Artist: The Miniatures, Album: Coma Kid, Song: Guts

The Miniatures were a rock band from Kitchener, Ontario.  They formed in 1994 and released their indie, self titled debut in 2000.  The band went through some line up changes over the years.  By the time of their sophomore release in 2004, entitled, Coma Kid, they were 6 members strong.  The principle members were Ian Smith, Nick Skalkos, Ryan Allen and Kevin Hundt.  This particular release was very strong and had some great tunes on it.  The band appeared to be gaining momentum following this album and they toured Europe with bands like The Marble Index and The Lowest Of The Low.  Guts is a great ballad from their sophomore album, Coma Kid.  It's a fantastic tune and you can check it out on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clb6O4xXgw8&list=UUppSJ2-WmKhVgELd07MXO3w&index=3&feature=plcp).  The band would shrink down to it's four principle members following this release and change their sound slightly for their next album in 2006.  Ian had a chance to write and work with Steve Shields, a British producer who had worked with Joe Strummer, and the influence was certainly noticeable.  Sadly though, the band is no longer but the members are still producing new and exciting music. Ian Smith and Nick Skalkos are in a couple of bands called Spirits (http://www.myspace.com/spirits) as well as Animal Heart (http://www.facebook.com/animalheartmusic).  Both bands purvey a more electronic style of music than their previous work with The Miniatures.  You can purchase the album, Coma Kid, on Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!