Six-member Indie Rock unit The Minni-Thins unleash their first full-length album, In Black Cause I Asked, in conjunction with a big show Saturday at the Southgate House. To celebrate, the group has booked all three floors of the Newport venue, lining up a roster that includes Lovely Crash, Frankl Project, Paperback, The Spectacular Fantastic, Dr. Jones, Super 77, Coltrane Motion, For Algernon, The Newbees, Tristen Shields’ Bright Orange Robots, Sleepybird and others.
On In Black, the Thins showcase their distinctive sound more precisely, reeling in what can sometimes be a cacophonous jumble in concert (depending on the soundperson). On record, it’s more of a bitter sweet cacophony — and a rousingly joyous one at that. Primal-to-spastic rhythms, searing guitar, subtly quirky keyboard ornamentation and high-wire vocals merge to create a cyclone of sharp, peppy Art Punk (without the slightest whiff of pretentiousness). The band takes cues from Punk and New Wave, but there’s a refreshing uniqueness to their playful concoctions.
The songwriting is loaded with an animated catchiness, but the enthusiasm behind every note is even more addictive. When you listen to the songs, you can vividly picture the band bouncing off the walls like a cage full of monkeys on double banana day. The Minni-Thins take screaming back from the Emo kids and make it not only palpable but downright tuneful. Singer/guitarist Jeremy Strickland has some of the best screams in local music, even making them key hooks in many songs (one listen to “Jean Skirt” and you’ll be scream-humming his “Jean skirt!/T-shirt!” squawk all week).
Besides the defiant overuse of the cowbell, In Black Cause I Asked succeeds because of its channel-surfing diversity. “Let Me Be Your Liquor Man” is a hair-raising slab of slanted Punk, “Bark Is Brass” and “Mad Matador” are eccentric Blur-like romps, the somewhat less rowdy “Sigh of Relief” and “Lullaby” come off like Bizarro-world Country music and the trumpet-punctuated “Punk Rock Superhero” sounds like the Dead Milkmen covering The Ramones.
The more pinpoint focus achieved by capturing the band’s boisterous blare on CD brings The Minni-Thins’ formidable songwriting abilities front and center. The album is a lot of fun, a little goofy, incredibly entertaining and excitingly imaginative. (minnithins.com)
More Local Notes
· The Ramones get the tribute treatment Friday at Covington’s Mad Hatter. Local bands And Andy, Denial, The Great Depression, Kill City and My Two Cents will each play three Ramones songs (as well as three of their own). Proceeds from the show go to the American Cancer Society of Greater Cincinnati. (madhatterclub.com)
· Studio 89, the live local-music-friendly radio series on WNKU (89.7 FM), has returned to the airwaves. Airing every Monday at 9 p.m. through the end of August with a mix of local and national entertainers, this week’s guest is on-the-rise Rockabilly group Jerry King and the Rivertown Ramblers. Future performers include Jake Speed (July 4), The Newbees (July 11), Red Idle (July 25), Greg Schaber (Aug. 8), Screaming Mimes (Aug. 22) and Faux Frenchmen (Aug. 29). Fans are invited to come to the station’s studios to watch the performances (go to wnku.org for details and a full schedule).
· Wanna play Lollapalooza? The Madison Theater in Covington is one of four Midwest headquarters for the “Lollapalooza Battle of the Bands” competition. Interested artists should send or drop off a few songs and a bio to the Madison Theater by no later than Saturday (you can also e-mail your songs and info to andrew@capresents.com). Bands chosen will play at the finals July 2 at the Madison, with the winner earning a slot at the massive two-day fest in Chicago July 23 and 24.
· Instrumental rockers Ampline have completed a new 12-song full-length, tentatively titled Rosary, for local Tiberius Records (a release date is pending). The trio performs Thursday at the Southgate House and Saturday at the Mad Hatter. A one-song sneak preview of the forthcoming disc has been posted at tiberiusrecords.com.
This article appears in Jun 8-14, 2005.
