Meet Kinky Mink, a lounge act that filters the blatant hedonism of the '80s through a dour lens

While the practice of taking Reagan-era hard rock anthems, turning them inside out and remodeling them into something that even their own parents couldn't pick out in a lineup is not exactly a new concept (Richard Cheese, anyone, or even Mark Kozelek, to an extent?), it can sometimes be entertaining...

By Dave Herrera

November 16, 2011

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While the practice of taking Reagan-era hard rock anthems, turning them inside out and remodeling them into something that even their own parents couldn't pick out in a lineup is not exactly a new concept (Richard Cheese, anyone, or even Mark Kozelek, to an extent?), it can sometimes be entertaining. For their part, local trio Kinky Mink does a respectable job of neutering '80s hard rock anthems in an interesting way.

As you can see, though, rather than merely clipping the cajones off the tunes and turning them into elevator fodder, the group somehow proves proficient at injecting the songs with an untapped melancholy. Drained of any hedonistic flair, butt-rock blasters like "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "White Wedding," for instance, have never sounded so cosmically dour. Catch Kinky Mink tomorrorw night at Dazzle or next Friday, November 25 at the Burnsley Hotel.

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