Biography
Celia Black and the After Dinner Mints were a Christchurch-based lounge band formed by Celia Mancini (aka Celia Black) along with a mix of her usual off-siders (Mick Elborado, John Christoffels, Haydn Jones etc), plus a couple names that don’t turn up on recordings by the likes of The Axel Grinders or King Loser – pianist Liane Sandry and guitarist Alex Blacksmith. The After Dinner Mints were an opportunity for Celia and crew to play laid back, vibe music – usually at more upmarket, commercial (and money-making) events:
I also had a lounge band in the ‘80s. David Bowie’s entertainment lawyer was in Christchurch and he used to see us. It was very flashy and we’d play very nice places. All of that was fine by me because we liked the music and I loved the dresses. David Bowie’s entertainment lawyer said we were the best lounge act he’d ever seen. This was sort of pre-lounge, though. I called the music “easy listening.” I’d make enough money off the lounge band to support my rock bands.
Celia Mancini interview by Ryan Leach (Bored Out)
Being a lounge band that played dinner-party events, their recorded catalog is a little light on the ground; however 2 songs have turned up since Celia’s passing in September 2017 – the excellent posthumous odds-and-ends compilation ‘The Celia Mancini Tapes’ has the smooth, breathy Bobby Hebb classic ‘Sunny’, whilst a SoundCloud dedicated to similar material has popped up with a fairly straight rendition of Blue Velvet.
Celia Patel passed away in September 2017, Haydn Jones passed away in August 2018 and Bill Vosburgh passed away in March 2019.
Members
- Celia Patel (aka Celia Black / Celia Pavlova / Celia Mancini) (vocals, Celia Black and the After Dinner Mints, King Loser, Mothertrucker, Revolution 10, Snapper, Snort, The After Dinner Mints, The Axel Grinders, The Stepford 5, Brother Love, Cease to Exist, Celia Black and the After Dinner Mints, Celia Mancini, King Loser, Mothertrucker, Revolution 10, Snapper, Snort, The After Dinner Mints, The Axel Grinders, The Stepford 5)
- Bill Vosburgh (guitar, Brother Love and the Homebacon Gang, The Bill Fosby Assassins, Brother Love and the Homebacon Gang, Junkanoo, Perfect Strangers, The After Dinner Mints, The Bill Fosby Assassins, The Spies)
- Mick Elborado (guitar, Alien, Gas, Minus 2, Ritchie Venus and the Blue Beetles, The Palace Of Wisdom, Alien, Alpaca Brothers, Brother Love, Cease to Exist, Drowning Is Easy, Gas, Minus 2, Negative Nancies, Projekt Mauve, Ritchie Venus and the Blue Beetles, Scorched Earth Policy, Space Dust, The After Dinner Mints, The Axemen, The Palace Of Wisdom, The Shallows, The Terminals, Thee Hellfire Club, Trillionaires)
- Alex Blacksmith (guitar, The After Dinner Mints)
- Ross Humphries ( The Great Unwashed, The Terminals, Bailter Space, Compulsory Fun, Lyndon and the Liars, Murder Strikes Pink, Scorched Earth Policy, The After Dinner Mints, The Great Unwashed, The Pin Group, The Terminals, Trillionaires)
- John Chrisstoffels (bass, Dark Matter, Hiding from Stan, Les Baxters, Little Dead Things, Minus 2, The After Dinner Mints, The Renderers, The Terminals, Trillionaires, Vague Secrets)
- Haydn Jones (drums, Cease to Exist, Revolution 10, Cease to Exist, Revolution 10, The After Dinner Mints, The Axemen, The Renderers)
- Liane Sandrey (piano, The After Dinner Mints)
Discography
- The Celia Mancini Tapes (2018, Leap Decade Records)