The Minders are one of the Elephant Six Collective bands. Started by Martyn Leaper in Denver, CO in 1996, the band's current members include Leaper on guitars and vocals, Rebecca Cole on keyboards, Jeff Almond on guitar, Marc Willhite on bass, and Joel Burrows on drums. Leaper formed the Minders in Denver with Tammy Ealom, who, along with Robert Schneider and Hilarie Sidney from The Apples in Stereo, recorded Paper Plane EP. Ealom soon left Leaper to start Dressy Bessy