Holy Smokes! SXSW is less than a month away. If you are also counting down the days to a week of sunshine, bands and BBQ delights do pop by our annual afternoon Hootenanny! There will be tacos, tequila and performances from your favourite Mint and Six Shooter artists.
 
Our Hootenanny hostess, Carolyn Mark, has a brand new youtube cook show! Episode one with NQ Arbuckle, Justin Rutledge and BBQ secrets can be seen here.
 
 

Mint/Six Shooter SXSW Hootenanny
Thursday, March 18th, 2-6pm
at Headhunters back patio
720 Red River Street (at 8th)

 
2:15 - Carolyn Mark
2:35 - Amelia Curran
2:55 - Hot Panda
3:15 - Luke Doucet
3:35 - Meilssa McClelland
3:55 - The Pack a.d.
4:20 - Justin Rutledge
4:40 - The Beauties
5:05 - Carolyn Mark
5:25 - Nardwuar with special appearance by Andrew W.K.
 
 
Also, Mint Yvette and Mint Shena will be there. They will also be hanging out at these other Mint shows, hunting for late night burritos and crashing cocktail parties. Get ready!
 
Hot Panda
Thu March 18th - Mint/Sixshooter Hootenanny @ Headhunters, Austin, TX (2:55pm)
Fri March 19th - Jamies Spanish Vila, Austin, TX (10:00pm)
 
Carolyn Mark
Thu March 18th - Mint/Sixshooter Hootenanny @ Headhunters, Austin, TX (5:05pm)
Fri March 18th - Stephen F's lounge, Austin, TX (12:00am)
Sat March 20th - Riot Act Party @ Liberty Bar, Austin TX time TBA

The Pack a.d.
Thu March 18th - AFM party @ Canada House, Austin, TX (12:30pm)
Thu March 18th - Mint/Sixshooter Hootenanny @ Headhunters, Austin, TX (3:55pm)
Thu March 18th - The Best Damn Day of Duos Ever @ Pie Guy's Pizza, Austin, TX (6:00pm)
Fri March 19th - Buddyhead.com Day party TBA
Fri March 19th - Jamie's Spanish Villa, Austin, TX (12:00am)
 
Download the brand new mp3 of "Crazy" from The Pack a.d.'s upcoming album we kill computers.

Holy smokes! We've passed the test and are gearing up to celebrate 20 years of Mint Records. Now, this isn't our typical Ridiculously Early Xmas event. This time, we've summoned 13 bands (many which are re-uniting to play for the first time in years!) and will be taking over two rooms at the glorious Waldorf Hotel. Come out! Come out!

Featuring:
- cub tour videos
- Miss Marr (of cub) & Friends
- The Evaporators
- Fanshaw
- The Gay
- Hot Panda
- Kellarissa
- Maow*
- Operation Makeout
- Pluto
- Vancougar
- Volumizer

with friends:
- The Maxines (K Records)
- My Friend Wallis

AND MORE!

November 25th @ The Waldorf Hotel (1489 E Hastings) 

Tickets: $12 in advance/$15 at the door
Doors: 8pm (come early for prizes)

The first 50 people to arrive will receive gifts from the good people at: Pocky, Red Cat Records, Zulu Records, Six Cent Press and Black Dog Video.

Partial proceeds go to support Vancouver's Safe Amplification Society.

We'd also like to thank our sponsors, CBC Radio 3, CiTR 101.9FM, Exclaim! and Scion. Maybe they'll donate some prizes too.

Advance tickets are available from: Red Cat Records, Zulu Records, The Waldorf's front desk and online through eventbrite.com

*Maow will feature original members, Corrina Hammond and Tobey Black, with guest drummer Lisa G.

This year’s Mint Records Ridiculously Early Xmas party is over and after an action-packed night and tons of great music, we've managed to raise $1765 for the ALS Society of Canada.

The ALS Society of Canada is committed to supporting research towards a cure for ALS, supporting provincial ALS societies in their provision of quality care for persons living with ALS and building public awareness of ALS and its impact.

Thanks to Bella, Vancougar, the Awkward Stage, Young & Sexy, Hot Panda, The Ramblin' Ambassadors and Novillero for making this event such a success! As always, a special thank-you goes out to our generous prize sponsors, and of course to everyone who came out to the Cambrian Hall to join us!

That's right, Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle are Juno nominees! Yes, just yesterday we learned that their October 2009 collaborative record Let's Just Stay Here might just be the Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. Nice work guys!

Carolyn Mark doesn't sit still for long. After putting the finishing touches on Let's Just Stay Here, she is burning down the great Canadian highway, probably on her way to a festival somewhere. Now, we should mention that Carolyn doesn't like to hog the spotlight; Let's Just Stay Here sees Carolyn teaming up with Toronto's JUNO Award nominated (and Six Shooter stars) NQ Arbuckle for six Carolyn penned numbers, three NQ songs and a handful of covers. NQ Arbuckle and Miss Carolyn set their minds on creating a "rock" record together after a summer of touring Southern Alberta. Not like AC/DC rock, more like Lucinda Williams/Wilco/Tom Petty rock. Carolyn lovingly calls it her Rumours. We think you'll love it too.

Let's Just Stay Here is not the first time that Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle recorded together. Perhaps it was a harbinger of things to come, but back in 2005 they recorded the track "Fireworks" for another of Carolyn's collective recording projects – Just Married: An Album of Duets (Mint/Outside). They were not alone in noticing that there was some, for lack of a better word, "magic" there (which illustrates an interesting facet of cooperation, sometimes 1+1 can equal infinity). So, like Gretzky and Kurri, Burns and Allen, Peanut Butter and Jelly, they decided to take this winning combo and head for the Big Time.

Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle – Let’s Just Stay Here
Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Group Nominee
The JUNO Awards – watch them on April 18th, 2010

Oh boy! To celebrate 20 years of Mint Records, for the entire month of November, our entire catalogue is on sale. Visit maplemusic.com for 20% off your next mailorder, zunior.com for cheap digital downloads, or your favourite local record shop to get your Mint fix. Not bad!

Mint Records' newest signing, Hot Panda, are set to release their debut full length album Volcano... Bloody Volcano on February 10th, 2009. Hailing from Edmonton Alberta, Hot Panda formed during the particularly chilly winter of 2006 and have already become an experienced touring act, playing well over a hundred shows in a very short time (including CMJ and PopMontreal this past October).

Volcano... Bloody Volcano is a collection of collaborative songs chock-full of the band's spastic energy. Comparisons to luminaries such as Daniel Johnson and The Talking Heads have been swirling about and while it is always nice to be compared to such bands, Hot Panda have certainly found their own sound.  Leaving behind the frozen garage jam sessions in which their musical explorations began, Hot Panda have been taking their unique blend of Brit Pop, Glam & Lo-fi Indie back and forth across the expansiveness of Canada and the USA winning new friends and fans.

The Pack a.d.'s new album we kill computers is out on April 27th and the band is going on the road ...again. Their van, the Falcon, doesn't like the iPod hook up though. Maybe because it's 13 years old. Or maybe because 13 year old's, who are vans, seem to really like cassette tapes. Either way though, the band needs new music to listen to when they hit the road. So they are excited to announce The Pack a.d. Mix Tape Contest!

Here are the contest particulars and rules according to the band:

“Do you have an old mixed tape you would like to send us? Or the capability to make a new mixed cassette tape? We are down with all sorts of music and would love to listen to music you think we should listen to. If you have a burning desire to sit around for hours pouring your blood, sweat and tears into the Ultimate Mix Tape, just for us... or at least the desire to throw your old mix tapes into an envelope and mail them then we would be forever grateful. And you, in turn, can win some great prizes! However, we only want homemade tapes OK? So, no copies of Much Dance 2000 or the like, please... those jokes are really old... and only 99 cents at Value Village... and we already have those.”

Here is what you can win:

1st prize – a signed poster and CD, a signed cymbal, a vinyl copy of we kill computers as well as a Pack AD shirt and beverage cozy in a Mint tote bag.

2nd prize – a signed poster and CD in a Mint tote bag and a vinyl copy of  we kill computers

3rd prize – a signed poster and CD and a vinyl copy ofwe kill computers

Here is how you enter:

Simply send a cassette entry to the address below to arrive no later than May 21st. Then after the The Pack a.d get back from their European tour with NoMeansNo, they will take it on the road with them, pop it into the Falcon’s cassette deck and turn up the volume as they head across western Canada with The Sadies. The band will decide the winners and notify them at the end of the tour.

The Pack a.d.
c/o Mint Records
P.O. Box 3613, M.P.O.
Vancouver, BC
Canada
V6B 3Y6

 

Click here for a complete list of the Pack a.d.'s tour dates!

Brace yourselves, the man in plaid is busy and preparing to unveil his latest project. This time, Nardwuar and The Evapotators have invited their friends, Franz Ferdinand, Andrew WK, Kate Nash, Sage Francis, The Cribs and Faud and The Feztones AND MORE to join them on their upcoming white-splattered LP titled Busy Doing Nothing. It will be in record shops on March 6th and comes with a free 2012/2013/2014 Punk Rock Calendar filled with vintage punk rock images from Vancouver's iconic Bev Davies. Oh boy! 

Nardwuar has posted more information on his creation here

Tracklisting:
***Side Nard***
1. The Evaporators & Andrew W.K. "I Hate Being Late When I'm Early" (The Evaporators/Andrew W.K.)
– This is an original song, a  collaboration between Andrew W.K. and Nardwuar's band, The Evaporators.
2. The Cribs "Death In The Family" (The Dishrags)
– The Cribs are from Wakefield, England and cover Vancouver All Girl 1970s Punk Band The Dishrags.
3. Kate Nash "My Chinchilla" (Cub)
– Kate Nash is from London and covers Cub, a Vancouver 1990s All Girl "Cuddlecore" band and the signature act on Mint Records.
4. Franz Ferdinand "Real Thing" (Pointed Sticks)
– Franz Ferdinand are from Glasgow and cover Legendary Vancouver 1970s Punk Band, the Pointed Sticks!
5. Fuad & The Feztones "Welcome To My Castle" (The Evaporators)
– This is Bobby and John from Montreal's legendary The Gruesomes. They (as Fuad & The Feztones) are covering (Nardwuar’s band) The Evaporators’ first single from 1992.
6. The Evaporators ft. Sage Francis/Xaul Zan & Megan Barnes "Hot Dog High" (The Evaporators/Sage Francis/Xaul Zan)
– Sage Francis raps on a verse for this Evaporators Original. Sage Francis runs Strange Famous Records and has released records thru ANTI-.
***Side Wuar***
1. The Evaporators "Busy Doing Nothing" (The Evaporators)
– An Evaporators original and the title track.
2. The Evaporators ft. Jill Barber & Andrew W.K. "Bring it On Home" (Doug Rutledge)
– This is a cover tune by Doug Rutledge, a 1970s Rockabilly/Truckdriver. Canadian singer-songwriter Jill Barber duets with Nardwuar on this track. Andrew W.K. also adds piano and organ.
3. The Evaporators "Milkshake Murder" (The Evaporators)
– This is an Evaporators Original.
4. The Evaporators "Bunk" (The Evaporators)
– This is an Evaporators Original.
5. The Evaporators "Pig War" (The Evaporators)
– This is an Evaporators Original.
6. The Evaporators "All The Bad Girls" (Pointed Sticks )
– This is a  Cover of Legendary Vancouver 1970's Punk Band, the Pointed Sticks.
7. *Interview* "Nardwuar vs. Franz Ferdinand"
– This is a clip from the first interview Nardwuar ever did with Franz Ferdinand.

 

After 10 years, 6 albums and countless tours, The Buttless Chaps have decided to part ways. No hard feelings exist amongst band members, just a feeling that it is time to move on to new musical projects and that the band has creatively run its course. The most recent incarnation of the band featured Dave Gowans on vocals, guitar and banjo, Morgan McDonald on keyboards, Lasse Lutick on guitar and synthesizer, Dan Gaucher on drums, and Ida Nilsen on vocals, accordion, synthesizer and euphonium. Mint Records released their final album in 2008 titled Cartography. Original drummer Torben Wilson left the band a few years prior to these last recording sessions. The Chaps have been known for their vibrant, eclectic live shows and a fearlessness with experimenting in the studio, always exploring many different muscial genres within their compositions. Over the years the band had several notable highlights, touring with acts such as The Rheostatics & The Handsome Family, and having several concerts and sessions recorded by CBC Radio. One session titled CBC Radio 3 Sessions was released digitally last year and featured contributions from Jesse Zubot (violin) and Peggy Lee (cello).

Some members will continue with their other projects; Great Aunt Ida, Fond of Tigers & Bad Human all have recording plans in the works and lead singer Gowans will be finishing a record this spring with new act Cloudsplitter. The band also features Nilsen and Zubot, and will likely perform select concerts.

The Buttlesss Chaps will perfom one last confirmed show at the Dawson City Music Festival in July and are considering a farewell concert in Vancouver B.C. around the same time. Mint Records is proud to have released four recordings by the Chaps, 2003's Love This Time, 2005's Where Night Holds Light and last year's Cartography, and CBC Radio 3 Sessions.

Some press for Cartography:

"It's an album that makes you close your eyes and listen, which is always a good sign." - Edmonton Sun

Gowans ability to pen a sci-fi ballads and rural anthems (and tracks like Coal Grey Sky will satisfy any classic Chaps fan), but with beautiful harmonies, static electro currents and terrific percussion the Chaps are able to replicate lonely nights in dark cities (the energy that crackles throughout the desolate title track is incredible). - HeroHill

Blending folk-country with a bit of atmospheric new wave sentimentality, Cartography takes you on a soft, dream-like journey that you won't want to wake up from. - Discorder

Sombre country rock underpins world-weary vocals, and while the guitars may twang, the effect is closer to a musical meditation than a whiskey-soaked hoedown. This basic foundation allows for some interesting side trips -- such as the vocoder-filled gravitas of The Opera, which wouldn't sound out of place on an Air album-- while still providing an ideal soundtrack for a late-autumn solitary trek through fallen leaves. Suitable for a cool, Canadian October. - The National Post

From the dead-souls darkwave of "Broken Transit, Broken Soil" to the campfire twang of "Water by the Wayside", the group's latest album, Cartography, maps out terrain where others would fear to tread. It's a good indication that, 10 years into their career, the Chaps are just getting started. - Georgia Straight

Cartography is an ideal name for an album that reveals itself as an expedition across unknown landscapes, matching in name the record's sense of discovery, of twists and turns, of behemoth rocks rising suddenly out of the ground where just moments ago there was plains and rolling hills. - Vue Weekly

Cartography is a mesmerizing, virtual magnum opus from Vancouver's The Buttless Chaps. While previous Chaps albums have always tested the boundaries between organic folk and synthetic electronica, Cartography is an even more aggressive exploration of this binary, resulting in a beautifully wrought, complex and cohesive outing. - Chart Magazine

What with GPS gizmos and Internet pathfinders, the art of cartography is probably now archaic. And yet, with its latest release, British Columbia's the Buttless Chaps sounds nothing like dated. Cartography is panoramic and often futuristic, expansive in its arrangements and lyrical imagery. The band and leader Dave Gowans specialize in juxtaposing old sounds with new wave. The title track updates Doorsian psychedelia with a spacier direction, and a funny thing happens on the way to The Opera, a sublime track with a classic piano motif and a robotic vocoder. Water by the Wayside forebodes gently; Coal Grey Sky has a folk-rock strum. If it sounds like the Chaps are all over the map, that just isn't the case. Rather, its course is absolutely chosen. - The Globe and Mail

it combines strummy folk songs with vaguely futuristic synths and effects-laden guitars into a serene chamber-pop hybrid. - Ubyssey

"one hell of a new album... The gorgeous artwork accentuates the excellent album to a T. Both are exploratory things of beauty, well worth the investment of your time." - Monday Magazine

"...this is a band at its peak and Cartography is a work of art." - Discorder Magazine

Recorded by John Collins and David Carswell of JC/DC Studios (the New Pornographers, Destroyer, Tegan and Sara), the sophomore album from Edmonton's Hot Panda was captured mostly live off the floor, with few takes and overdubs. Officially titled How Come I'm Dead?, expect to discover a fresh dose of dreamy noise, circus freak dance numbers, heartbreaking country ballads with screeching metal guitar solos, lovely pop harmonies, psychedelic drones, and straight up pop/rock numbers when this album hits the streets on October 12, 2010. And yes, that is lead singer Chris Connelly's mother riding the camel on the cover.