Mingo Fishtrap
NewMusicforOldFolks says …
So, do you think they were sitting around day and somebody said, "What do you suppose is the dumbest thing we could possibly name this band?" "Engelbert Humperdink?" Nope, that one's taken. "Rocky & The Flying Squirrels?" Too mainstream. "I've got it, Mingo Fishtrap!" Perfect, call the record company. But the crazy thing is, it worked. You'll never forget the name once you listen to one song. This is a bunch of white (with one exception) musicians from Texas putting out catchy Soul and R&B that will have you playing the album from top to bottom. The band, with a few lineup changes, has been around a long time. I haven't listened to the entire catalog yet, but the newest entry, On Time, is very, very good.
Artist's Info
Website: mingofishtrap.com
See them live: Tour dates on home page
Record company: Blue Corn Music
Genre: Soul, R&B
If you like this, look into: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Tedeschi Trucks Band, St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Bio (from the artist's Facebook page)
Audiences can always expect spontaneity and heart from a Mingo set, where the band intermingles fresh takes on songs from their extensive catalog with their twist on a few select soul standards. “When something feels a little a stale, we'll change up the arrangement to keep it feeling new,” says singer/guitarist Roger Blevins Jr. “You don't want to change so much about a tune that it becomes completely unfamiliar, but folks who are a part of our musical world also expect some experimentation. We don't want a solid wall of sound; we want to create a whole night of music, with a natural ebb and flow.” What started as a casual jam session with friends blossomed over time into an impressive eight-piece ensemble that evoked fond memories of listening to soul music as a kid. “Pops [Mingo’s bassist, Roger Sr.] always had soul and R&B on the stereo, and then he was playing those tunes every night. So that was what I grew up with," Blevens Jr. says.
Spotify sampler
Recordings
Most Recent
ON TIME (2014): While attending the University of North Texas' College of Music, Roger Blevins, Jr. casually asked a few dorm mates to jam on some old soul & funk tunes. Missing that sound that he had grown up hearing, the Mississippi-native quickly found himself surrounded by an eight-pieceband, complete with a percussion and horn section. Recent support dates for the likes of contemporaries Robert Randolph, Trombone Shorty, MOFRO & Galactic, along with legends such as Parliament, Sting, Little Feat and Earth, Wind & Fire, have raised the rofile of the band. Now the ciritically-acclaimed soul collective plans to release their new record On Time' on Blue Corn Music.
OTHERS
Succotash (1997)
From The Private Bag (2000)
EP2 (2004)
Yesterday (2005)
EP3 (2008)
In The Meantime (2010)
