Q&A: MindGuards’ Char Keyes goes solo

Since the late ‘90s, Char Keyes has been a fixture in Lansing’s underground music scene. Keyes’ punk-rock resume includes stints in the Terranauts, Red Swan and Gaytar, though MindGuards is now the sole mission. The band will play a free show Saturday at The Avenue Café along with PET ME and Suburban Ants.

I hear a wide range of genres mixed into MindGuards — what motivated that exploration? 

Char Keyes: Living in a small apartment, I started using electronic music with punk rock mostly out of necessity, but in 2012, when I bought a Korg Kaossilator Pro (synthesizer/loop recorder), that changed everything. It wasn’t just out of necessity, because it sounded so good. It was fun using it as another tool for writing music.

Aside from equipment, what else has inspired your sound?

If I had to pin down influences, I guess Big Black, Shellac, Sonic Youth and some 1960s garage rock like The Sonics. I’m a huge Mudhoney fan. I think that probably finds its way into my songs a little bit. But I keep finding old, new bands like The Sound. Another band that has been influential locally is the band PET ME. I’m playing with them on Saturday. Seeing that band for the first time, I had tears in my eyes. It was just so refreshing to my ears. Love that band.

What’s the lineup of MindGuards? Still a duo? 

Now the band is a one-piece. It’s just me. I go by Char Keyes now, as I identify as she/her or they/them. But yeah. It’s a one-woman band now.

How did MindGuards first take shape?

Technically, MindGuards started in my tiny studio apartment while I was living in Chicago. I started writing songs with the idea of using drum machines, and I was thinking of this being a one-person band. However, the first show and MindGuards’ only album were done as a duo. Jeremiah Gager played bass and helped a lot with the production on the album. Although I wrote the songs, Jeremiah really helped breathe life into the songs with great production. We recorded the album ourselves, and it wouldn’t have sounded half as good without him.

So how did it go down to a solo venture?

I wanted to start playing out again, and I kept asking Jeremiah to join me, but he just had other stuff going on. During the COVID shutdown, I found myself writing a shitload of new songs. It dawned on me that I can do this alone just as easily, so I’m currently working on the next MindGuards release. There are roughly 15 new songs. To date, MindGuards only has one album that we finished in 2014 (a self-titled disc on Silver Maple Kill Records). I’m working on a follow-up album, and going forward I’ll be a one-piece band. But if Jeremiah wants back in the band, I’ve told him he’s always welcome back.

A new album is in the works?

Yes. Next is finishing the new songs I’ve written since quarantine. I wrote around 30 new songs, but only about 15 are ready for the record. And I intend to book a lot of shows in 2023.

Follow MindGuards at facebook.com/MindGuards