved with Kurt Vile, Sonic Youth, Sweet Apple, Dinosaur Jr...
producing. The process continued through that spring and into the summer, and after mixing once in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
it was determined that the record needed to be mixed again, which it later was.
El Producto
El Producto (Walt Mink album)
El Producto is the name of a 1996 album released by Walt Mink, generally accepted as their break-through. Upon release, it received a 10/10 rating from Pitchfork Media.-Track listing:All songs written by John Kimbrough.# "Stood Up" – 3:31...
was released in January 1996, and from the beginning there were ominous signs. On the first day of their first tour supporting the record, the band discovered that their A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
person had just been fired. In spite of an uplifting piece about the band in Billboard that day, in which it cheerfully asserted that after so many disappointments it seemed that Walt Mink was finally going to get a chance to be heard, the mood of the moment was one of deep uncertainty.
The spring of '96 was to be the last significant period of touring for Walt Mink. The months of February to May of that year were spent both headlining and opening for bands like Tripping Daisy
Tripping Daisy
Tripping Daisy was a neo psychedelic pop rock band that was formed in Dallas, Texas, USA by lead singer/guitarist Tim DeLaughter in 1990 along with Jeff Bouck , Wes Berggren and Mark Pirro .-History:...
and Tracy Bonham
Tracy Bonham
Tracy Bonham is an American alternative rock musician best known for her 1996 single "Mother Mother".Raised in Eugene, Oregon, Bonham is a classically-trained violinist and pianist...
. In June, Atlantic dropped the band, part of the great "purge" which saw the label drop nearly half its artist roster.
The band's next album was mixed at Smart Studios
Smart Studios
Smart Studios was a recording studio located at 1254 E Washington Ave in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands....
in November 1996. It was at about this time that Orestes decided to leave the band in order to pursue a degree at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in his chosen field, geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
.
Deep Elm and the Beginning of the End
By early 1997, several independent labels had expressed interest in the record, but it was finally Deep Elm who John and Candice decided was the right fit. The record, Colossus, was released in June of that year, but the two remaining members had given up on the idea of finding a replacement drummer for touring, planning instead to occasionally perform as an acoustic duo. The band's fourth and last video, for the song "Brave Beyond the Call" was filmed during this period. Directed by Adam Rothlein, the video was shown briefly on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
Into this climate stepped Will Tanous
Will Tanous
William Lloyd Tanous is an American music industry executive. He is a member of the senior management team of music giant Warner Music Group. In 1996, he co-created and produced the HBO live music television series Reverb. Prior to joining Warner Music Group, Tanous held positions at Warner...
, a friend who had wanted Colossus on his label, and who also worked for the HBO live music show "Reverb
Reverb (TV series)
Reverb, the critically acclaimed weekly HBO music television series spotlighting emerging talent, ran for four seasons . Reverb captured the energy and spontaneity of live music by taking viewers on stage, backstage, and into the audience at some of the premier venues in the United States...
." He asked if John and Candice would be interested in appearing on the show. They were, but they would need a drummer. Fortunately Will had that covered. It just so happened that his friend from high school was a drummer, and would be willing to play with the band for the taping of the show.
Zach Danziger first appeared with Walt Mink on the June 20, 1997, broadcast of "Reverb". He had learned the band's entire set in three days. Armed with a ferocious new drummer, the reinvigorated members of Walt Mink began to contemplate a tour supporting Colossus.
Meanwhile, the band's business infrastructure was eroding badly. Within a matter of weeks in mid-1997, the group, who had been dropped by their management the previous year, was dropped by their booking agent and accountant, and with no money coming in there was virtually no way to pay for a tour, no matter how badly they needed one. John Szuch, the label head of Deep Elm, got them a new booking agent and gave them a small amount of tour support, but his label's modest financial resources were no match for the demands of a band on an extensive tour.
A two-week tour through the upper midwest and parts of New England was booked for mid-summer, and the band hit the road in a cautiously optimistic frame of mind. But the few crowded, raucous shows in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
contrasted sharply with the virtually empty venues elsewhere in the country, and as the tour ended there was a prevailing feeling that the writing was on the wall.
Months later, after a particularly empty show in Albany, N.Y., it was decided that it was time to end the band. Deep Elm promoted one last New York show for Walt Mink at the Mercury Lounge
Mercury Lounge
The Mercury Lounge is a club/music venue, in the Lower East Side section, of New York City. The structure, at 217 East Houston Street, housed the servants to the Astor Mansion, connected to it by an underground labyrinth of tunnels...
on November 1, 1997. The show was recorded for posterity, and was later released as Goodnite on Deep Elm Records.
Discography
- Listen, Little Man! (1990)
- The Poll Riders Win Again!!!The Poll Riders Win Again!!!-Track listing:All tracks by John Kimbrough except were notedSide 1# "Everything Worthwhile"# "Miss Happiness"# "New Life"# "Pink Moon" # "Disappear"# "Pop Song"Side 2# "Quiet Time"# "Smoothing The Ride"# "Twinkle & Shine"# "Erasable You"...
(1991) - Miss HappinessMiss HappinessMiss Happiness is the name of the 1992 debut album of Walt Mink. Hailed by many as Walt Mink's shining moment, Miss Happiness is considered to be one of the brightest alternative debut albums of the 90's.- Track listing :...
(1992) - Bareback RideBareback RideBareback Ride, released in 1993, is the second full length album by the band Walt Mink. Sales and acclaim for this album feel short of Walt Mink's debut album Miss Happiness, which had been released the previous year....
(1993) - El ProductoEl Producto (Walt Mink album)El Producto is the name of a 1996 album released by Walt Mink, generally accepted as their break-through. Upon release, it received a 10/10 rating from Pitchfork Media.-Track listing:All songs written by John Kimbrough.# "Stood Up" – 3:31...
(1996) - ColossusColossus (Walt Mink album)Colossus released in 1997, is the fourth and final studio album by the band Walt Mink.- Track listing :All tracks by John Kimbrough# "Goodnite" - 3:43# "John's Dream" - 5:05# "She Can Smile" - 2:56# "Brave Beyond the Call" - 4:05...
(1997) - GoodniteGoodnite (Walt Mink album)Goodnite is the name of a 1998 album released by Walt Mink. It is a recording of their last show at New York's Mercury Lounge on November 1, 1997.-Track listing:# "Fourth Wave" - 4:37# "Stood Up" - 2:58# "Everything Worthwhile" - 2:46...
(1998)
External links
- John Kimbrough Official site
- Official band website Only the bulletin board is current.
- Official website supporting a documentary film on Walt Mink
- Trouser Press entry