Men's Recovery Project
Encyclopedia
Men's Recovery Project was an American experimental
noise
rock
band formed by Sam McPheeters
and Neil Burke
in Richmond, Virginia
, active from 1993–2002. The group's post-modern absurdist
musical attitude resulted in a diverse and consistently obtuse output, with varied material touching on electronic
, avant garde, comedy
and spoken word
motifs that often alluded to their roots in hardcore punk
.
band Life's Blood
) and McPheeters originally co-founded the hardcore punk band Born Against
in 1989, although Burke left the group later that year. The group's strident radical leftist message slowly gave way to cynical absurdism over their four year career, and Men's Recovery Project, founded in 1993 after the demise of Born Against, further developed these sensibilities.
The duo of McPheeters and Burke remained Men's Recovery Project's core members, although the group was frequently augmented by additional musicians. Over its career, the band saw membership from Joe Preston
(of The Melvins
and Thrones
), Tonie Joy
(of Moss Icon
and Universal Order of Armageddon
), producer Max Henkel, and the entirety of the group The Rah Brahs, among others. The band toured the US extensively, and also made two trips to Japan
.
Men's Recovery Project released four full-length albums and numerous smaller releases on labels such as Kill Rock Stars
, Lungcast Records
and McPheeters' own Vermiform Records
. Following their demise, McPheeters formed the short-lived hardcore band Wrangler Brutes
. Burke is involved in art and screen-printing.
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
noise
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed by Sam McPheeters
Sam McPheeters
Sam McPheeters is an American musician, artist and journalist. Raised in Albany, New York and later relocated to New York City, McPheeters was a key member of the early 1990s hardcore punk scene, writing a number of zines and singing in the hardcore band Born Against...
and Neil Burke
Neil Burke
Neil Burke is an American musician and artist. He is known as a former member of several hardcore punk and noise rock bands, most notably Born Against and Men's Recovery Project...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, active from 1993–2002. The group's post-modern absurdist
Absurdism
In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...
musical attitude resulted in a diverse and consistently obtuse output, with varied material touching on electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, avant garde, comedy
Comedy music
Comedy music is music that is comedic or humorous in nature, encompassing a wide variety of music genres. Popular types of comedy music include parody music, novelty songs, comedy rock and comedy hip hop.- Notable comedy musicians :...
and spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
motifs that often alluded to their roots in hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
.
History
Burke (formerly of the New York hardcoreNew York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
band Life's Blood
Life's Blood
Life's Blood was a hardcore punk band formed by four first year college students in New York City in 1987. It consisted of Adam Nathanson on guitars, Neil Burke on bass, John Kriksciun on drums, and on vocals, Combined Effort promoter and fanzine editor Jason O'Toole...
) and McPheeters originally co-founded the hardcore punk band Born Against
Born Against
Born Against was an American hardcore punk band from New York active between 1989–1993. In addition to their radical leftist politics, the group espoused a DIY punk message and challenged what they perceived as problematic within the punk subculture of their time.-History:The group was founded in...
in 1989, although Burke left the group later that year. The group's strident radical leftist message slowly gave way to cynical absurdism over their four year career, and Men's Recovery Project, founded in 1993 after the demise of Born Against, further developed these sensibilities.
The duo of McPheeters and Burke remained Men's Recovery Project's core members, although the group was frequently augmented by additional musicians. Over its career, the band saw membership from Joe Preston
Joe Preston (bassist)
Joe Preston is a rock bass guitarist and a former band member of Earth, The Melvins, Men's Recovery Project, The Need and High on Fire. Preston has also played with Sunn O))), and has a solo project called Thrones. Joe Preston learned bass from Alexander Giles. In 2007, he joined Harvey Milk in...
(of The Melvins
The Melvins
The Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members...
and Thrones
Thrones (band)
Thrones is the solo project of bassist Joe Preston.-Biography:Thrones began in 1994 with an untitled cassette on the Punk in My Vitamins? label. He soon released the "Reddleman" single. In 1996, Thrones signed to Communion Records to issue the full-length album Alraune...
), Tonie Joy
Tonie Joy
Anthony R. "Tonie" Joy is an American musician currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. Joy is known for his work, most commonly as a guitarist, in several popular underground punk and indie rock bands. In addition, Joy runs the independent record label Vermin Scum.-Musical career:Joy began...
(of Moss Icon
Moss Icon
Moss Icon was an Annapolis, Maryland post-hardcore band from 1986 to 1991. Its original members were singer Jonathan Vance, guitarist Tonie Joy, bassist Monica DiGialleonardo, and drummer Mark Laurence. Alex Badertscher joined as second guitarist in 1990...
and Universal Order of Armageddon
Universal Order of Armageddon
Universal Order of Armageddon was an American hardcore band, active in the early to mid 1990s.-History:The band formed in September 1992 and by early 1993, after quickly gaining a small but devoted following, they were recording and touring the East Coast. Known for their extreme short chaotic...
), producer Max Henkel, and the entirety of the group The Rah Brahs, among others. The band toured the US extensively, and also made two trips to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Men's Recovery Project released four full-length albums and numerous smaller releases on labels such as Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
, Lungcast Records
Lungcast Records
Lungcast Records was an independent record label, established 1990. The label was known for extremely unusual bands of the alternative, fringe punk, acid rock, and avant garde genres....
and McPheeters' own Vermiform Records
Vermiform Records
Vermiform Records was an American independent record label that specialized in releasing punk rock music from 1990 until 2002. Over the course of those twelve years Vermiform released 57 albums and relocated many times, being headquartered in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Rhode Island and...
. Following their demise, McPheeters formed the short-lived hardcore band Wrangler Brutes
Wrangler Brutes
The Wrangler Brutes were an American hardcore punk band formed in 2003 in Los Angeles, California.-History:Wrangler Brutes were formed around vocalist Sam McPheeters , drummer Brooks Headley , guitarist Andy Coronado and...
. Burke is involved in art and screen-printing.
Discography
- "Emergency Record" 7" (LungcastLungcast RecordsLungcast Records was an independent record label, established 1990. The label was known for extremely unusual bands of the alternative, fringe punk, acid rock, and avant garde genres....
, 1993) - "Make A Baby" 7" (Vermiform, 1994)
- "Frank Talk About Humans" CD/7"x2 (Vinyl Communications, 1994)
- "Normal Man" 7" (Gravity, 1995)
- "Time To Milk" 7" split w/ H.G.C. (Chester, 1996)
- "Botanica Mysteria" 7" (Kill Rock Stars, 1996)
- "Immense Ovary Reject" 7" (Walkabout, 1996)
- "New Human" tour-only 5" (Vermiform, 1996)
- "Thank You For Killing Me" 7" (Paralogy, 1997)
- The Golden Triumph of Naked Hostility CD (Vermiform, 1997)
- Grappling With The Homonids [sic] LP/CD split with Sinking Body (Vermiform, 1998)
- Resist The New Way LP/CD (Vermiform, 1999)
- Bolides Over Basra LP/CD (Load, 2000)
- Night Pirate LP/CD (Kill Rock StarsKill Rock StarsKill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
, 2001) - The Very Best of Men's Recovery ProjectThe Very Best of Men's Recovery ProjectThe Very Best of Men's Recovery Project is a greatest hits album released by the American experimental punk group Men's Recovery Project on October 15, 2005...
(5RC, 2005)