User:Tripfunkmonster/sandbox

Bold text' TFM

TFM was a rock band from Long Island, N.Y. It originated in the early 1990s as a freestyle instrumental band that created spontaneous jams by weaving seamlessly between psychedelic rock, funk and blues. Started by two musicians (guitarist/bassist/ percussionist Mordecai and drummer/bassist/guitarist Doug Gregory) who enjoyed creativity and didn't believe in labels, it took form as an actual band with the addition of drummer/keyboardist Cliff Counes in 1994.

Starting with the name Heretic, the band performed a few small gigs in local pubs as an instrumental trio (with Counes on drums, Gregory on bass and Mordecai on guitar), but spent most of their time rehearsing and recording a concept album written by Mordecai.

Adding provocative lyrics with a hint of cryptic mysticism to the music, Mordecai provided vocals temporarily as the band searched for a fitting vocalist. Being informed there already was a band by the name Heretic, a decision was made at this time to change the spelling of the band name to Heretick. An album of jamming rock with haunting melodies and occasional bursts of funk took form. The name of this album, "The Fugitive Mind", was to take on added meaning years later.

Tryouts brought a variety of vocalists who either didn't resonate with the band or didn't care for the freestyle blend of genres, but interesting jam sessions brought a heavy metal singer into the mix in early 1995. A wild, party animal known as Snake brought a lively, barbaric attitude along with a heavy set of lungs to add a primal energy that sparked the band into a heavier direction for their second album, "And The Struggle Continues...", recorded on home equipment in 1995.

The shuffling of band personnel continued. Snake had barely warmed up his microphone with the band when he left during recording of the second album to put together his own band, Raping Dawn, a tenacious metal band that better fit his temperament.

Faced with holding auditions again so soon, bassist Doug Gregory decided to start a band of his own, Porch, while staying on part-time with Heretick.

Mordecai began writing material for a third album, but before its completion put the project on hold to put together a more commercially viable band, Stulz, with local guitarist, Joe Stulz. Keeping Counes on drums and hiring a vocalist, he switched to bass and the band gigged around Long Island for a couple of years.

Mordecai continued writing material for the third album, Ancient Dream, laying down percussion, bass, guitar and vocal tracks on his own equipment. The album was almost complete, but gigs with Porch and Stulz as well as financial concerns kept it on the shelf for years.

Tired of performing mainstream music, Mordecai decided to bring the original band back together with a different name and TFM was formed. Though the band played gigs at various small venues around Long Island, the pattern of constantly shuffling members continued. Drummers Mike Pravetz and Kevin "Kaos" Coster, vocalists Erick the Dread and Chris Collins and a virtual parade of bassists came and went. The band's final live performance occurred at a club in Hauppauge, L.I. Soon after, TFM broke up.

A few years later, a fire destroyed most of the band's material. All that survived were a small amount of complete tracks, a number of incomplete tracks and a partial video recording of the band's final gig.

In 2004, Mordecai went back into the studio, working part of the time with a producer (Think) and DJ/recording engineer (Eddie Scissors) in Brooklyn, N.Y. He decided not to form a full band, going in a different direction and working solo with lyrics he'd been writing since the break up of TFM.

Without the constraints of having to satisfy monetary ambitions and egos, a partial restoration of the first two TFM albums and a continuation of a third album was undertaken. Though it was a slow process, recording and mixing of an album titled Ancient Dream was eventually finished. Artwork was added to all three to complete a trilogy of music that, while a dismal failure commercially, nonetheless brought to fruition an interesting blend of spontaneous (indulgent) jamming, creative writing of insightful depth, unique artwork, creative use of photography and a touch of poetic ruminating.

In the ensuing years, five additional albums were written, recorded and mixed to CD complete with album artwork to create a total of eight albums under the name of TFM.

DISCOGRAPHY:

The Fugitive Mind (1994)

And The Struggle Continues... (1995)

Fat Chance (DVD - 1997)

Can't You See? (single - 2004)

Ancient Dream (2008)

Day of Reckoning (2008)

There Are No Rules (2009)

Crack Between The Worlds (2010)

New World Disorder (2010)

The Labyrinth ((2011)