MinionTV is an instrumental rock/soundtrack influenced band based in Liverpool consisting of five members. Those are (from earliest to last) Stephen Johnston, Justin Bailey, Barry Fearns, Sion Keir and Simon Monkhouse.
Our debut album is out now! Clicking on the Album Cover on the left will take you to the music page where you can listen and purchase.
Contact us at info@miniontv.co.uk
Help us out by designing a T-Shirt!
2010-08-26
We're on the lookout for any budding artists out there who'd be willing to design us a T-Shirt based on tracks from our album. In return we'll make sure you're credited as best we can for the design as well as give you a free copy of the album and a t-shirt.
Artwork should be supplied at a minimum of 300dpi and saved as CMYK image mode in any of these formats JPEG, PDF, EPS, TIFF, PSD, AI, CDR. Please only do ONE colour as it's cheaper for us to make ;) Also try and include the band name somewhere in the design. All artwork must be original.
It's probably best not having a very detailed image as this won't print well on the shirt so simple as possible! For preview purposes just send us a small jpg and we'll get back to you with some feedback. Email designs to info@miniontv.co.uk with the subject heading 'T-Shirt Design'.
When we get a few designs in we'll choose the best few and get the t-shirts made :)
Thanks people!
p.s Here's the titles to use
01. We Are Ghosts
02. Battleships
03. Take A Bullet For The Rest Of Us
04. I Hit, I Miss, I Fall
05. No Grave But Sea
06. When Skyways Are Highways
07. Marla The Big Tourist
08. Daggers At Lily
09. Robot Meets Girl
10. Don't Burn The House Down (While I'm Away)
O2 Gig July 2010
2010-07-13
Here's a couple of MinionTV pics at the o2 Academy taken by Electric Slim; a photographer in Liverpool. Cheers to all that came along to see us and sorry we looked so wrecked afterwards, that stage is so hot!
Sound City Gig 2010 @ LEAF
2010-05-26
We really enjoyed our gig for Liverpool Sound City this year at the Leaf. Cheers to everyone who came!
Here's a couple of pics taken by Paul Canning. All of us at MinionTV thank Paul for taking what just might be the first Simon action shot (the drummer has to get his glory sometime eh?).
Free 'Yardsticks' track download
2010-05-22
As a thanks for all of the support we've received you can now download our track 'Yardsticks' for FREE as of today from BandCamp. You may of heard it advertising TV shows CSI and the Mentalist. Featuring amazing artwork by Alice Teresa Rix.
Click on the album cover at the top to get to our music page :)
iTunes
2010-05-09
Our album is now on iTunes. You can access the album page along with various other links at the toolbar above.
Spotify
2010-05-03
You can now hear our album on Spotify. Please support us by recommending to friends :)
Masque Photos
2010-04-19
Some MinionTV photographs taken by Gianni Bianchini from our last gig at the Masque. You can find more of his work HERE and more photographs on our Facebook Page.
Shout Out To 'The Postrock Show'.
2010-04-11
Just like to give a shout out to the Postrock Show which is a radio show based in Salt Lake City, Utah in the U.S. We recently spoke to James C. Gunter who is the presenter and talked about our music and he's played some of our tracks on the show and we'd like to thank him for the support.
The show airs every Tuesday night from 10:30-Midnight (GMT-7) on UtahFM.org and is definitely something not to be missed if you're a fan of post-rock, ambient, atmospheric and electronic music.
The Postrock website can be found HERE and you can also become a fan on Facebook HERE.
James was also kind enough to take part in our video project and you can see his video for 'I Hit, I Miss, I Fall' in the video section.
Updates
2010-04-09
It's been a while since I've updated you all on what we've been up to so here goes!
A while a go we put out an ad looking for film makers to put video to our music depending solely on their inspiration from hearing our tracks. You can see the first bunch of videos in the 'Video' section. The Video Project has become a success and we'd like to continue it on so if there are any film makers out there who would like to make a video get in touch.
We've also had our track 'Yardsticks' used to promote the Laval Virtual Awards Ceremony. You can see that video in the 'Portfolio' section. 'Yardsticks' will be available to purchase from tomorrow from the same page as our album.
Here's a cake my girlfriend did for us when the album came out :)
Album Out Now!
2010-03-31
Our album is now out there! Click on the album cover at the top which'll take you to the music page where you can listen and purchase the album.
Thanks for your support and hope to see some of you tomorrow!
Album News
2010-03-09
On April 1st we will be releasing our debut self titled album. About four months in the making this album contains ten new recordings which are listed below. The album will be available to listen/purchase on the bandcamp website followed by itunes and other distribution portals soon after.
The artwork was created by the fantastically talented Alice Rix. More news to come!
01 We Are Ghosts
02 Battleships
03 Take A Bullet For The Rest Of Us
04 I Hit, I Miss, I Fall
05 No Grave But Sea
06 When Skyways Are Highways
07 Marla The Big Tourist
08 Daggers At Lily
09 Robot Meets Girl
10 Don't Burn The House Down (While I'm Away)
Here's a couple a gigs we're playing.
Korova 18th of March
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=304065154225&ref=mf
Masque 1st of April supporting ASIWYFA
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=298026603269&index=1
Marie Curie Cancer Care Gig
2010-02-17
As mentioned in the previous post we're playing a gig in Korova on the 18th of March for Marie Curie. There will be an auction and the whole event will be filmed. Hope to see you there!
Diary #10 - No Brit Awards For Us.
2010-02-17
It's been a month since the last post so quite timely for a new one I feel. The album is coming along nicely indeed, we're very much near the mixing stage of the process which Justin and Sion are undertaking quite well considering experience. We have finally decided that this is a 10 track record and have compiled a tracklist which I will be revealing once it's sunk in for all of the band. What I can tell you right now is the the album title and release date. It will be self titlled and will be available to listen to in full as well as purchase on BandCamp before it goes through other vendors. It'll be released on April 1st and no that's not a joke. We're all extremely proud of it so I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as we have making it.
You may notice that the 'msg boards' tab has been replaced with a 'bio' tab. Here as you may of guessed is the current band biography along with a recent photo. Nothing pretentious here - just the facts. I can't stand band biographies that start with 'From the depths of mordor 5 strangers met and the moons collided ensuring a magical collaboration was created'.
The 'MinionTV Video Project' is going extremely well and better than expected. At the moment we have 12 film makers from all ranges of talent using our new tracks to create videos from their own inspiration. Nearer the time we'll be divulging further information of what we intend to do with these videos.
Right, 'any gig news?' I hear you cry? Well, yes we have a couple of important dates coming up, Firstly we are headlining at a charity gig in Korova on the 18th of March. I'll add some more details of this gig in the next post along with the poster. Secondly we're once again supporting 'And So I Watch You From Afar' in the Masque on the 1st of April. This date also coincides with our album release so it's a bit of a special occasion. There is a facebook event for that gig set up HERE.
Right that's it for now. I'll leave you with a photo of Baz recording his vocoder part for 'Daggers At Lily'.
[Stephen]
A Balance of Creativity - Do you make films?
2010-02-08
Our goals as musicians are to make music and put it forward to not only be enjoyed for personal experience but to also be
used creatively and complimentary in other industries. As a band we've already had some of our music used for adverts and TV
shows but we're always on the lookout to explore more creative avenues. That's why as we approach releasing our first independent album in the next couple of months we're hoping to encourage any budding film makers out there to put some video to our music.
We're after people who don't mind working for free as this could be a good opportunity for a portfolio and to get your work seen. So please if you're interested, get in touch now using the email address at the top :)
It'll be interesting to see how different film makers approach our music (even the same tracks) and we're not just looking to work with one but many different people so there will be a good range of creativity. On Easter bank holiday weekend we'll be showcasing all the videos here on the site and commenting on the message boards so sign up now!
Siôn In Magazine
2010-01-22
Battleships on 'Grey's Anatomy' Ad.
2010-05-13
'Battleships' has been used on a 'catch up' trailer for the TV show Grey's Anatomy. You can see the video HERE. (It's about 40 seconds or so in).
CSI Adverts
2010-04-28
Our track 'Yardsticks' is currently being used to promote the latest series of CSI on Channel 5.
Click on the image to view the video.
Laval Virtual Awards Opener
2010-04-09
"short film opening the 12th LAVAL VIRTUAL Awards ceremony at the theatre celebrating the cream of the crop of ongoing research and innovative uses of virtual reality. 16 prizes were given to selected leading projects and soon to be released products in the fields of interactive and immersive new technologies.
cinematography from rhervag with the Canon 5Dmk2 featuring local talent Sihèm haunting presence in key locations from the conference professional days selecting awards to elite forward thinkers upon a mesmerizing soundtrack from liverpool's up and coming progressive rock act MinionTV."
For more of Regis Hervagault's film work go HERE.
Yardsticks Used For 'Laval Virtual Awards' Teaser.
2010-03-16
For more of Regis Hervagault's film work go HERE.
IR Monster on Photography Website
2009-09-29
Gianni Bianchini produces some amazing work all of which you can view at www.giannib.com. Our track 'IR Monster' has been chosen to compliment his stunning portfolio.
Yardsticks used to Promote 'The Mentalist'.
2009-08-13
Our track 'Yardsticks' is being used to promote a new show on channel 5 called 'The Mentalist'. It should be airing now so keep a lookout ;)
Liverpool Echo Article
2009-08-12
We're on page 8 of todays Echo but you can also read the articleHERE.
Here's a scan of the page.
We Promote Lexus.
2009-07-28
Our track 'Battleships' is used in an advert for the new Lexus IS 250C model.
'Playmusic Pick up' Magazine.
2009-05-24
We're featured in 'Playmusic Pick up' magazine which you can find at almost every musical instrument store (Dawsons, Dolphin etc)
Featured in 'Sober House' TV show.
2009-02-11
Our song 'Don't Burn the House Down' is featured in an episode of 'Sober House'; a programme showing in America at the moment about recovering addicts.
Battleships Video by SHIVILENCO Pictures.
This video for our track 'Battleships' was made by Colin Hives who is based in Liverpool, UK. Colin is part of SHIVILENCO pictures; an independant film company who have just recently had one of their films shown on the big screen. This video was directed by Colin himself and stars Alex McGrath who is a SHIVILENCO regular .
For more from SHIVILENCO go HERE.
I Hit, I Miss, I fall Video by James C. Gunter
This video for our track 'I Hit, I Miss, I Fall' was made by James C. Gunter who is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. James runs a post-rock radio show of which you can find a link to below. A quote from the man himself; "This is a little video I put together for MinionTV's video project. The music is MinionTV's "I Hit, I Miss, I Fall," a very lovely song. I hope the visuals area equally as beautiful.".
For more from James C. Gunter go HERE.
Robot Meets Girl by Alec James Joyce
This video for our track 'Robot Meets Girl' was made by Alec James Joyce who is based in Liverpool. You can find some of his other work via the link below. A quote from the man himself; "it needs flat screen & projector & protective eye goggles for the audience".
For more from Alec James Joyce go HERE.
Battleships by 'All Machin Productions'
This video for our track 'Battleships' was made by 'All Machin Productions' who are based in Liverpool. You can find some of their other work via the link below.
For more from All Machin Productions go HERE.
When Skyways Are Highways by 'Red&Black Production
This video for our track 'When Skyways Are Highways' was made by 'Red&Black Productions' who are based in America. You can find some of their other work via the link below.
For more from Red & Black Productions go HERE.
Battleships Video by Chen Lie.
This video for our track 'Battleships' was made by Chen Lie who lives in Australia.
"I made this video to accompany the song 'Battleships' by the band MinionTV. It was filmed in South Korea in Autum and Winter. Special thanks to Ruby Wynyard, Thom Fitzpatrick, Arleen Sinclair and Dave Barrett who appear in the video."
For more of Chen Lie's film work go HERE.
Marla the Big Tourist
NewPath Aug09 @The Leaf
When Skyways Are Highways
NewPath Aug09 @The Leaf
No Grave But Sea
NewPath Aug09 @The Leaf
Current Gigs
2010-10-02 - Pack Horse, Leeds - Superbeardfest
2010-10-09 - Mello Mello, Liverpool - Oxjam
2010-10-23 - Huddersfield - Oxjam
2010-10-29 - Leaf, Liverpool - NewPath
2010-11-24 - Mojo - Definitive Promotions
Past Gigs
2010-09-02 - Camden Rock, London - Club Fabulous.
2010-08-28 - Zanzibar - Fringe Festival
2010-08-19 - Mojo, Liverpool - Definitive Promotions
2010-07-03 - O2 Academy, Liverpool - Supporting 'The Temps'.
2010-05-20 - Leaf - Liverpool Sound City
2010-05-02 - Baa Bar, Liverpool -
2010-04-01 - The Masque, Liverpool - With 'And So I Watch You From Afar'.
2010-03-18 - Korova, Liverpool - Charity Gig - Marie Curie Cancer Care.
2010-01-20 - Mojo, Liverpool - Definitive Promotions
2009-12-29 - Zanzibar, Liverpool - With Metro Manila Aide
2009-11-15 - Bumper, Liverpool - Supporting 'The Invisible' for Liverpool Music Week.
2009-10-05 - Carnatic Halls, Liverpool - Student Night!
2009-10-02 - Kazimier, Liverpool - Supporting "Health".
2009-09-25 - The Masque - Supporting 'And So I Watch You From Afar'.
2009-09-03 - The Leaf - Details Soon!
2009-08-30 - Zanzibar - The Matthew Street Fringe Festival
2009-08-28 - The Leaf - NewPath Night!
2009-07-31 - The leaf - We're playing at the leaf on friday.
2009-06-19 - Zanzibar (Liverpool) -
2009-05-26 - Carnatic Halls (Liverpool) -
2009-05-26 - Mello Mello - Headlining for Sound City
2009-05-06 - Liverpool University - Playing the James Brown Stage.
2009-04-30 - Bumper (Liverpool) - First time
2009-04-11 - Barfly (Liverpool) - Supporting 'And So I Watch You From Afar'.
2009-03-20 - Zanzibar (Liverpool) -
2009-02-12 - Liverpool University - Playing at the Bar
Band Biography
They are heavily influenced by post rock, ambient as well as electronic music.
Guitarists Stephen Johnston and Justin Bailey set up the band. They were joined by Barry Fearns on keyboards, Sion Keir on bass, then finally in January 2009 by Simon Monkhouse on drums.
Their first album which came out on April 1, 2010, was produced entirely by the band themselves.
During a successful first year, in which they played the Mathew Street Fringe Festival and Liverpool Sound City 2009, their music was also featured on soundtracks.
One of their songs 'Battleships' was selected by car company Lexus for its advert promoting one of its new vehicles.
Another song 'Don't Burn The House Down' was featured in a VH1 TV show in the US.
The band are also collaborating with filmakers on a variety of projects.