Calling Mint Mile singer and guitarist Tim Midyett an underdog is a bit silly, because he’s spent three decades cranking out jams in some of America’s best guitar bands, including Silkworm and Bottomless Pit, and now plays bass in Sunn O))). All the same, he’s never gotten his due as a songwriter! Mint Mile have released a string of tasty EPs since 2015, and on Friday, March 20, they dropped their full-length debut, the double LP Ambertron, via Comedy Minus One. It’s a stunner, with a cast that includes singer Kelly Hogan, bassist Matthew Barnhart, Songs: Ohia drummer Jeff Panall, and Palliard pedal steel guitarist Justin Brown. The music mixes up choppy country rock, folky instrumentals, and even a Christmas song, and on “Likelihood” Midyett and Brown kick up a booming Crazy Horse thunder. Mint Mile’s release show at the Hideout on Friday, April 24, has been postponed, like most other gatherings on Earth.
Sweet-voiced Chicago soul man Doug Shorts led soul-funk unit Master Plan Inc. from the early 70s till 1980, then re-formed the band in the 2010s, after soul collectors and labels began flocking to his early recordings. Last week the group released the full-length Master Plan Inc. 3, and they sound as smooth as ever. v
