Rocker with cerebral palsy uses band to change perceptions at … – Tulsa World

PRYOR Brandon Mendenhall looks back now, and he understands his grandfathers motives.

Mendenhall is the founder and guitarist of The Mendenhall Experiment, which is scheduled to perform at 11:30 p.m. Saturday on the AXiS Entertainment Campground Stage at the Rocklahoma music festival in Pryor.

Many years ago, Mendenhall might have needed the assistance of a walker or braces to be able to navigate his way around a stage. Now he gets around just fine, thanks in part to nine corrective surgeries.

Mendenhall has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that sabotages muscle control and motor function. Never mind all that, Mendenhall decided when he was a kid he wanted to be in a rock band. Of course, he was met with a chorus of You cant do that.

I heard that all day, every day, he said, adding that people told him he couldnt be this or that because his body wasnt cut out for it.

Then when it came time when I had an interest in music, some doctors told my grandparents that it would be impossible for me to play an instrument. So they forbid me to do that until I was old enough to be rebellious to say, Hey, listen, this is what Im going to do and Im going to do it anyway whether you like it or not.

Mendenhall said he had to hide his first guitar from his grandfather for a couple of months. Grandpa listened to him play and his words sounded harsh: You will never be a guitarist. Dont even try.

But Mendenhall now realizes his grandfather, who has since passed away, was being protective. He didnt want to see his grandson get hurt, and perhaps he said those things to provide motivation.

And it worked because it lit a fire in my soul to want to be a guitarist and want to be a musician not only to prove him wrong, but it really set the tone for me to prove the whole world wrong and go out there and be a voice for people with disabilities.

Growing up with CP was, of course, difficult, but Mendenhall said music was the one thing in his life that was always consistent. He said music, whether it was Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, Prince or whatever was on the radio at the time, made him happy and resonated with his soul.

Once I got a little older and got into heavy music, heavy music became my emotional therapy for my disability, and my guitar playing became the physical therapy, he said.

Mendenhall said playing the guitar was really hard when he first started, and he didnt seem to be making a lot of progress. But he took what he could do best and fit it to a method that was do-able.

I tell kids all the time focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses, he said.

Mendenhall, who formed The Mendenhall Experiment in 2008, described the L.A. bands brand of music as hard rock with metal and a positive twist.

We have a positive message, he said. We want to inspire others to perceive people with disabilities in a positive light.

People with disabilities are far more capable than others assume, according to Mendenhall, who said the initial reaction some people have is to feel sorry for those with disabilities.

And thats not right, he said. I would like to see society embrace people with disabilities instead of immediately giving them sympathy.

Nate Stockton, bass player for The Mendenhall Experiment, overcame childhood deafness and vision problems. Others are chipping in to help Mendenhall and his band mates spread their message. Korns James Munky Shaffer is featured on the bands new EP. French filmmaker Sebastian Paquet has completed a feature documentary (Mind Over Matter) about Mendenhall and the band.

Mendenhall cited many examples of people expressing appreciation for what he is doing. He knows the band is making a difference. He told a story about how the band treated a 6-year-old, CP-afflicted kid (he had the same walker I had when I was that age) like royalty at a show.

We all spent as much one-on-one time with this kid as we could, he said. Stuff like that, it grabs you by the heart.

While at Rocklahoma, Mendenhall would like to see Stone Sour perform, and he would like to meet Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen, who has long been proving that a rocker can excel despite a disability. Allen lost his left arm following a car accident in the mid-1980s. Def Leppard was scheduled to be the opening night headliner.

Mendenhall said he believes he was put on Earth to be a voice for people with disabilities. Its a win-win situation.

Said Mendenhall: The reward we get out of it is we get to live our dreams of being in a rock band and being able to play with all the bands we grew up listening to and playing all these cool festivals.

Go here to see the original:
Rocker with cerebral palsy uses band to change perceptions at ... - Tulsa World