Minneapolis/St. Paul siblings Neil and Martha Weir formed The Chambermaids (originally the Shut-Ins) in 2003. Using a drum machine, they cut five demos, and began playing shows in the Twin Cities. The demo was well received by 770 Radio K (The University of Minnesota's student-run radio station), and the duo was invited to perform a live in-studio session. A short time later, drummer Colin Johnson joined the group and the three piece began recording tracks which would later become their self-titled debut full-length, released on CD by Modern Radio in the Fall of 2006.

Since the debut, the band has been busy. They added second guitar player Nate Nelson (STNNNG/Private Dancer), and new drummer Mickey Kahleck (ex-Shotgun Monday/Chibalo). Original drummer Colin Johnson left to focus on Vampire Hands shortly after recording on Down in the Berries. With a solid lineup and Martha back in the country after a teaching stint in Austria, The Chambermaids are poised to return as a force in the music community.

On first listen, The Chambermaids' second album Down in the Berries, sounds like one of those lost and forgotten 70s art-punk records put out by Flying Nun or 4AD that give collectors wet dreams and keep Ebay fanatics awake at night. There's a bristling intensity to the seven tracks on the Twin Cities-based four piece's latest effort that recalls the quiet menace of British post-punk stalwarts Wire or shoegaze innovators My Bloody Valentine. But this is no throwback record. Certainly, the core sibling duo of Neil (vocals/guitar) and Martha Weir (vocals/bass), alongside guitarist Nate Nelson and drummer Mickey Kahleck, knows their music history. They also know how to make it. Neil has recorded some of the most exciting bands playing today, at his studio, The Old Blackberry Way, Cannon Falls' famed Pachyderm Studio and the University of Minnesota's Radio K. He's worked with local favorites like Vampire Hands, Gospel Gossip and Daughters of the Sun. And he's worked with national acts like The Breeders, A Place to Bury Strangers, and Jay Reatard. This careful approach to both the technical and aesthetic aspects of rock'n roll is subtly evident in each track on the album. The Chambermaids themselves have shared the stage with the likes of Grant Hart, Tapes 'n Tapes, and Calvin Johnson.