Digital Mindy

What is it about the band Digital Mindy that just stays with you? The one consensus among fans, booking agents, radio stations, and venues, is that whether you love it or hate it Digital Mindy sticks with you. Everything is memorable, from the band name to the image and most importantly the music.. It is an intense dark sound that captures deep emotion and provokes thought without being negative or morose. At times their music is very sensual and provocative, not only in lyrics, but in tone and musical expression. They always leave a little bit to the imagination, inviting you to go along with them on their musical journey. Their individual performances are intense, full of life and energy and their banter is open and inviting and you just know and even more, feel that they are completely sincere.

So what is it about Digital Mindy that makes you want to hear more? They have their own style that blends rock, electronica, orchestral, hard driving guitars and intense percussion into their own unique way of telling their musical views on “Life, Art and Love…with a Dash of Politics”. They somehow manage to steer away from today’s traditional cut and paste template that dominates current song writing trends. Every song is distinctly “Digital Mindy” without being repetitious. That is very refreshing.

-taken from the Digital Mindy website.

Be Sure to visit: Digital Mindy's website and Digital Mindy's Myspace for more information.

First of all, who are you guys?

The band itself is made up of three members. I provide the lead vocals and keys work. Jon, my brother is the guitarist, back up vocalist, and Justin is the drummer and has contributed various programmed drum beats.

Digital Mindy? That is a very interesting name, how did it come about?

Jon met this really great girl back in 96 who was into comic books and totally loved to listen to live bands perform. They hit it off instantly and he thought she was totally into him. She actually happened to be a lesbian and her girlfriends name was Mindy. Kind of a harsh reality. He found out while she was singing Karaoke with a band. He thought she was pointing at him…she wasn't. So I guess we decided to name the band Mindy after that incident because it was so Bizarre.

What is it like to be part of a band today with family members? Does it help or does it make things more stressful?

I honestly think that it makes things easier. You know no one is going to try and fuck you over for a little slice of money or for a girl or something stupid like that. We honestly share a bond. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for them. I don't know if most bands can say that. We are usually on the same wave length and we understand each other. I think we can take that for granted sometimes.

I heard that your father, Carlos, was actually in the original Batman. Can you tell us about that? And is it true you will be wearing Batman costumes at the next show?

Actually he was a GCPD Officer in Batman Begins. He was a blurry Extra in the background. He was also an Extra in Derailed.


Digital Mindy have been around for quite a while and I am sure you have seen a lot from the music scene. What is different, in your opinion, from when you started to now?

Well when we started playing out back in 2003 we were just kids. We had no idea what we were doing but it felt right and we were having fun doing it. In the beginning there was a lot of resistance from other bands in particular. I am still not really sure why but they seemed to be freaked out by us. The fans were digging it and that's all that really mattered to us. Most of those bands are gone…and were still here…and were not going away anytime soon. In terms of changes to the scene I'm not really sure…I suppose a lot of the bands have become nicer or maybe we don't care if there nice or not. I guess its hard for me to say because I really only concern myself with what we are doing and how to make the best possible music for those interested. I don't care about gossip.

You guys have an upcoming show August 8th at Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago, IL. What makes this venue special for you and how would you compare it to other venues you have played?

I really like the set up of the venue. I like and will generally play any venue that supports All Ages shows. I love that the kids have somewhere to go to enjoy music. I like the professionalism associated with the venue. LSA was a venue that gave us a lot of work in the past and allowed us to really cut our teeth in a lot of ways. So to me that's pretty special.

What bands are you looking most forward to playing with?

Well I really enjoy playing with every band and seeing what they bring to the table. I think that a common mistake with most shows is to have any every man for themselves approach to playing and promoting shows when that shouldn't be the case. If we all worked together our music scene would be less fractured.

What have you learned from being in the band?

I have learned that if you do it for the wrong reasons you will be disappointed. I think that when I was a kid I didn't understand fully why I did what I did. It just felt right. I think as the band grows and learns it evolves more and more. I am of the mind that rock is dead. I really want to pump a little life into it.

Can you tell us some of the other bands and other influences that go into your music?

We all have various influences. I think mine are more on the Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode scale. Jon's are more the KoRn, Deftones, and Justin is very Metal influenced, though none of us restrict ourselves to one of those things. We are very eclectic in our tastes and styles.

What would you tell a new young band that is also trying to make it in in the music scene?

Do it for the music. Don't do it because you want to win the lotto or pick up girls. Don't imitate your heroes let them inspire you. Play because it feels right.

When you're not playing music, what occupies the bands time?

I think we are all into gaming. We really don't have that much free time. We are always working on that next whatever.

Where can our readers check out more info and your music?

You can check us out at our official website: www.DigitalMindy.com or our myspace page: Digital Mindy Myspace

Anything else you would like to say to your wonderful readers?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and we hope to see you soon. Stay tuned because there is so much new coming.

-Interview by Francisco