The Mint: Local Music, Global Thinking

It's been quite some time since we've heard from The Mint, the Lancaster-based band that released Love is Vapor in 2007. Now it seems as though they are starting to surface again with a few interesting items. 

First off, the band has put together an interesting lineup for a show at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster on March 21st. In addition to The Mint, the show will also feature Philly indie rock outfit Jealousy Curve, an acoustic performance from D.C's Army of Me, and Ephrata-based Receiving the Ghost. (I recently received a copy of Receiving the Ghost's EP and I love their sound. I'll be reviewing it on here in the near future). All of these bands have gotten airplay on either XPN or Y-Rock (or both) and deserve a listen.

But this is more than just another concert at the Chameleon. It is a benefit for an organization called Love 146, that seeks to put an end to child sex slavery and exploitation. The Mint's Jonathan Decker tells me how and why the band got involved with this organization:

A  few years ago we played a show for them not really knowing much about them, and I was pretty blown away by what they do. Fast forward to this year when I became a Dad, and it made the issue of child sex slavery a bit more realistic in terms of comprehension. I see my daughter and her innocence, and then imagine children as young as her sold to the sex trade. Little kids sold to be violated for money, traded as a commodity, and have their entire lives be taken through hell. I'm by no means an expert on Love146, but I can't look my little girl and not get reminded of these children who are marginalized and abused.

Decker says the hope to raise at least $3000 for the organization, whose president will be on hand for the show to tell about the work they do. He also says that the band has been quietly donating to causes like Love 146 and the 1000 Wells Project, but he feels that now he needs to do something more:

Being in a band can be a cool thing, but at the end of the day it's music. If you can use a platform, however small it may be, to help change someones life for the better, that's what matters.

What a refreshing perspective on what it means to be a local musician in a world filled with pain and hurt. I hope to make it to this event, and hope to see you there. The concert begins at 7p.m. on March 21st. Tickets are $8 in advance, and $10 at the door. Let's pack the place out!

In other Mint, news, the band has been recording with John Wagoner at XAM Studios in Ephrata. Decker says they have a bunch of songs and hope to get some music out to radio and the public in the near future. He is feeling really good about the new material, saying they have had the time and resources to really experiment a bit more with sounds and lush arrangements, which he doesn't feel they were really able to do with Love is Vapor. I'm really looking forward to hearing their newest music.