The Eighth Note is 8 quick Questions with Wellington Musicians. A chance for us to catch up with people & see what they’re up to, or introduce you to a new musician/band and their music. Up next are Brad & Demelza from Mina’s Veil.
Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
We are Mina’s Veil, a neoclassical dark wave band from Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Our music is darkly classical – there’s a lot of soaring soprano lines backed up with rich orchestral accompaniment. We’re inspired by Victorian Gothic novels, fairy tales, myths and legends – we try to invoke images of mist-soaked graveyards, haunted forests and decaying gothic towers. Some of our music was used in an Italian documentary about Poveglia (an allegedly haunted island in Italy that was a quarantine in the 1700’s and an asylum in the early 1900’s) which gives you an idea of the sort of feeling we’re going for!
What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?
We just released our second album Haunted in January and are working on more music at the moment too. We’re hoping to be able to put together a music video soon too!
Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?
Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music.
What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?
Demelza: Magnificat by John Rutter, Once by Nightwish and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera
Brad: Danny Elfman’s Batman, Cradle of Filth’s Midian, and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?
Brad: Gareth Farr! His music is amazing and I would just love to learn from him.
What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
Valhalla is our second home – it’s inclusive, accessible, easy to load into with great sound, and Ben offers huge support of local scenes while working hard to bring through the touring internationals. San Fran is also amazing, with a great stage and sound, and an actual green room! It’s also hard to go past that balcony on a sunny afternoon.
In your songwriting or composing (or the band’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?
We’re very studio-based and collaborative. Each song starts with some small inspiration – a chord progression or a cool melodic line, maybe a general theme or feeling or some lyrics. Demelza will generally write ‘the song’ shaped for four or five key instrumentations; Brad then takes on production duties which can include broader orchestration, live recording, sound design etc. Lyrics are usually the hardest part and take a lot of back and forth between us to get right!
Where/when is your next gig?
None scheduled as yet though we often play a Halloween show…
Cover image & Photo courtesy of Mina’s Veil.