A young man born with Cerebral Palsy battles a paralyzed left hand, bullies and stereotypes about the disabled to defy the odds and make it as a rock and roll guitarist. Ultimately, sharing the stage with the very band that inspired him to start (or to achieve the impossible).
07-15-2017
1h 33m
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HELLA
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Main Cast
Movie Details
Production Info
Director:
Sébastien Paquet
Key Crew
Editor:
Axel Hubert
Editor:
Sébastien Paquet
Cinematography:
Sébastien Paquet
Locations and Languages
Country:
US
Languages:
en
Main Cast
Brandon Mendenhall
Brandon Mendenhall is an American rhythm guitarist who was born with cerebral palsy. However, inspired by acts such as Korn and Pantera, Brandon taught himself how to play guitar at the age of 19, rehabilitating his left hand without surgical intervention.
He had a dream that was thought to be impossible: Brandon wanted to play guitar and form a band. The Mendenhall Experiment was born as Brandon's own personal aspiration to be in a world-famous band while working within the limitations of Cerebral Palsy, knowing full well that the cards were stacked against finding musicians willing to work with him.
Formed in 2008, The Mendenhall Experiment also features bass player Nathan Stockton, who overcame a disability of his own-childhood deafness-through the power of music. He and Brandon are joined by Alyce Hayes on vocals, Mike Lira on guitar, and Justin Lubeck on drums.
Based in Southern California, TMX has been regularly performing on the infamous Sunset Strip in addition to gigs throughout the region opening for the likes of such metal mainstays as John 5, POD, Alien Ant Farm, Kill Devil Hill, Fear Factory, Prong, Flaw, Metal Allegiance, Smile Empty Soul, Cold, and more.
In 2013, the five-piece performed at the Monster Energy Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California, sharing the stage with Korn, Megadeth, and Five Finger Death Punch.
A breakthrough occurred on June 17, 2014, when TMX made it to the final round of The Battle of the Bands for Warped Tour. After an electrifying performance that left the audience screaming for more, The Mendenhall Experiment took second place and the subsequent buzz reached the discerning ears at Liquid Bit Music Productions and in August 2014 TMX inked a publishing deal with the company, six years to the day after the initial incarnation of The Mendenhall Experiment performed its first show in Brandon's hometown of Kankakee, Illinois. Shortly thereafter, the quintet put pen to paper again to sign their first development deal with Lucent Records, including national digital distribution through Universal Music Group.
The Mendenhall Experiment began recording their current EP in various studios in Los Angeles with the help of some very special guests: James “Munky” Shaffer (Korn) and Danny Lohner (NIN/A Perfect Circle). The EP is available everywhere online and the debut single, “Seize the Day”, has received over thirty-thousand views on Vevo/YouTube.
The music video was acclaimed Video of the Year at the 2015 LRT Music Video Awards in Hollywood,California, celebrating independent music, while Brandon was deemed Trailblazer of the Year at the 2015 United Cerebral Palsy Los Angeles Art of Care annual event.
A feature documentary film detailing Brandon and the band’s story, Mind Over Matter, was released in 2019; directed by French filmmaker Sébastien Paquet (Korn,Wounded Warriors). So far the band has completed six tours which are comprised of three headlining tours and three national tours.
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John 5
John William Lowery (born July 31, 1970), best known by the stage name John 5, is an American guitarist. His stage name was bestowed on him in 1998 when he left David Lee Roth's solo band and joined the rock group Marilyn Manson as their guitarist, taking over for Zim Zum.
Still going by the name John 5, Lowery became the guitarist for Rob Zombie in addition to his continued collaborations with musical artists across many genres. In 2022, John 5 left Rob Zombie and became the touring lead guitarist for Mötley Crüe.
He is also a solo artist having recorded ten guitar albums: Vertigo (2004), Songs for Sanity (2005), The Devil Knows My Name (2007), Requiem (2008), The Art of Malice (2010), God Told Me To (2012), Careful With That Axe (2014), Season of the Witch (2017), Invasion (2019), and Sinner (2021). He also has a remix album, Remixploitation (2009), and live albums It's Alive (2018) and Live Invasion (2020).
As a staff writer for Chrysalis Records, he works with artists such as Avril Lavigne, Rob Halford, k.d. lang, Garbage, Meat Loaf, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, FeFe Dobson, and Steve Perry, and has written and recorded with Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD or JDevil, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician; he's the lead vocalist, frontman and bagpipe player for nu metal band KoЯn, which is considered a pioneering act of the nu metal genre. Davis's distinctive personality and Korn's music influenced a generation of musicians and performers who have come after them. He was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".
Brian Philip Welch (born June 19, 1970), also known by his stage name Head, is an American musician. He is one of the guitarists and founding member of the nu metal band KoЯn and his solo project Love and Death, where he also provides vocals.
Along with fellow Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, Welch helped develop Korn's distinctive sound (a mix of sirenlike shards of dissonant guitar that mimicked a turntablist's various effects and rumbling down-tuned riffing) that defined the nu metal aesthetic beginning in the mid-'90s.
