Mind Funk

Mind Funk

Mind Funk is an Orange County group active from 1989. It forms in the late 1980s in New Jersey and changes its name from Mind Fuck after the record company refuses to issue an album under that title. The band works in funk metal, grunge, heavy metal, stoner rock and alternative metal, with funk elements present on its early material and a darker, heavier direction developing later.

Formation and early line-up

The band includes musicians with connections to several other acts. Guitarist Louis Svitek has played in Chemical Waste with Jason Coppola, and both Svitek and original bassist John Monte play in M.O.D. on the album Gross Misconduct. Drummer Reed St. Mark also plays with Celtic Frost, appearing on the EPs Emperor's Return and Tragic Serenades and the albums To Mega Therion and Into The Pandemonium. Pat Dubar sings with the hardcore band Uniform Choice during the 1980s.

First album and early recognition

Mind Funk signs to Sony/Epic and releases its self-titled debut album in 1991. The record receives a mixed but generally positive response and reaches number three on Kerrang!'s list of that year’s best albums. The song “Big House Burning” gets airplay on MTV’s Headbangers’ Ball, and “Sister Blue” also receives some airtime. The band appears at the 1992 Roskilde Festival in Denmark.

Line-up changes and Dropped

Before the second album, Jason Coppola and Reed St. Mark leave and are replaced by Jason Everman and Shawn Johnson respectively. Everman has previously played with Nirvana and Soundgarden. The band also shortens its name from Mind Funk to Mindfunk. Sony drops the group while it is preparing to record again, and it later signs to Megaforce. The next album, Dropped, is produced by Terry Date and comes out with a darker sound in which the earlier funk influence is greatly reduced. A video for “Goddess” is released, and the band tours Europe with Nudeswirl. It also plays festival dates including Dynamo in the Netherlands.

Final album and split

Original bassist John Monte later leaves, and Jason Everman then departs to join the Army 2nd Ranger Battalion and the Special Forces. The band continues as a four-piece with Patrick Dubar, Louis Svitek, Shawn Johnson and temporary bassist Frank Ciampi, who has also played with Generation Waste and High Tension Wire. Spike Xavier, from Mind Over Four and The Humble Gods, also plays bass for a period. Mindfunk then records and releases People Who Fell From The Sky without strong label support and without a US contract, which limits the album’s availability. The record is darker still and is compared in mood to early Black Sabbath, anticipating later stoner rock trends. The band then splits.

After the band

After Mindfunk ends, Pat Dubar is reported to reform Uniform Choice temporarily and later to be in Corporate Avenger with Spike Xavier. John Monte goes on to play with Cheap Wine Graffitti. Reed St. Mark is reported to work as a personal trainer at the Palisadium Health Spa in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. Louis Svitek later plays with Ministry, including on Filth Pig and Dark Side Of The Spoon, and also with the Revolting Cocks.