It rains a lot in Portland, Oregon. And as far as the Mint Chicks are concerned, that's just fine.
It means brothers Ruban and Kody Nielson and Paul Roper can justify staying indoors, tinkering, jamming and recording their off-beat and angular music.
Rain also dampens soundwaves. Thus snarl of guitar and whack of drum remain largely confined to the trio's basement.
Well, so Roper says.
The drummer of the Mint Chicks is on the phone from the group's house in Portland's southeast side, an area he describes as not unlike Kingsland, Auckland.
‘‘It's got that student vibe. We've got Mexican and Asian and African-American neighbours, mostly. But just down the road it's a bit like Ponsonby,'' he explains.
Last year, the Mint Chicks walked away with the three big prizes (album of the year, best group and best rock album) at the New Zealand Music Awards, the Tuis, as well as claiming a couple of minor gongs (best music video, best album cover).
Earlier this year, they walked away from New Zealand, choosing Portland as their base. Why? There are a few good reasons, Roper says.
‘‘When we toured around America last year, we checked out each city's viability and Portland had a lot going for it. It's a good location for touring the west coast; the climate is bearable; the music scene is healthy; and it's a lot cheaper to live here than in New York.
‘‘This city has a real laid-back vibe. It suits our pace, I suppose. We wanted something we could handle. We have a lot of time here to focus on the music.''
Another factor is opportunity. Roper is at pains to avoid any ‘‘been there, done that'' explanations of the departure from New Zealand, but the United States clearly offers a considerably larger potential audience for the band's peculiar blend of raw rock, punk and new wave.
It is fair to say the Mint Chicks' 2007 Tuis march came from nowhere. Their sophomore album, Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!, had barely registered on the sales charts following its release in September 2006.
The week after the awards, the album reached gold status, which in New Zealand equates to 7500 copies.
Roper concedes he and his band-mates were as surprised as anyone by their awards success.
‘‘Oh yeah. I had no idea. That was real weird. It felt like we weren't even in the running.''
The band cashed in on that exposure. It increased its touring schedule, with the profits helping pay the way to Portland. The New Zealand Music Industry Commission is also helping defray expenses.
‘‘We've been keeping receipts,'' Roper explains. ‘‘I think we get half the band expenses returned to us. That has been really helpful.
‘‘We get enough from touring in New Zealand to live over here. We don't need jobs here, which is really good. This is one of my dreams; to live in a house and just play music.
‘‘We don't have a label here yet, but our manager is trying to push Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! We've got different concerns as a band. He's going to do that and we're going to move on to the next thing.
‘‘Because we don't have anything near the market profile here that we have in New Zealand, the album won't have the same effect, so we're just isolated from the scene in New Zealand.''
There have been other changes, too. Bass player Michael Logie preferred London - and his girlfriend - to Portland and the band. That decision has pushed Ruban into bass-playing duties, though he still plays guitar when required.
Kody's keyboards also provide the low frequencies if needed.
‘‘We just tried to take it in our stride,'' Roper says of the changes. ‘‘We've got a lot of really cool stuff that we're stoked about. It was really sad to lose Michael but it was a really good reason why he left . . . That's cool. We're still on good terms. There is no animosity. We're totally transformed, but it's still the Mint Chicks.
‘‘I should add that Michael is going to be touring with us in New Zealand. We're going to play as a four-piece.''
