After a busy summer at home in BC, Mindil Beach Markets are on the road again. This time around, the funky five-piece band will be bringing their energetic style of self-dubbed ‘Mixtape Rock’ to Thunder Bay and then as far as Halifax. Drummer Cam Ainslie explains the decision to classify their sound as such, “We grew up during a time when buying full albums was pretty uncommon. We’d download a bunch of random songs, rent a CD burner from the local electronics store, and burn mixes for our friends. Because of this, we became accustomed to hearing different genres side by side.” That being said, the band’s albums and live shows are carefully crafted to ensure flow and cohesiveness while incorporating elements of reggae, blues, soul, folk, and hip hop, with an underlying rock and roll party vibe. Their formula has been packing dance floors across the country.

MBM toured their latest release, It Might Take Long, last spring. The album’s hard-driving lead single “Smoking Gun,” in combination with the success of their environmental initiative, The Jellyfish Project, attracted national media attention. The Jellyfish Project consists of a live performance by the band followed by a slide show presentation, and has now been viewed by over 13,000 students nationwide. This fall, MBM will be taking the program to more than 40 schools, with an estimated attendance of over 30,000 students. The objective is to raise awareness about ocean sustainability, climate change and environmental stewardship. Daniel Kingsbury (guitar/vocals) speaks on MBM’s plans to bring other bands on board and expand the reach of The Jellyfish Project, “In the near future we will be deploying a massive call to action, recruiting bands from all over the world to join the project and fight for the planet. Many bands are aware of these issues, and care deeply about the state of our environment, but don’t know how to be a part of the solution in an impactful way. The Jellyfish Project is the answer to this problem.” With Lake Superior and the boreal forest at our doorstep, maybe some local bands will respond.
You can catch MBM on September 13 at The Foundry, the show starts at 9 pm.