Indie Vinyl

Michael Yonkers has certainly benefitted from the rise of the internet & the ability of music fans to find even the most reclusive of musical enigmas. A few short years ago Michael was unheard-of amongst many Minneapolis-area music fans, only the most ardent of local music veterans seemed to be hip to this 40-plus year recording artist. That all changed with Clint Simonson's De Stijl label and his unearthing of the unreleased 1968 LP "Microminiature Love" LP in 2002. The realization that Minnesota had its own world-class cult rock n roll artist in Michael Yonkers seemed to help complete the local music landscape historically. Reissues of ultra-obsure recordings such as the 1973 Lp "Grimwood" via De Stijl/Sub Pop and the soon-upcoming issue of more seventies recordings "Lovely Gold" by Galactic Zoo/Drag City have heightened the legend. His current recordings are also quite notable and powerful. Suddenly, Michael has gone from being truly underground to one of the most prolific recording artists Minnesota has ever seen.

  Which brings us to the "Michael & The Mumbles" LP, which was released yesterday. The thing that I just can't get over about this LP is the fact that these are ALL ORIGINAL SONGS; what band that wasn't on an international level was recording all original material in 1966? It just goes to show that guitarist/singer Michael, brother drummer Jim, bassist Richard Paske, and keyboardist Jim Woehrle treated their music and this LP as a true art form, not just to make the kids dance. Historically, this is a very significant LP due to this fact, both to Minnesota music or to anywhere.

How does it sound? Michael told me he recorded this LP on a Crown reel-to-reel player he had purchased as a kid, and he had recorded it himself. The fact that from such humble origins comes this pounding and powerful frat-rock & garage stomper is also almost beyond belief. This LP easily ranks up there with The Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird", The Fendermen's "Muleskinner Blues", The Litter's "Distortions" & TC Atlantic's "Live at The Bel-Rae Ballroom"  as one of the most rocking-est 1960s LP to come from the frozen north. It is now part of this pantheon of records, even at one day old. The hindsight needed to rate it this highly comes instananeously once you hear it.

If you like primitive rock n roll, this is a must-have, and if you're a fan of vintage simple lo-fi recordings, it's a no-brainer. "Michael & The Mumbles" help show that Minnnesota was one of the best indie recording scenes of the 1960s.