((Mineral)) Band Profile and Upcoming Los Angeles Concerts - Oh My Rockness

Written by Patrick McNamara

(I wrote new band profiles for American Football + Mineral + Braid all on the same day. And that day is May 21st. The year is 2014. A.D. I just thought you should know.)

Perhaps the emo-iest emo bands of the ‘90s was Austin’s Mineral. Singer/guitarist Chris Simpson + guitarist Scott McCarver + bassist Jeremy Gomez + drummer Gabriel Wiley emo-ed their way into the diary-writing hearts of fervent thousands. The band put out their first single in 1994 and, before breaking up 3 years later, released two super solid emo albums (“Endserenading” and “The Power of Failing”), some emo 7”s, and were on some good emo comps (the best being “don’t forget to breathe” which also included an exceptional emo song by Crank! Records label-mates Christie Front Drive, but that’s a different emo discussion for another emo time).

Like American Football (which would only be a seamless segue if you just read the American Football profile I just wrote today in the year 2014), time has treated Mineral well. Chris Simpson’s deliberately off-key wails of heartache heartbreak still hold up. And the guitar work. Don’t even get me started on the guitar work. It's still pretty. It still shreds. Often at the same time. Not any old emo band could do that. Which is why we’re not talking about any old emo band. We’re talking about Mineral.

Mineral has recently reunited, of course. I was getting to that. The band are playing shows starting this summer and the aging emo alts like me are excited. And good news. Even if you weren’t even born circa 1994-1997, there’s still time for you to get into these guys. Go ahead. Do it. Don't be intimidated. Remember. It’s never, ever too late to get into anything good.

If you don’t know where to start with this band, might I be so bold as to suggest the following song below to be the definitive Mineral song? Listen to those off-key vocals! Those pretty guitars! Those ferocious foot slams on the distortion pedals! Ahhh. I remember this. It almost makes me want to crack open my old diary again and revisit some old feelings. But it's locked and I forgot the combination. Here's to blessings in disguise. Here's to emo.