A supergroup formed in late 2012 by Joe Pernice (Pernice Brothers), Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub and Mike Belitsky, who has played drums for, among others, The Sadies and Neko Case . They are named after the Mendicant Friars, an order of Catholic monks who depend entirely upon charity for their livelihood. Their first release was the limited-edition six-song Australia 2013 E.P. It came out in February 2013 and contained three new songs, two instances of Joe and Norman covering themselves, and one INXS cover (This TIme). According to their manager Joyce Linehan, "Joe, Norman and Mike all live in Ontario these days, and they decided to start a band, rather than a construction company, a cabal, a bobsled team or anything else they could have started." The aforementioned six-song EP was, says Joyce, "put together so Norman and Joe would have something to sell on their January/February 2013 tour of Australia. (Mike wasn’t actually in the band on its first day, when the touring plan was hatched and flights were purchased. He joined on the 7th day)."
