Mini-Mekons was the moniker used to identify an abbreviated version of the enduring U.K. folk-punk group the Mekons when they set out on a 2014 tour of Scotland in tandem with the American singer and songwriter Robbie Fulks. Featuring longtime Mekons members Jon Langford (vocals, guitar, percussion), Sally Timms (vocals), Suzie Honeyman (violin), and Rico Bell (guitar, vocals), as well as frequent associate Lu Edmonds (saz, harmonium, vocals), the group was absent drummer Steve Goulding and guitarist and vocalist Tom Greenhalgh, perhaps the reason for the unusual billing. During a 2014 Scottish tour, Fulks and the Mini-Mekons spent several days on the island of Jura, where the population of sheep significantly outnumbers that of humans, and a distillery is the principal employer. During their stay on the island, Fulks and the Mekons wrote and recorded a handful of songs, which were made available on vinyl as a special Record Store Day 2015 release, fittingly titled Jura. The limited-edition release quickly sold out, and Bloodshot Records re-released Jura on CD in August 2016. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi