The Mines

What if a band -- whose members all have life commitments that keep them from constant touring -- made music with no expectations other than to write, record and release songs and perform them as often as possible, in their region? That is the question the members of the Grand Rapids band, The Mines, have been asking themselves since they first started making music together in 2004. With the release of their third CD, Fear Is Easy, The Mines have proven the band and the music are enough to make time for, in the midst of busy individual lives.

That is the question the members of the Grand Rapids band, The Mines, have been asking themselves since they first started making music together in 2004. With the release of their third CD, Fear Is Easy, The Mines have proven the band and the music are enough to make time for, in the midst of busy individual lives.

For their third CD, Fear Is Easy (released June 3, 2011), The Mines tapped producer/engineer/musician Joel Ferguson (Papa Vegas, Verve Pipe), to add additional production experience and an outside voice to the project. The CD was recorded and mixed over the course of nearly 2 years at Ferguson's Planet Sunday Studios, before the band and producer were satisfied.

The CD was mastered at GBP Studios in Lansing with award winning engineer Glenn Brown.

The Mines are currently working with director Bryan Parris to produce a music video for the first single from Fear Is Easy, Runningman.

The band formed in 2004 as a four-piece, before the line-up settled as a trio ? Todd Hoek (drums), Greg Lockwood (guitar, vocals) and Ethan Nickerson (bass, vocals) ? to record their 2006 debut, Metropolis. Filled with novel-like confessions and character portraits, the self-produced album gave hints to fans of the diverse directions still to come. Adding guitarist/keyboardist Troy Hatfield in '06 helped the band realize wider musical soundscapes in a live setting, paving the way for the subsequent 2008 release, People Music.

People Music's lead single, Valley, gained the GR quartet local attention, thanks in part to a professionally-made video to accompany the energetic and melodic show opener. (The video was produced by CineVera Pictures).