The Mink Lungs

Formed in the Brooklyn area during 1998, the group Mink Lungs originated when Jennifer Hoopes and Gian Carlo Feleppa shared shifts at a Hamptons diner. United by their passion for music and drawing from Flaming Lips and Pixies, the two started crafting songs alongside Gian’s half-brother Tim Feleppa. Gian had earlier pursued studies in guitar and composition at the Berklee School of Music. Once drummer Tom Galbraith moved from San Francisco to New York, the ensemble began capturing material on a four-track recorder, with every member shaping the songwriting. The Mink Lungs delivered their debut New York performance in April 1999, after which they quickly appeared at Brownies and Mercury Lounge. Supporting slots alongside Luna and Delta 72 came next. The Arena Rock Recording Company signed Mink Lungs prior to wider exposure. Their first full-length release, The Better Button, arrived in 2002. The musicians frequently traded vocal and instrumental duties while touring throughout the United States, among other stops at the South By Southwest Festival. They also supplied tracks for the independent film Sore Losers.