With a name like Mennonite Death Race, this band is bound to raise eyebrows. If you were to ask Marshall Elgin, Kyle Mock, Gumby, and Matt Shepherd why they chose this name, however, you would quickly find out they are simply trying to do something different.
They shared that the naming of the band took place after a long night of brainstorming in Denny’s. Mock and Elgin brought some paper and a pen to write out random names. After deliberating with the rest of the band, Mennonite Death Race stuck because it was different.
“The endgame is to change the Mansfield [music] scene. We’re trying to show what’s really going on. We’re trying to do something different from the heart that we’re happy with.”
The four musicians have a wide range of musical influence and experience. They all take turns at shows and between songs on their album playing different instruments. “It’s not to be gimmicky, but to be more versatile. It’s important to retain personal style,” said band manager, guitarist, bass guitarist and vocalist Marshall Elgin.
The band would describe their music as “post rock, post punk, crunch, garage-band, stripped-down… a blunt object.”
The self-described nihilists believe in the potential for a great music scene in Mansfield, and long to experience it again and be a part of bringing it back to life. In their perspective, the music scene in Mansfield is “stagnant,” and they have some theories as to why.
“The entire music scene in Mansfield for the last ten years has been Christian metal or some other metal variant. And that’s all cool and dandy, but others who want to try something different get screwed over,” said the band’s member who wanted to be remembered as Gumby.
Gumby predominantly plays the bass, but also interchanges with electric guitar. He is 34 years old and lives in Shelby.
The band wanted to reassure that they do not bad mouth other bands in Mansfield on a regular basis.
“It’s not like we just sit around and talk s— about people in Mansfield. That’s definitely not what it is. We don’t want to sound accusatory,” said Mock.
Their lyrics and music come from the heart, with hopes that it will encourage others to try something different as well. Elgin writes most of the lyrics, with others pitching in at times. Elgin said he really wants to do something different from the heart that the rest of the band is happy with.
As far as the creative process? Mennonite Death Race practices regularly once a week. When a band member has an idea for a new song, the band convenes on this particular day and works together to stitch the song into a cohesive work. Since they all play a variety of instruments, they switch often when playing a new song to find the right sound. And when they cannot find the right sound? They form a new band under a family.
This idea to have a family of bands was an idea Mock and Elgin had before starting Mennonite Death Race. The idea is to offer as many creative and musical outlets as possible under a network, or family, of bands. Their first branch off this idea is Warring Fosters, a more punk version of Mennonite Death Race. The idea is to offer the band members as much creative freedom as possible.
“If Matt wants to play acoustic folk stuff, we’ll give him complete freedom and control to do that with a band. It’s still the same group of people, just different bands and sounds,” explained Elgin.
Music is very important to this group of friends. When asked why they continue to play music, they responded:
“I need to at this point. I would be dead [without it,]” said Elgin.
“It’s where you hide. My guitar forms a shield,” said Gumby.
“It’s a way to put your problems in front of people for a hot second,” said Mock.
Band member Matt Shepherd was unavailable for comment.
For more information on Mennonite Death Race and upcoming show details, check out their Facebook page and Bandcamp page. They say they are taking a break to create more original music until March 7, when they have a show in Columbus.
