Screaming Mechanical Brain
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| Screaming Mechanical Brain
<tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3">Image:Smb.jpg From left to right: Rev. John Wheeler IV, Cassidy Nee, Owen Good III, Bryan Pierson. </td></tr>
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| Background information
<tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Minneapolis, Minnesota</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Metal, Post-Industrial, Electro, Punk</td></tr><tr><td>Instrument(s)</td><td colspan="2">Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass, Drums</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">1999 - Present</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Atomic K, Mangled Media Inc.</td></tr><tr><td>Website</td><td colspan="2">www.smbband.com</td></tr><tr><th style="background: yellow;" colspan="3">Members</th></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;" colspan="3">Rev. John Wheeler IV |
Screaming Mechanical Brain is a metal band based out of the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Their signature style combines elements of the heavy-metal, industrial and at times even "circus music." The band has managed to carve out a cult following not only in their hometown, but also in other regions throughout the country following their tour with popular techno-rockers Mindless Self Indulgence in the spring of 2005. This tour was in support of their Atomic K Records debut "The Process of Assimilation". Their recent popularity has come as the result of many years of fine tuning their image and sound, which included changing their name to Screaming Mechanical Brain from Screaming Monkey Boner in 2005. In June of 2006 the band released the follow up to "The Process of Assimilation", titled There Is No God In Space.
Screaming Mechanical Brain is comprised of founding members John Wheeler (vocals, keyboard) and Owen Good (guitar), and also Cass Nee (bass, keyboard) and Bryan Pierson (drums, programming).
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[edit] History
Screaming Monkey Boner was founded in 1999 by high school friends John Wheeler and Owen Good, in time they were joined by bass player Graham and drummer Dan Gould and began playing small gigs around their hometown of Richfield, Minnesota. During this period of time they were known more for their outrageous lyrics (the title of their debut EP was "Masturbatorium") and madcap stage antics than they were for their music. Their raucous stage show included but was not limited to setting television sets on fire. Their reputation created for them a small but dedicated following in the area, but also succeeded in getting them banned from playing at more than one local venue. In 2000 drummer Dan Gould left the group and was replaced by current drummer Bryan Pierson.
[edit] 2001
2001 saw the band release its first full length album, "Fun With Poop". However the band still toiled in obscurity, even locally. 2002 began to see the band's fortunes change, landing gigs with such acts as Chicago's Tub Ring. It was around this time that the band began developing the darker, more serious sound that would form the basis for the songwriting that appears on "The Process of Assimilation".
[edit] 2002
In late 2002 bass player Graham left Screaming Monkey Boner to concentrate on higher education, the band recruited Cass Nee as his replacement and resumed writing songs for "The Process of Assimilation". The last song written by the classic "Fun With Poop" lineup was "Watch Me Die", which appears on "The Process of Assimilation" recorded by the current lineup. The departure of Graham and the addition of Nee allowed the band to better concentrate on writing and touring.
[edit] 2003
2003 saw broad changes come to the band. Their sound became more refined, and the band moved away from the more juvenile image of their early years, towards a much darker and heavier sound while still maintaining their bizarre "circus metal" motif. This is the unique sound that still characterizes the band today. This coincided with an increase in popularity locally, and increased recognition and credibility in the local music scene. In the late spring of 2003 they signed a limited deal with local Minneapolis label Atomic K and their first demo under that imprint was made available in July of 2003.
The band continued to gain momentum throughout the Upper Midwest in 2004 and particularly in their hometown where they had managed to sell out at least one club. "The Process of Assimilation" was released in the spring of this year to great fanfare and critical acclaim in the heavy-metal community. They also shared the stage with national acts such as Dog Fashion Disco and The Dave Brockie Experience. It was in late 2004 that the band began branching out beyond the Upper Midwest region of the United States, and embarked on a tour with fellow weirdo-band Retard-o-bot.
[edit] 2004-2005
Certainly 2004 saw many changes, and an exponential increase in the bands popularity. However 2005 would see even more of both. Sensing that their outrageous name was creating obstacles to greater exposure (one local radio station was contacted by the FCC for saying it on the air), they decided that the name had become more of a liability than an asset. They dropped the Screaming Monkey Boner moniker and adopted the less outrageous Screaming Mechanical Brain. Although many fans did not mind the change, there was a very vocal group of fans that decried the group as "sellouts." The fan base remained as strong as it ever was though, and the band pressed on. It is suspected that the name change paid dividends for the band, when after joining forces with Mangled Media Inc. they landed an opening spot touring with Mindless Self Indulgence in May of 2005, that many conjecture the band would not have been able to land under the name Screaming Monkey Boner. The tour with Mindless Self Indulgence brought the band to thousands of viewers in regions that had not yet been ventured to by the group. The sell-out crowds they played to throughout the country responded positively to the sound and image of Screaming Mechanical Brain. They developed fan bases in places where they had none before, and also began receiving national recognition.
[edit] Currently
Right now Screaming Mechanical Brain continues to gig regularly, supporting their newest album, "There Is No God In Space". In October 2006 SMB announced plans to nationally tour in support of "There Is No God In Space". Their new sound has kept many of the elements of "The Process of Assimilation", but also is incorporating elements of dance and techno into their already diverse palette.
