Phil McMinn, of the much-missed Winchell Riots and, before that, Fell City Girl, will return to the world of recorded music in November. His debut solo EP, ‘A Crystal / A Diamond / An End / A Start’ is set for release on the Beard Museum label (release date TBC), and will take the form of a digital release as well as a limited edition run of 100 CDs, the latter featuring artwork by Oxford artist Theo Peters.
McMinn explained to MusicInOxford.co.uk how the EP came about, and what he’s been up to since The Winchell Riots disbanded:
“I wrote and recorded the new EP in Oxford over the last year, but really wanted to take a break after The Winchell Riots split, so spent time not playing any music and generally not being in a band. One of the songs – ‘Lavender Hill’ – is a cover of a song by the Scottish songwriter John McCusker; I got really into that whole folk scene revolving around people like Kris Drever and Roddy Woomble, and that influenced the lyrics and the writing.
“Richard Walters got in touch and asked if I had any new music, and when I sent it to him he asked if they could release the EP on Beard Museum, which was a massive shot in the arm for me – I don’t think I’d have put it out without his encouragement. It was a bit like that scene in Pulp Fiction when John Travolta stabs Uma Thurman in the heart and she comes round. That was Richard and I.”
Beautiful stuff, huh? McMinn will support the aforementioned Roddy Woomble at a gig in Cambridge this Friday, and appear at Oxford’s Truck Store on 27 October as part of a Beard Museum takeover, also including performances by Richard Walters and Family Machine.
Here is ‘Sixteenth (A Diamond)’ from the forthcoming EP: