Yet another branch of the Elephant 6 collective's family tree, the Minders were led by singer/songwriter Martyn Leaper, a British expatriate living in Denver, CO. There he befriended Apples in Stereo frontman Robert Schneider, who agreed to release the Minders' debut EP, Come on and Hear!!, on Elephant 6 in the spring of 1996. Leaper assembled a full-blown band for the follow-up 7", Paper Plane, tapping drummer Rebecca Cole, guitarist Jeff Almond, and bassist Jeff Richardson; bassist Marc Willhite replaced Richardson in time for Rocket 58, issued on 100 Guitar Mania in the autumn of 1997. The Minders' first full-length effort, Hooray for Tuesday, appeared a year later; soon after the band splintered as Leaper and Cole relocated to Portland, OR, where they assembled a new lineup also featuring lead guitarist Adam Goldman, bassist Bryce Edwards, and keyboardist Rachel Blumberg. The Minders' early singles were compiled in 1999 on Cul-de-Sacs & Dead Ends. The Down in Fall EP followed a year later. A third studio effort, Golden Street, emerged in spring 2001.