Indefinite Inhibition

The coolest guy in our Junior Achievement television company was Keith.  Rail thin with neatly coiffed hair, I don’t recall ever seeing him when he wasn’t dressed in a sport coat with a colored shirt, narrow tie, and pointy boots.  He was also a musician (he played the electric bass), and had just released a recording of two of his original songs.  The lyrics of one of them were: “Come on girl, don’t be afraid / We’re gonna tear down the wall that you made / All around you / Gir-ir-irl, all around you.”

Keith’s band, The Myrchents, included his cousin, Jack, and some of their friends.  They had recorded their 45 at Mus-i-col Studios which wanted to start its own label to compete with Cincinnati’s Counterpart.  (Counterpart had enjoyed a measure of success promoting a Columbus band, The Fifth Order.)  With Mus-i-col’s backing, The Myrchents recorded a second 45 for the studio’s Ironbeat label.  Keith told me he designed the label to look like a pinwheel, but it was printed in reverse so it turns in the wrong direction.

Needless to say, The Myrchents did not become the next Beatles (nor even the next Fifth Order).  WCOL matched The Myrchents’ single up against other recordings in a radio “battle of the bands” and they lost – big time. And then the band started coming apart as members left for various and, sometimes, unstated reasons.  Keith stuck with music for a few years, most notably as a member of Sky King.  (His departure from that band set the stage for the formation of The Godz, who were signed to a major label.)

After that, Keith drifted in and out of music.  He had gotten into law enforcement and wasn’t comfortable being on the stage anymore.  The last time I spoke with him, he was working at an elementary school and was getting a big kick out of teaching music to kids.  He felt he had finally found his calling.  I was hoping he had a photo of The Myrchents I could copy, but he didn’t think one had ever been taken.  Then a year or two later, I was shocked to learn Keith had passed away.

Ironically, The Myrchents, now, have a world-wide following, at least in record collecting circles.  The band’s recordings have been included on several compilation albums of “garage rock” bands and copies of the original 45s sell for hundreds of dollars.  What sets the group apart is its proto-punk attitude and Keith’s original songs, particularly one entitled, “Indefinite Inhibition.”

How did the chorus go?  “Well, it happens nearly all of the time / I want to turn and run instead of . . .” – instead of what?  I don’t remember anymore and Keith isn’t returning calls.

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