The Mynabirds

Before forming the Mynabirds in 2009, <a href="spotify:artist:4AwtVXxRyTDFA5MCOglMF8">Laura Burhenn</a> made her living as a solo artist in Washington, D.C., where she also founded <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Laboratory+Records%22">Laboratory Records</a> in 1999. Eight years later, she teamed up with John Davis -- another veteran of the local music scene -- to form an experimental duo named <a href="spotify:artist:0xX85bMgnzT6sUghC0Cjr5">Georgie James</a>. Although Davis' previous group, <a href="spotify:artist:0E8Xl0rqwhKVaLB5sjErWr">Q and Not U</a>, had been known for its aggressive post-hardcore music, <a href="spotify:artist:0xX85bMgnzT6sUghC0Cjr5">Georgie James</a> looked to pop groups for inspiration, particularly harmony-heavy outfits like <a href="spotify:artist:2jgPkn6LuUazBoBk6vvjh5">the Zombies</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1SQRv42e4PjEYfPhS0Tk9E">the Kinks</a>. The group didn't last long, though, with <a href="spotify:artist:4AwtVXxRyTDFA5MCOglMF8">Burhenn</a> and Davis going their separate ways after releasing one album.

For her next project, <a href="spotify:artist:4AwtVXxRyTDFA5MCOglMF8">Burhenn</a> decided to stay with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Saddle+Creek%22">Saddle Creek</a>, the same Nebraska-based label that had released <a href="spotify:artist:0xX85bMgnzT6sUghC0Cjr5">Georgie James</a>' debut in 2007. She wrote a new batch of songs inspired by the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:6v8FB84lnmJs434UJf2Mrm">Neil Young</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:319yZVtYM9MBGqmSQnMyY6">Carole King</a>, and eventually relocated to Oregon to record the material with producer <a href="spotify:artist:7fSjnDr8tBO37Xbb2UXuYr">Richard Swift</a>. Another <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Saddle+Creek%22">Saddle Creek</a> artist, <a href="spotify:artist:4BE89iaWTT2W3bBSFjPOus">Orenda Fink</a>, helped <a href="spotify:artist:4AwtVXxRyTDFA5MCOglMF8">Burhenn</a> assemble a solid backing band, and the resulting record -- What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, which <a href="spotify:artist:4AwtVXxRyTDFA5MCOglMF8">Burhenn</a> released under the Mynabirds moniker -- appeared in 2010. A limited-edition 7", "All I Want Is Truth (For Xmas)," arrived in 2011, followed by the group's sophomore outing, Generals, in 2012.

<a href="spotify:artist:4AwtVXxRyTDFA5MCOglMF8">Burhenn</a> toured as a member of the reunited <a href="spotify:artist:5yV1qdnmxyIYiSFB02wpDj">Postal Service</a> in 2013 until their official disbandment that summer, then toured solo in locales including South Africa amidst taking time off for writing and continuing to travel internationally. Produced by Bradley Hanan Carter of <a href="spotify:artist:6KPmtBhZLsJ36sFEX6mAB7">NO</a>, a third Mynabirds album, Lovers Know, appeared in the summer of 2015 with lyrics informed by her journeys and lusher synth pop sounds reflecting more '80s influences than '60s. In 2017 the band released the politically charged Be Here Now, which was recorded in the two weeks following the inauguration of Donald Trump and the Women's March. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi