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Vivien Alexander (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) felt the urge to play
guitar again when her son took it up. When Viv’s teacher heard her sing,
he put her in touch with some women he knew who were forming a band.
Yes, MYNX! Donna Eveland (drums, also plays guitar, bass, and cello) is
the only lifelong musician of the bunch. And boy can she hit those drums.
Without fail, MYNX practices together twice a week. Music is a hobby,
but it’s an all consuming one. Rehearsals run hours, it’s tough to tell how
long in the windowless studio. Serious as they are about making music,
they do have fun. Tonight Vivien is experimenting with a new voice effects
pedal. Making herself sound like Darth Vader, she intones, “Luke, this is
your father.” More laughter. The device was put to good use at a show just
one week later.
MYNX loves to play live and they try to do so at least twice a month.
Pros, they have a strong and loyal following. They’ve appeared at Wildcat,
SOhO, Reds, and Creekside in Santa Barbara; Deer Lodge and the Hub in
Ojai; and Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
The women are proud of their eclectic set list, which includes Joan Jett,
Blondie, Blur, Jet, Sublime, Neon Trees, the Clash, Def Leppard, and the Foo
Fighters. “We don’t want to be an oldies band or a wedding band playing
all the expected tunes,” says Laurie. Agreed, MYNX is a bar band. They play
songs to get the audience dancing, and dance they do. They select cover
songs they want to play over and over and over again. Though they often
choose to come back to a song later, rather than play it repeatedly.
The women are quick to pick up a song, but practice until they each
sign off on the song. Selecting songs and almost everything else with
MYNX is a democratic process. Literally, a vote is held. With five voters,
there are never ties. “With the powerful, high energy songs we do,” says
Donna, “it’s a challenge and a workout both mentally and physically for
a drummer.”
One question comes up repeatedly: When adapting a song written by
a man, should the lyric be switched to a female perspective? For MYNX,
the answer is whatever makes the most sense. The Black Keys’ “Lonely
Boy” became “Lonely Girl.” “It just didn’t feel right to sing, ‘I’m a lonely
boy,’” says Vivien. “I’m not sure the audience even notices the change.”
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(Photo: Kelly Combs)