McStine & Minnemann – the duo comprised of Randy McStine and Marco Minnemann – have released two new songs today from their highly-anticipated sophomore album, II. Available exclusively on Bandcamp, “I Don’t Need It” and “I Don’t Feel” find the duo re-establishing the energy of their hard-edged debut (released just four months ago), while boldly pushing their genre-bending chemistry further.
While 2020 continues to unfold with dramatic uncertainty, Randy McStine and Marco Minnemann have found inspiration in moving forward, together, as McStine & Minnemann. The two multi-instrumentalists established the band in March, then released their debut album in July. As the record continues to gather praise for its creative blend of musical virtuosity and melodic accessibility, “McStine & Minnemann“ is finding a home within the hearts (and record collections) of fans who enjoy disparate genres such as Hard Rock, Power Pop, Progressive Rock, and Punk.
McStine & Minnemann – “II,” will arrive on December 4th. The duo’s description of the album and its pre-order details can be viewed below.
Ten Things You Should Know About McStine & Minnemann “II” (by McStine & Minnemann)
- There are 16 tracks on it.
- It’s about ten minutes longer than our first album.
- Stylistically, “II” locks in all of the elements explored in our debut, but significantly expands on them. Hard Rock, Art Pop, Thrash Metal, Progressive Rock, Folk Rock, Ambient, Noise, Punk, Funk, Spaghetti Western-style Film Music, Blues Rock, Jazz/Rock…
- The two of us have written, produced, and performed everything on the record, with the exception of a song called “Big Wave,” which was co-produced by Tim Palmer (Robert Plant, U2). Tim added additional sprinkles of guitar, keyboards, and percussion to the song, making him the only additional musician on the album.
- Forrester Savell (Karnivool, SikTh) is handling mixing and mastering duties for us again, with Tim Palmer mixing two songs; “Big Wave” and the album intro, “Love Before Algorithms.”
- We started writing and recording “II” while our first album was being mixed, so none of the songs are leftovers from those sessions.
- Pre-orders for “II” opened on Friday, October 2nd, exclusively at mcstineminnemann.bandcamp.com.
- McStine & Minnemann “II” pre-orders are available for CD and download. CD copies will be signed by both of us. All supporters of the CD will also receive weekly updates, where we’ll be discussing the origins of each song on the record.
- “II” will be released for download and streaming (only on Bandcamp) on Friday, December 4th. CD copies will ship at that time.
- One of the reasons we’ve been able to offer “II” in such a timely manner is due to your overwhelmingly positive support towards our first one. It’s incredibly gratifying to see that our music is connecting with so many people during these challenging times, and we thank you for encouraging us to continue.
About McStine & Minnemann
The duo initially met in 2018 while working with other artists, but as they discovered their shared passion for an assortment of Rock, Pop, and Punk artists, they began to talk about embarking on a collaborative project together. As both men are prolific multi-instrumentalists and writers, they have created a space for each other to showcase their incomparable instrumental talents, while infusing them with an incredible mix of melodic and lyrical depth.
Randy McStine is an acclaimed guitarist, bassist, and vocalist, whose initial work under the name Lo-Fi Resistance led to collaborations with members of King Crimson, Joe Satriani, Porcupine Tree, King’s X, Tears For Fears, and more. McStine’s work embraces genres such as Rock, Progressive, Blues, Singer-Songwriter, Folk, Pop, and Ambient. Towards the end of 2019, McStine released a new album called ‘Idle’, which coincided with a 20-date North American tour as support for The Pineapple Thief.
Marco Minnemann is one of the world’s most respected drummers, having recorded and performed with diverse artists such as Paul Gilbert, The Buddy Rich Big Band, Steven Wilson, Necrophagist, and U.K. His own band, The Aristocrats (featuring Guthrie Govan and Bryan Beller), is a hugely sought-after touring act all over the world. Marco is also an accomplished guitarist and composer, which is evident throughout his vast catalog of solo albums. His most recent album, ‘My Sister,’ was released in 2019.
