Men's Recovery Project was an American

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

band formed by

Sam McPheeters Sam McPheeters (born 1969) is an American singer, artist, journalist, novelist, and performer. Early life Raised in Albany, New York, Albany, New York (state), New York, he became a published author at age 12, with ''Travelers' Tales'', a collect ...

and Neil Burke in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, active from 1993–2002. The group's

post-modern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experi ...

absurdist musical attitude resulted in a diverse and consistently obtuse output, with varied material touching on

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

avant garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

and

spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...

motifs that often alluded to their roots in

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

History

Burke (formerly of the

New York hardcore New York hardcore (also known as NYHC) is both the hardcore punk music created in New York City and the subculture and lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle associated with that music. The scene established many aspects that are fixtures of hardcore ...

band Life's Blood) and McPheeters originally co-founded the hardcore punk band

Born Against Born Against was an American hardcore punk band from New York active between 1989 and 1993. Though Born Against received little media exposure while still together, they have since been described as "legendary" by the ''Chicago Reader'' and the ...

in 1989, although Burke left the group later that year. The group's 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 ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

and

Thrones A throne is a seat of state for a potentate or dignitary. Throne, Thrones or The Throne may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * The Throne (group), collaboration pseudonym for rappers Jay Z and Kanye West (as on Drake's "Pop Style") * Thron ...

), Tonie Joy (of

Moss Icon Moss Icon is an American post-hardcore band formed in late 1986 in Annapolis, Maryland, United States. Its original lineup comprised vocalist Jonathan Vance, guitarist Tonie Joy, bassist Monica DiGialleonardo, and drummer Mark Laurence. Alex B ...

and Universal Order of Armageddon), producer Max Henkel, and the entirety of the group Rah Bras, 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 Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in February 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but it was orig ...

, Lungcast Records and McPheeters' own

Vermiform Records Vermiform Records was an American independent record label that specialized in releasing punk rock music from 1990 until 2002. Vermiform released 58 albums and relocated many times, being headquartered in New York (state), New York, New Jersey, Vi ...

. Following their demise, McPheeters formed the short-lived hardcore band Wrangler Brutes. Burke is involved in art and screen-printing.

Discography

*"Emergency Record" 7" (Lungcast, 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'' icLP/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 (

, 2001) *'' The Very Best of Men's Recovery Project'' (5RC, 2005)Vermiform: MRP discography

References

External links

Neil Burke - Artwork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mens Recovery Project American experimental rock groups American noise rock music groups Rock music groups from Rhode Island Load Records artists Kill Rock Stars artists