The Mynabirds

This article is about the indie rock band. For the family of passerine birds, see Myna.

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 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 Media as "...openhearted, politically engaged, feminist pop that, miraculously, never veers into schmaltz."

History

Laura Burhenn Early years (1994-2008)

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.

What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood (2010)

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 of 2010 and released What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood to critical acclaim in April of 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.

Generals (2012)

At the end of 2011, Burhenn headed back into the studio with Swift to begin work on The Mynabirds' sophomore album "Generals." Saddle Creek released the title-track single in February of 2012 as a free download. The album was released on June 5, and was met with near universal critical acclaim, with Gianna Stefanelli of CMJ describing the work as "...a serious and intellectual pop album."

Members

• Laura Burhenn — vocals, keyboards, piano
• Tom Hnatow — guitar
• Tyler Odom — guitar
• Patrick Damphier — bass, percussion, vocals
• Nicole Childrey — drums, vocals
• Rebecca Marie Miller — percussion, vocals

Discography

• What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood (2010)
• Generals (2012)

External links

• Official site
• The Mynabirds at Saddle Creek Records
• The Mynabirds: Tiny Desk Concert on NPR Music