Minky, Kurt Friel, Mic Pesaturo, Mike Levesque, Mansour Bethany, Eric F'n French, Michael Moore, Phil Aiken, Mike Musburger, Ken Stringfellow, Kelly McCullough, John Berard, Jamie Choquette, Eric Fontana and Mr. Bojangles
Influences
Anything heartbreaking....but if we must:
Big Star, Badfinger, Nick Lowe, The Posies, Jellyfish, Graham Parker, Bay City Rollers, Aimee Mann, Bowie, Kinks, T. Rex, Replacements, Jon Brion, Elvis Costello, Matthew Sweet, Brendan Benson, Elliot Smith, Pernice Brothers, Material Issue, Sloan, Ben Kweller, Jason Falkner, Squeeze, ELO, The Cure, Nick Lowe, Marshall Crenshaw, Beach Boys, The Jayhawks, Cheap Trick, Superdrag, Teenage Fanclub, Joe Jackson, Television, Jason Falkner, Nada Surf, Tom Petty, The Lemonheads,The Who, The Beatles, Adam and the Ants, Redd Kross, Dinosaur Jr, Weezer...
Sounds Like
The music soothes the soul, it rocks the house, it glimmers and shines like the sun in December. Songs burst forth from your stereo like they are something that matter, something you anticipate, long for, and want to share with your friends.
MINKY STARSHINE hovers just above the sweetest sounds of the pop-rock soundscape. This band is much more than four pretty faces who write sugar pop melodies mixed with the 70's-inspired, am radio rock they grew up on. Minky (vocals and guitar), Kurt Friel (bass and vocals), Mic Pesaturo (guitar) and Mike Levesque (drums) fit together like pieces of an old Kiss puzzle, delivering emotionally charged thrills with every living moment. In 2006, their majestic pop anthems shot heart-shaped arrows straight from their hips into the hearts of their audiences. They spent the year supporting their debut release, "Hooray for L.A.", which was produced and engineered by Ken Stringfellow (Posies, R.E.M., Big Star).
Their sophomore release is the album they've been long threatening to record: a towering mountain of melody and pop production that was both lament and celebration - and is as infectious as listening to a box of old 8-tracks in your Uncle Don's basement. The refined studio line-up features Mike Musburger (Posies, Fastbacks) on drums this time around.
Recorded primarily by x-Hot Rod Circuit Michael Poorman at Strangeways Recording in Providence, R.I., Minky also teamed up with pal Ken Stringfellow (Posies, Big Star) in Paris, France at Le Domicile Studio, and with Chris Manning (Jellyfish, Guster) out at Salamander Sound in sunny California. These dashing gentlemen have taken sticky sweet rock and roll and turned it into a daily anthem for the soul.
-
Guest musicians/collaborators include Ken Stringfellow (Posies, R.E.M.), Mike Musburger (Posies, Fastbacks), Mike Levesque (David Bowie, Candy Butchers), Rich Fisher (Pearl Jam, Long Winters, Harvey Danger), Jeff Calder (Aimee Mann, Missing Persons), Chris Cugini (Anastasia Screamed, Blizzard of 78), Paul Myers (Blizzard of 78), Phil Aiken (Buffalo Tom), Sean McLaughlin (Elliot Smith), Rob Loyot (Entrain), Drew Townson (Boston Music Award Winner), Larissa Maestro, Adam Olendorff, Jeff Lipton (Sebadoh, Wheat) and more...
REVIEWS:
02/18/09
There are bands that deny their pop ambitions. Minky Starshine is not one of those bands. With their sound aimed straight at the center of the FM dial, "Unidentified Hit Record" heads straight for the heart of the songs. If more music was like this, music would be more popular. Minky and Eric French lay down guitar harmonies that keep the soaring melodies from floating away. And, the harmonies are always pop-expert. A rare bridge lends force and urgency to the tune's last refrain, which is perversely preempted by a sharp guitar solo, before it finally boils in, crests, and sweeps out. Beautiful. "Brand New" is so well crafted - the arrangement is tight and the attack is crisp and certain, with only a towering viola for a hook. Better still is "Guess That's Why", where the pairing of a rolling organ with a shimmering Wurlitzer create the most dynamic track on the disc. I haven't heard too many bands achieve so completely exactly what they were trying to achieve.
-Motif Magazine
12/31/08
Mark MacDougall's 75orLess record label has been producing and churning out quality product for the past three years, the majority of which are Rhody-based acts. No Qualms, the latest 75orless double-disc compilation, features 43 bands, 32 hailing from Rhode Island, all for a recession-friendly $7. From the sugar-coated power-pop of Minky Starshine to the drunken sea shanties of Sharks Come Cruisin' to the stoned, electro-garage sounds of Guntaard, No Qualms covers a multitude of genres with no filler.
-The Providence Phoenix
09/05/06
"Hooray for L.A." is a gas. Working within the classic power pop tradition, Minky serves up ’70s-injected, sugar-sweetened musical magic with delightfully faux sincerity, vintage instrumentation, and robust vocal harmonies.
-The Providence Phoenix
03/15/07
While most bands resist easy classification these days, Minky Starshine and the New Cardinals deliver unadulterated, good ol' American power-pop on Hooray for L.A. Replete with saccharine harmonies, glossy guitars, and plenty of "Ooh ooh ooh" choruses. It's a throwback to '80s rock radio that straddles the line between homage and send-up, but it's rendered with enough conviction and skill to be worth a listen for anyone looking for a dose of straightforward pop-rock.
-New England Performer
04/21/07
Minky Starshine had me at their 4AD-like cover, anyway, but fortunately, the music that follows on the 15 songs here, confirm that first impressions can be right on. They are listening to all the important pop bands and artists of the last 20 years. Gigolo Aunts, Matthew Sweet, Pernice Brothers, Elliot Smith and Material Issue. It's all hiding on "Hooray For L.A.", but not too hard. Minky Starshine embraces their influences and lands in a spot on this collection of songs that has a sound that they and you can call their own.
-Not Lame Recording Co.
02/20/07
Oh Minky, you slut! While I wasn't looking, you went to town and brought ex-Posie Ken Stringfellow back to "produce your record." He made your "harmonies" smoother and your "arrangements" looser. In his hands, your moans intensified from lowly demo quality to classic AM Gold. Now when I look at you I see a vampy but vibrant band I don't recognize, Minky... and damn, you look good!
-75 or Less
07/12/07
The recording of these tracks have equally been given the retro treatment, with the inclusion of Mellotrons, Farfisas, vibrato-laden Wurlitzers, and an overall warmth
to the sound...taking the local scene one step further to a time where fashion, stage presence, and songwriting eloquence will once again rule airwaves and theaters alike.
-Motif Magazine
12/01/07
Boy band quality lyrics set against AAA-station melodies. The playing is more than competent, and there are some decent moments on this record, particularly when the mostly mellow, mostly mid-tempo songs get infused with some lap steel or Hammond organ ...
-The Noise: Rock around Boston
03/07/07
Like usual, it starts with a boy. And it ends at an area club watching a band that seriously sounded like it stepped out of the early '90s. I was totally fine with the fact that the lead singer considered Minky to be his alter-ego, blah blah blah, mostly because he was older than me and still rocking badges on his lapels, but I guess I was expecting something a bit more. Um. Rocking? Anyway. I felt like I was stuck in VH1, circa 1996. They are nice enough guys and all...I really, really wanted to like this band. Who wouldn't like a 30-something hipster with crazy hair and badges on a well worn blazer?
-Scene and Herd by Regina
Really inspired songwriting/tracks!! I have no problem grooving to your sounds! (That usually happens when the music is from the heart - one can tell) Have a lovely summer.
Arrggh....Most Un-wanted would've been more fitting... Actually, if you've still got a copy, perhaps you could pass it along to the lovely and talented Ms. McCullough...I'm still living my 15 minutes of chronic singledom fame...!
