Indie pop cuties Mighty Fairly certainly have something to celebrate tonight with the release of their brand new album! Head to Bunkers (no, we’ve never been there either) for some upbeat tunes courtesy of this troupe of seasoned musicians, along with local bands The Small Cities and Mercer. And yes, that was a Mighty Fairly tune you heard on episode 17 of The Real World: Sydney!

Mighty Fairly
Big Words and Power Chords

Mighty Fairly is Mischa Suemnig, Kellie Nitz, Jonathan Earl, Joseph Papke and they’ve put out a great album of melodic pop-rock. Mostly male vocals with female co-vocals. It contains fun, clever lyrics and jumpy melodies.

Closer to End is the ideal sing along song. It’s one of those ones where once you know the lyrics it’s impossible not to sing along with them. Plus it’s got some fun clappy rhythms.

Alaska begins a capella and it’s unexpected and cool. I bet this one is especially dynamic live.

Save your Love has some nice harmonies allowing Kellie Nitz’ voice to shine as well. Sounds a little Decemberists-like. Which is a good thing.

I was listening to this album for a couple of months before I realized they’re local to Minneapolis. This is good news, it means I have some chances to see them live!  -Amy Lotsberg

Mighty Fairly
Big Words and Power Chords

Mighty Fairly plays indie folk pop with a little edge, and some humor. They hail from the frozen northern tundra of Minneapolis, MN and have been playing together since 2004. The first album was pretty impressive with loud hooks and harmonies (listen to the terrific "Wake Up" on the website), this new album is called "Big Words and Power Chords" and I guess it's meant to be ironic. Other than the nice opening single "Falling To Pieces," the other songs are just missing the hooks that keep things memorable. The band does provide a good mix of electric and acoustic songs, male/female harmonies, and neat arrangements, but what is missing here is the energy and freshness that made 2006's Perfectly Good Airplanes a lot of fun to listen to. The lyrics and themes are still great fun here as  "Overachiever" is sung to someone who is arrogant and "free of mediocrity..." And songs like "Simple Minded" have that early hip REM vibe, but other songs are too busy setting up a storyline ("Shadow") or setting up a mood ("Alaska") to encourage repeat listens. This band certainly has talent, and although not as clever as They Might Be Giants, they are less geeky and are sure to improve.

Mighty Fairly
Big words and power chords

Mighty Fairly comes from the frozen tundra of Minneapolis, their sunny indie pop might melt some of it though because this quartet has come up with quite a few songs with warm melodies in a spring-like sound.

Their music lies somewhere between Sixpence None The Richer, The Cardigans and R.E.M - there are moments when I think the music is a little too light and the melodies are rather forgettable.
But they are also much enjoyable on tracks like "Alaska" and "Falling to pieces", all in all - this is an okay album that might suit your iPod if you're a sucker for indie pop.

-Kaj Roth 

Mighty Fairly, brushing up on their happiness skills

MIGHTY FAIRLY
Big Words and Power Chords

Welcome to the life of a burgeoning rock star.

For Mighty Fairly, it happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Minneapolis indie-pop quartet was headed to Texas to play South by Southwest and had landed a gig at a local club, which, as it would soon become all too clear, had not promoted the show whatsoever. That night, Mighty Fairly played for exactly two people, a couple in their late 50s who wandered into the bar by chance and pulled two chairs right up to the stage. Much to the band's surprise, their new fans stuck it out, and by the end of the show, they felt so fondly (or badly) for the band that they insisted on giving them gas money to help them get to the next town.

The band reminisced about that night over beers at the Nomad World Pub on a recent Saturday afternoon, and while you might expect reliving such a memory to produce a few groans, embarrassed eye rolls, and promises of "never again," it didn't. The members of Mighty Fairly honestly cherish that show; the affection showed to them by their two new baby-boomer fans moved them deeply.

"We're not these uber-pensive rockers," says vocalist and guitarist Mischa Suemnig. "We are always having fun, and that comes across. That's my favorite thing about going to see bands—when you can see they're laughing and having a great time. You can't watch a show like that and not have a great time, too."

And despite the humbling experience in Tulsa, that light-hearted approach seems to be working for Mightly Fairly. Not only has their music, an addicting indie pop that is both bouncy and intelligent, been featured on MTV's Real World: Sydney and Real World: Hollywood, but they also recently won a song contest by Rift magazine for "My America."

Mighty Fairly are hoping to continue that success with their sophomore release, Big Words and Power Chords. In typical self-depreciating humor, the tagline on the Mighty Fairly website reads, "We are very capable," and that is certainly the case with this album. There is nothing groundbreaking, no pushing of the sonic envelope. Rather, it is saturated with sing-along choruses and hooks that do just what a good hook is supposed to do, without being too bubblegum. Think the New Pornographers, the Shins, or even XTC. More guitar-driven than their first release (there are plenty of power chords to be had), the album is unabashedly upbeat.

"The first record was all either breakup songs or songs about loss. I've gotten lots of comments from people where they say, 'I'm dancing and feel really good about this, but you're talking about death.' This new album is about love and finding joy in relationships," explains Suemnig, adding that he has gotten married since the release of the first album.

The second track, "Closer to End," is an ode to Suemnig's wife, who he says is "perfect in my eyes" (awwwwww). It sweetly captures the hopeless infatuation of new love: "Send me all the thoughts you're thinking/I guess only one thing makes me whole now/Thoughts of you and all the things we'll do together."

The plodding and anthem-like "Alaska" represents a departure from the slightly spastic pace of most of the other 10 songs on the album. It is bookended by some gorgeous a cappella vocal harmonies, which—with all four band members singing harmony at some point—is what gives this record a texture that is wonderfully thick and velvety at times.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the album decompresses dramatically on the final track, "Left You a Ruin," a sobering reflection on a deconstructed love. Backed only by a minimally picked acoustic guitar and Kellie Nitz's tasty Lou Reed-like bass lines, Suemnig is at his most intimate and genuine here: "I've seen you but once since/You didn't notice me/You were wearing that long white skirt/When I left you a ruin."

So with Tulsa a fading memory for the group and their music playing on MTV, one might wonder what the definition of success now is for Mighty Fairly.

"Success is the sound of this record," declares drummer Joseph Papke. "I love the sound of this record, and if people get a chance to hear it, there's no way it can't do well!"

MIGHTY FAIRLY play a CD-release show with the Small Cities and Mercer on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, at BUNKER'S; 612.338.8188

Local Minneapolis indie rock band Mightly Fairly release their new disc, Big Words and Power Chords, this Friday with a CD release show at Bunkers. More than just a one night stand, this is a band worth taking home to meet Mom and Dad.

This week we had the opportunity to chat with lead vocalist and guitarist Mischa Suemnig and drummer Joseph Papke about the new album, the MSP music scene and what it’s like to have a track on MTV’s The Real World…

Who is Mighty Fairly?
Mischa Suemnig: We are an indie-pop 4some from Minneapolis. Started in 2004, we’ve just finished our second album Big Word and Power Chords. We’ve been lucky enough to attend SxSW 2006 and 2007, Hyperactive Music festival and to tour in 15 states. We’ve been included on a few compilation CDs, won 3 songwriting awards and we’ve never had a label or manager. We like doing stuff ourselves, naturally with the help of some of our very generous friends, family and fans. DIY FTW

Joseph Papke: The perfect bon mot to riposte the last crappy band someone dragged you to see.

How do you guys fit into the Minneapolis music scene?
Mischa Suemnig: The Minneapolis scene is very open to lots of different kinds of music, from hip-hop to singer/songwriter. We’ve got some favorite bars to play at, like The Nomad, The Turf Club and Bunker’s. Also, some local favorite bands who’ve been very nice to us over the years, Alva Star, Kid Dakota, The Small Cities and Mercer. In reviews from our first album, we got typified as having the ‘prototypical Minneapolis pop sound’…so, I guess we fit in OK.

Joseph Papke: With lube.

For a band who’s only been around for 4 years, you’ve been played on more than 280 radio stations. Do you guys have a fervent fan base or just a lot of free time?
Mischa Suemnig: We don’t have fans as much as we do disciples. We baptize them and then initiate…nevermind. Yeah, we have a few folks around the country that come to shows when we tour through. When we’re out of state, it’s really fun to stop by the radio stations that play us. They treat us very nice. And, yeah, I think we work pretty hard at trying to get the word out (read: whoring ourselves).

Joseph Papke: Neither frankly. We’re hoping the new album generates one or the other.

You had some songs featured on MTV’s Real World. Which songs and can you confirm that getting tracks on the Real World automatically gets you laid?
Mischa Suemnig: Wake up, Last Stand Started and Superheroes from the first album got played on The Real World:Sydney and The Real World:Hollywood. The 1983 Buick Station Wagon that Kellie and I do acoustic tours in is like spanish fly.

Joseph Papke: “Wake Up” and another one—I don’t know which, I don’t have cable. And yes, it does, but not with people you’d actually want to sleep with.

Tell me about your new album.
Mischa Suemnig: We’ve finally released an album with Glockenspiel. It’s been my life long dream. It’s more of a rock record than the previous, slightly less acoustic (though every song still has acoustic guitar on it) and more rock out with your rooster out kind of deal. Still couldn’t do an album without 4 part harmony on every other song…probably the most fun part of the recording process for us is to sit around in the control room and sing in 4 part harmony at each other and then argue about who’s part sucks.

Joseph Papke: It was recorded and produced by us. It features eleven original songs. The songs are quite good. The cd fits into a medium sized pocket for on-the-go types.

What was the writing/recording process like?
Mischa Suemnig: I like the Michelangelo theory of creating. The marbel already contains the statue, your job is just to release it. Michelangelo believed God had put the statue there. In my case, I think it’s Timbaland. Recording was really different this time around. Last time we worked with the FICTION team of John Hermanson and Eric Fawcett. We had Erik Appelwick come in and play some wurly and keys too. Alex Oana mixed and mastered it…..So, we had lots of folks we really respected helping us out and keeping us honest. This time around it was just the 4 of us banging away and hoping it would come out OK.

Joseph Papke: Blissful. There’s nothing better than creating.

What’s your favorite track on the album and why?
Mischa Suemnig: Save Your Love. Lyrically, it speaks the most honestly about how I feel about love. If you’re not willing to hurt, you’re not ready to love or at least retain love. In terms of pop songs, it’s not the best, but it’s my favorite story on the record. I’ve always loved great stories inside of great songs and I think that is often what makes a song timeless is having both an engaging plot and a hook. This one at least has the narrative part.

Joseph Papke: It’s very hard to choose, but since you insist, I’d have to say “Closer to End” due to equal parts heartfelt sentiment and deliciously unquarantinable hooks.

Tell me about your upcoming CD release show.
Mischa Suemnig: We’re playing at Bunker’s on the 21st, music at 9pm’ish us at 11pm’ish. Very excited to have The Small Cities and Mercer playing with us. Two of our favorite local bands who are also crazy nice people.

Joseph Papke: We’ll be playing, you’ll be enjoying; it’s gonna work out great.

Tags: Music - Interview · Local: Minneapolis

Mighty Fairly: The Midwest’s answer to Dealership



Mighty Fairly records are like gifts from above. In other words, they’re divine.

Wait, wait, don’t stop reading; I’ll drop the intentionally embarrassing (I swear…) rhetoric.

These are the facts as I see them: The group’s full-length debut, 2006’s “Perfectly Good Airplanes,” posited them as the Midwest’s biggest threat to Dealership’s indie pop throne, and the soon-to-be-released “Big Words and Power Chords” finds the John Hermanson-approved quartet (former trio) exploring bigger, braver worlds.

In other words, the Mighty Fairly cause has been advanced by a reluctance to rest on their laurels and give us more of the same.

This isn’t to say “Big Words” lacks the fun of its predecessor, but some of the bright and bouncy moments have been replaced with easy-to-swallow songs about a certain four-letter word (“Closer to End,” “Save Your Love” and, as if it escaped from “Songs for Silverman,” “Live for Love”) and ones that are unfailingly epic (the poignant “Alaska,” for one).

And that’s just fine. Sometimes even the most bombastic of groups, like Supergrass and OK Go, settle down (relatively, of course) for album No. 2.

More than that, “Big Words” is one of the most rewarding listening experiences of the year. I’d actually stake my reputation on recommending this record to you and yours.

The tracks I mentioned earlier are great, but they don’t compare to the downright pop perfection of “Close” and “Shadow.” The former, a carbon copy of Splitsville in its Burt Bacharach-worshiping heyday … and the latter? Well, let’s just say these four Minneapolis kids are blessed with a talent that’s beyond comparison.

In their sophomore offering, Mighty Fairly hasn’t re-invented themselves, and are better for it. Like their debut (Perfectly Good Airplanes, 2006), this album provides a good mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation, male/female harmonies, smart arrangements, and track after track of sing-along indie-pop. The lyrics mix dry humor, honest self-awareness (rather than self-indulgence) and strategically-placed f-bombs for maximum tongue-cheek connection.

Here, Mighty Fairly has clearly improved on their strengths and trimmed their weaknesses – the songs are tighter, production is more inviting, the harmonies soar, and it’s altogether more fun (albeit bittersweet at times). This album is much more balanced and altogether better than its predecessor. Every song is strong in its own right, which makes for an excellent listen throughout. It’s a warm, thoroughly-rewarding indie pop record that upholds the importance of songcraft just as much as a memorable hook—and this album is loaded with both.

In the end, “Big Words and Power Chords” is like a good night with old friends who, despite years and distance, still “get” each other: reflecting on days of being young and wild, with all their heartbreaks and mistakes, then laughing about how seriously you still take yourselves.  -Adven James

Mighty Fairly
Perfectly Good Airplanes
(Self-released)

Though only a trio, this Minneapolis group sounds like there's more than just three musicians playing, at least on record; we'll see how they re-create their sound live onstage.  Theirs is (electric and acoustic) guitar-driven indie rock with piano and synth fills, and multilayered harmonies don't mask undeniable hooks. The lyrics are eloquent and literate, as on "Lackluster," about life on the road and playing in empty dives. These guys get extra points for rocking the keytar. -Paul Maldonado

8 p.m. Saturday at the District Bar & Grill outdoor stage, 115 Fourth St. N.W. 243-0003.

Mighty Fairly

Mighty Fairly
Perfectly Good Airplanes

The Mighty Fairly trio takes off running with their debut Perfectly Good Airplanes. The opening track “Last Stand Started” immediately introduces the listener to the band's ability to craft upbeat pop tunes with infectious hooks and layers vocals. Mischa Suemnig’s vocals sound a bit too punk-inspired for the overall sound but they grew on me after a few listens. “Lackluster” follows with a sarcastic tone over a militant beat. The tone of the vocals blend better with the pop sound and move away from the somewhat forced sound of the previous track. The introduction of female vocals in places is an especially nice touch here. My main complaint with this track is that while the song is entertaining at first, it goes on for too long and I could’ve done without the last 30 seconds.
I quickly forgot about any stumbling when “Wake Up” came blasting through my earphones. This is easily the best track on the album with a rocking chorus between melodic lyrics over the catchiest bass line I’ve heard. This track proves they know exactly how to formulate radio-ready pop song that would likely hit heavy rotation.
“Like a Ghost” shows up halfway through the album with a ridiculously catchy hook that even after listening to the album in its entirety, I still had it running through my head begging to be played again. However, the keyboards are a little heavy during the chorus and become a bit overwhelming as well as end up drowning out the vocals. The sound isn’t bad but the balance could use some adjusting.
The punky vocals show up again in “Dosage” and are definitely my least favorite in terms of their vocals stylings. The song itself doesn’t do much for me either and ends up sounding the most unoriginal of the bunch. Luckily they bounce back to finish off the last half of the album strongly. “Do you” has an African marimba adding some silly fun to the cheery voices, while “Give Up” turns a little toward alt country with some twangy finger picking and dusty male and female vocal layering. Although the tempo in this acoustic number seems a bit rushed for the lyrics, the closing track “Superheroes” is an endearing song.
As the album progresses the band displays their ability to change their vocals to suit different moods and differ their sound enough to avoid sounding monotonous. While there may not be anything new here, I believe the group just wants to create an energetic pop album. And in that, they do quite well. Perfectly Good Airplanes is chock full of catchy hooks, bouncy rhythms, nicely layered harmonies and infectious music that will make nearly any pop lover smile.  -Lisa Town

Mighty Fairly

November 1st, 2006

Mighty Fairly: cute overload

“Excuse me while I go whore myself out for a moment,” says Mischa Suemnig, rising from our elevated booth at the front end of the Nomad World Pub. As he stands up and grabs a stack of concert flyers from the table, his giant 9-month-old Greater Swiss Mountain pup, Lothar, unearths himself from beneath our booth, where he has spent the last 45 minutes sitting on my foot, and follows his master around the room.

Mischa and Lothar, whose names sound more suited for characters in a children’s novel than for a local indie rocker and his dog, begin to circulate the room and work the crowds of people that have gathered for that evening’s Steve Poltz show. Every so often, I hear choruses of girls shrieking, “He’s soooo big!” and “What kind of dog is that?” and Suemnig politely repeats the breed over and over while he slips flyers into the distracted bar patrons’ hands, explaining that his band will play their CD release show at this very club on Friday.

In any other bar and with any other guy, this might seem like well-executed shtick—you know, like the one about the single guy who borrows his friend’s puppy to pick up chicks in the park—but for Suemnig, a twentysomething newlywed with a trusting smile, relaxed demeanor and boundless compassion toward animals, ushering Lothar through his friendly neighborhood bar is nothing out of the ordinary. Once the dog has charmed enough potential listeners and has gone outside for a potty break, Suemnig and Lothar are able to return to the booth for the rest of our interview.

A sizable and warm tongue wraps itself around my fingers as I ask Suemnig about his history, and when I look down in my lap I see a giant pair of sparkling puppy eyes looking back at me, his little brown eyebrows raised innocently. For a moment I think that it might be a strategy intended to prevent me from writing anything bad about the owner of this gorgeous dog. As I pet Lothar’s huge soft ears, I try my best to focus.

The child of two social workers from Stillwater, Suemnig has a certain familiarity and ease about him that makes it easy to see where his heartfelt music found its roots. “My dad was a huge jazz fiend; he had a monster jazz record collection. And my mom was really into classic folk and progressive people, like Ani DiFranco. And she’s a feminist. I was brought up right,” he says, laughing.

“I joined the band Clovis for a couple of years, as the drummer, and then started Mighty Fairly as a side project,” Suemnig explains, leading his dog’s giant black and white head under the table and coaxing him to lie down. “I started playing with a few guys that were in [Clovis]—Jonathan Earl and Andy McClure—and both of those guys are amazing musicians, and we were lucky to have them as a resource and have them be interested … We played a few shows together and got some pretty good responses from people, so I booked a few more shows and changed bass players, changed drummers a few times, like you do.”

Like most good Minneapolis bands, Mighty Fairly is an evolution of bands that once were and bands that are yet to be; there are three musicians listed in the liner notes as official members, followed by a much longer list of other contributors who play in a handful of other local acts. “All the bands that I know were never the band they started out as,” Suemnig notes, commenting on the increasingly overlapped local music scene. “They were all some other version first. I would have to definitely say that it’s good for things to evolve …When you are in a band, it’s indicative of who you are at that time. If it stops being who you should be, then you move on. Or you dedicate less of your efforts to it.”

Produced by John Hermanson (The Hopefuls, Storyhill, Alva Star), Mighty Fairly’s debut album, Perfectly Good Airplanes, could serve as a tribute to the prototypical Minneapolis pop sound. Full of hooks, bright harmonies and irresistible synthesizer fills, Suemnig writes songs that lodge themselves in the listener’s brain and beg to be played again and again. But he is careful to distinguish the music he creates from what is considered commercially popular, noting that there is a huge difference between accessible-sounding indie music and Top 40 pop.
“What makes a good pop song, I think, is really different than what makes a popular song … A good pop song has definitely got to have an idea. A really positive or a really negative idea, but it can’t just be some mundane thought. It has to be something that grabs you and bothers you, or grabs you and makes you identify with it.”

Some of Mighty Fairly’s best moments come through in cheerful, tongue-in-cheek choruses. “Seeing You” grabs the listener’s attention with the ironically bouncy line, “I won’t respect myself in the morning if I let you sleep with me again,” while “Lackluster” packs in sarcasm with jokes like, “We send thoughts and letters, too / Fan mail makes me feel cool / And one more thing makes me happy / A stalker who follows me.” Like many good songwriters, Suemnig alternates between silly and meaningful, and finishes off the disc with a quiet, pensive ode to a childhood sweetheart that leaves the listener hungry for more from this new band.

As we wrap up our interview and I pack up my things, I take one last look at one of the more interesting interviewees I have had in a while. Lothar is standing at his owner’s side, positioning himself gently under the hands of passersby, and Suemnig is handing out the last of his flyers, smiling sweetly at a crowd of charmed women and encouraging them to come down to the Nomad for a great show.

Mighty Fairly play the Nomad World Pub on Fri., Nov. 3 with Justin Bell and the Lazy Suzan & Suede Baby. 9pm. $5. 21+. For more on info on Mighty Fairly, check out their official website at mightyfairly.com.  -Andrea Myers