The Mynabirds
| The Mynabirds | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Omaha, Nebraska, United States |
| Genres | Indie pop, indie rock, garage rock, blue-eyed soul |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Saddle Creek |
| Associated acts |
Georgie James Bright Eyes |
| Website | themynabirds.com |
| Members | Laura Burhenn |
| Past members | Tom Hnatow Tyler Odom Patrick Damphier Nicole Childrey Rebecca Marie Miller |
The Mynabirds are an American indie pop band founded by singer-songwriter and pianist Laura Burhenn, who was previously one half of the Washington, D.C. indie duo Georgie James. Burhenn formed The Mynabirds in 2009, and shortly after signed to Saddle Creek Records and relocated to Omaha, Nebraska. The sound has been described by Pitchfork as "...openhearted, politically engaged, feminist pop that, miraculously, never veers into schmaltz."
After years of classical piano and stints singing and playing keyboards in rock bands and electronica projects in Washington, D.C., Burhenn founded her own record label, Laboratory Records, and began releasing solo work. Burhenn's first solo record "Not Ashamed to Say" was released in 1999 and is a collection of thirteen songs written from 1994 to 1998. After releasing a split 7" in 2003, Burhenn released the full length "Wanderlust" in 2004. In 2005, Burhenn teamed up with John Davis, drummer of defunct DC trio Q and Not U, to form Georgie James. Laura first worked with Saddle Creek in 2007 on Georgie James' debut LP "Places." The duo parted ways in late 2008.
Burhenn went into the studio with Richard Swift in the summer of 2009 and recorded what would become the debut album from The Mynabirds. The band signed with Saddle Creek in January 2010 and released What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood to critical acclaim in April 2010. Anthony Lombardi described the record in PopMatters as "...a soul-purging, powerful statement of survival and self-assertion that stands head and shoulders above the current crop of navel-gazers populating today’s underground music scene." The Mynabirds supported their debut LP with more than a year of touring with Bright Eyes, David Bazan and Crooked Fingers. Burhenn also toured at this time as a member of Bright Eyes.
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