Mild Mannered
From The Extended Group
Contents |
Band Members
Because of tension within the band, the lineup was never static, making it is difficult to pin down precisely who played what and when. Nevertheless:
- Jason - (Bass)
- Jeremy - (Drums/Vocals/Songwriter)
- Nathan - (Lead Guitar/Rhythm Guitar/Bass/Occasional Drums)
- Owen - (Lead Guitar/Vocals/Songwriter)
- Rama - (Rhythm Guitar/Bass/Backup Vocals)
- Stuart - (Keyboard)
History
Among the group bands, none had more internal strife and tension than Mild Mannered. In fact, it has been suggested that much of the growing animosity among the group at the time could be derived directly from band infighting.
Inception
Mild Mannered grew partly out of the ashes of Shoenar, drawing from it two of its original members (Jeremy and Stuart). Prior to the official establishment of the band's lineup, Rama and Owen would meet and compose songs together. Most of the tunes, such as Girl in the White Coat, Indian Movie, and Grendel were never attempted by Mild Mannered (The Calculus Song being a notable exception). Around the same time, Nathan and Jeremy were practicing under the informal name Farm Factor. Soon thereafter, the two groups met with Stuart in tow, and official band practice commenced.
The Name
Choosing the band name would end up causing detrimental harm to band chemistry. Practices were devoted to pouring over children's textbooks, newspaper articles, dictionaries, and anything else that would provide inspiration. A spreadsheet containing over a hundred names was manufactured and voting commenced without success. Several band members became apathetic and irritated by the process and finally Mild Mannered was chosen by default.
Early Practices
Practice was located in Mrs. Reddy's daycare after Rama's insistance, an unusual setting that perhaps exemplifies Rama Being Rama. Intitially, practices ran smoothly, perhaps due to the sheer novelty of being in a new band. The first signs of trouble appeared when it became clear that no one wanted to play the bass. Eventually, that duty was relegated to Nathan, which would merely postpone this conflict to a later date.
Conflict and the Octopus Incident
Tension reached a head for two primary reasons: 1) Some were dissatisfied with Stuart's keyboard lines; and 2) The aforementioned bass problem. The second problem became apparent when Nathan, in quiet rebellion, picked up a rubber octopus that was lying around, and began strumming his bass with it. This immediately put a halt to band practice and an intense discussion quickly took over, resulting in Nathan quitting the band.
The Jason Era
Jason arrived to fill the void left by Nathan on bass. His trademark style of playing, which involved quick slides up and down the bass, quickly won over the band. While tensions quelled drastically upon his arrival, they never fully evaporated. Conflict again reached a boiling point when Jason, with typical Jason exhuberance, began playing Rama's guitar lines on his bass. Nevertheless, the band survived long enough to play one show and break up.
