Minipop Interview: SXSW 2010

While listening to the San Francisco trio Minipop, all sorts of imagery come to mind. Dreamy landscapes, wanderlust, heartbreak, desolation, or as the band states, "Marshmallows on morphine and Care Bears on Xanax." With their captivating sounds that channel '90s favorites Mazzy Star and My Bloody Valentine, this ultimate dreampop band is currently winning over fans and critics alike. Minipop has opened for notable acts such as Tegan and Sara, Tokyo Police Club, and Metric and will be performing at this year's SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Describe your sound in your own words.

We sound like marshmallows on morphine and Care Bears on Xanax.

How did your band form?

The band began in a bedroom and was the product of a depressive time. It was a therapeutic response to some s--- that was going on. It served its purpose well.

What are your musical influences?

A lot of early '90s bands like Mazzy Star, Catherine Wheel and My Bloody Valentine.

How did you come up with your band name?

In the beginning the songs were two-minute Casio keyboard pop songs, or minipop songs. It just made sense.


Have you played SXSW before? If not, what are you most looking forward to at the event and/or in Austin?

This will be our third time in Austin. We love it there, SXSW is like spring break for musicians. We can't wait to get the program and go through it and highlight all the shows we want to see.

What is in your festival survival kit?

Water, Lone Star, sausage, shorts, sunglasses, Vicodin.

What is your favorite venue you've ever played and why?

The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco is a beautiful old theater with a balcony and carved walls and pillars. We've been fortunate to play there a bunch, it never gets old.

Tell us a little bit about where Minipop has toured to geographically. What is your favorite city to play in?

We've toured the US three times. Boston is a lot of fun, New York is always fun, Denver is beautiful, and Chapel Hill is such a great music town.

What's the craziest thing that ever happened to you on tour?

We were in Denver and just about to load in straight to the stage for our set at 11pm when we locked the keys in our van with all our equipment. The band before us, A Shoreline Dream, allowed us to use all their gear which was totally awesome. We were very thankful and felt dumb.

What is your music guilty pleasure?

We may or may not listen to Leona Lewis, Puddle of Mudd and Iglu and Hartly. And we may or may not watch a lot of 'My So-Called Life' while on tour.

What is your biggest vice?

I don't even know. We don't party a lot, we're pretty mellow. We try to get lots of sleep and drink lots of water. Maybe gambling, when we tour we do search for casinos and gamble a bit.


Lauren Modery is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.