My Life Denial

From Louisville Punk/Hardcore History
My Life Denial Stats
My Life Denial Logo
Record Labels: Steadfast Records
Started By: Jeff Drake, Martin Kehl, & Roman Grey
Based In: Louisville
Largest show: 500
Last show: 12.07.03
Reunion show: 12.07.03
Number of Members: 7
Manager: N/A

My Life Denial first appeared in the summer of 1997 by founding members Jeff Drake (Guitar) and Martin Kehl (Drums) in the Southend of Louisville.

The band made popular hardcore music of the time a little more mathy and progressive during the dawn of screamo; introducing synths and ethnic percussion to the works. Three layers of winding guitar patterns overlapped one other beside a dramatic, cathartic and vulnerable stage show by Cory Alberhasky. Members were known for their liberal position in scene politics, stage intesity, and being nice guys.

My Life Denial phased into the world from the bands Eversion, Triphammer and Driftwood: metal, punkrock, and psychadelic rock bans each from the Southend of Louisville. When founding members Jeff Drake and Martin Kehl met Cory Alberhasky, a decision was made to form and maintain a band with strong fraternity and integrity. Eversion's bass player, Drew Tucker resigned putting the guys in need of adopted James Whitehead as his replacement, and it was decided that an additional guitar player would thicken their skeletal sound. Shawn Pryor was approached and hired and the band began experimenting with bedy definition, much more common to the hardcore of that time in Louisville. Soon thereafter Shawn retired and guitarist Paul Dailey joined, providing the post-harcore sound for which MLD was looking. Many shows were played, more locally than not, and inevitably, the band recorded Change Starts in the Mirror, it's first attempt in the studio. This was recorded and Produced by Chris Owens of later Headbanging Kill Your Mama Music and Lords fame, in he basement of The Tenny House. After releasing the album, the band toured the east coast of the United States and collected ideas for evolving their music.

The product of the brainstorming was to secure new member Brandon Duggins for tertiary guitar and sequencing/sampling. This adaptation created a whorl of new concepts and inevitably inspired each member to more progressively alter the post-hardcore compositions they were writing. Obscure percussive devices were contracted for live performance, and the songwriting process was broken down into specific and, at times, overly critical components coupling with significantly different views on direction, which inevitably led to the retirement of the band as a whole circa March 2002, beginning with drummer Martin Kehl. With few poor recordings of the band's life, only the people who saw them perform will really know the intensity of their aspirations. Fortunately, all of the members remain friends.

Members:

Releases:

Merch:

  • Choose Your Weapon Tee
  • Self-Titled Logo Tee

Shows:

Related Bands: