Mike Benker fronted the Conformists for 19 out of their 23 (and counting) years of existence in the Saint Louis music scene. Mike is the second most consistent member of that band, after Christopher Dee, ingenious guitarist, conceptualist, and co-founder.
The Conformists are an institution in Saint Louis music, and well known in experimental circles in the US and internationally. It's hard to overstate their importance, what they've meant to Saint Louis music over the years. Suffice to say that "seeing the Conformists the first time when I was __ years old" (insert impressionable teen/pre-teen age in the blank) seems to be how a surprising number of STL scenesters' punk initiation stories begin. It certainly figures prominently in our own stories of finding our way down the rabbit hole and into our unique, beloved Saint Louis musical subculture.
That said, the views of Mike as expressed in this interview do not represent The Conformists as a whole.
Enjoy!
