User:Kmbcali/sandbox

The Mentally Ill:

Originally formed as a garage punk rock band in the seventies, the group has managed over the years to cultivate a fiercely loyal underground following and a fan base that seems to be constantly adding to its numbers and growing steadily, even garnering new fans during prolonged periods of self-imposed absences from the music scene. There is relatively little information available on public forums about the individual band member's private lives. However, without using methods commonly endorsed by the music industry or tactics employed by popular musicians and rock bands of the modern era, The Mentally Ill has proven against all odds that it has staying power. In the absence of managers, promoters, and mass exposure via mainstream media outlets all working in tandem to tap into the mass mindset of a targeted demographic, the sheer power, force, and energy emitted by The Mentally Ill during a performance seems to be all the promotion that is needed to keep them at the forefront of the collective conscience of the genre. They are simply unforgettable. Once they launch into a set, your full attention will be directed towards the cacauphony of sound and emotion they generate, essentially creating a vast storm, a visual whirlwind of electric energy and organized chaos. Word of mouth has so far managed to keep the prophecy of this band alive, passing along tidbits of information gleaned from here and there, typewritten word and spoken word spreading out like tentacles through space and time, carrying the torch for this enigmatic band. The Mentally Ill appear to enjoy their privacy, flickering like a visage, they are here one instant then gone the next, vanishing from the this time and place only to suddenly reappear again at the next time and place, seemingly at will and with no forewarning.

Their hard core punk sound is unforgettable and disturbing lyrics belted out by the charismatic, yet full on in-your-face singer, will stop you dead in your tracks... Be it to assess the strange sensation that has overcome you, or to stand transfixed on the spot staring at the whirlwind of energy and the small chaotic cosmos that is beginning to take shape in front of your eyes, or to dance in wild jilting free form, or even to scratch your head in bewilderment, feeling slightly off balance and out of sorts. (Mentally ill, perhaps?) The music is intended to shock, arouse, and elicit an immediate reaction from you. The band's energetic renditions send out rippling waves of energy that generate both force and forward-moving motion that travel through space and time, the effect is undeniable. The fact that The Mentally Ill have withstood the test of time is not only surprising but somewhat of an anomaly given their hard core punk rock roots, the anti-establishment nature of their music and its message, and the fact that they do very little, if anything at all, to market or promote themselves.

If there is one thing to be said about this band, they are unique, eccentric, electric, and intentionally erratic... Organized chaos defines them. The Mentally Ill's music will leave a permanent imprint in your mind. And you can tell that to your therapist!

Just passing on the near-legendary cult status of this band... And if you must know, Special Ed, is my favorite! ;-))

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Links:

http://roctoberreviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-mentally-ill-gacys-place.html