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• History of Beta-Minus

• History of Ancestors Of God

• History Of Tharsis Rise

In the year 2007, there formed a rock band in Omaha, Nebraska. It began with studio-owner and musician Jeffrey T. Fenn Jr, in a facility he operated with a friend named Rance Fredericksen. This facility (built into the basement of the home of Jeff’s parents) was called Infinite Productions, and many bands and artists throughout the Omaha area at the time produced music there.
Years earlier, in April 2003, Jeff had recorded a live performance by a TOOL-esque prog-rock band called Indrid Cold, at a venue called The Ranch Bowl. These live recordings have survived to this day. Roughly two years later, in 2005, Jeff reached out to Indrid Cold’s vocalist Steven John, and invited him to come to the studio and add vocals to a number of instrumental tracks. This was the genesis of a new musical identity, though the project was temporarily placed on hold as both Jeff and Steven were drawn into different bands.
The two would reconnect in the summer of 2007, when they recorded a new series of demos at Infinite Productions. The music was primarily written by Steven, who also composed the lyrics and performed the vocals. It seemed a strong foundation upon which to develop an emerging local singer into a unique and active solo artist. With this vision in mind, the two musicians decided to create a live band to perform and promote the music. The first to enlist was drummer Cameron Waters, followed by bassist Paul Love.
As it happens, Jeff, Cameron, and Paul had all played together previously in a metal band called Downshift. As regular rehearsals progressed, it became clear that this new musical ensemble was beginning to develop an identity of its own, essentially supplanting the original idea. By October 2007, David C. Evans, Downshift’s original lead singer, was brought into the group as a dedicated vocalist. While Steven was still very much behind the overall style and songwriting process (as evidenced by the stark contrast with Downshift), the band as a collaborative project was now the primary focus; this was no longer a solo project. Steven shifted his focus to guitar playing and harmony vocals, and David took over primary lyric and melody writing. Drawing upon Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” for inspiration, David also created the name of the band: Beta-Minus. With a new theme and vision now firmly established, things began to come together rather quickly.
The group’s first performance was on November 17th, 2007, at Omaha’s Club Roxbury, to an audience of roughly 800 people. They’d been invited to open for a local nu-metal band called Emphatic, a group founded by guitarist Justin McCain. Emphatic had amassed a strong local following with the help of the region’s sole modern rock radio station, a college radio station called KIWR 89.7FM. Cameron Waters had previously been Emphatic’s drummer; their then-current drummer Matt Denker had played in his first band with Steven John as teenagers back in the ‘90s; and Emphatic spent much time recording numerous demos with Jeff Fenn at Infinite Productions. The connections between the two projects were many.
By Summer of 2008, Beta-Minus had successfully completed their first recording project, an EP entitled We All Fall, which was released independently on August 15th, 2008. On that same date, the band performed a CD Release show at an Omaha venue called The Waiting Room Lounge. The show was an exciting success, and reaction to the recorded material was strong.
Beta-Minus had become a respectable fixture in Omaha’s live music scene, performing many shows and participating in various media events throughout the city. Perhaps a highlight of this era was on the night of Friday March 20th, 2009, when the band opened for Omaha experimental metal powerhouse Paria, at The Slowdown. The show marked the official release of Paria’s second full-length album The Barnacle Cordious, which had also been recorded by Jeff Fenn at Infinite Productions. Sharing the stage for this event were local acts School Of Arms and Civicminded. This was a very satisfying time for Beta-Minus.
By early Summer of 2009, Emphatic was building towards major record label recognition. They'd already been signed, briefly, to Universal Records, but were subsequently dropped under obscure circumstances. They had, nonetheless, retained their local popularity, and were building upon it. Their efforts captured the attention of a California music promoter by the name of Jeff Blue, who worked with Atlantic Records to develop unsigned bands and artists and ultimately sign them to major contracts. There came a time when Blue flew in from California to attend a show and accompany Emphatic to Infinite Productions, where he co-produced a number of new songs. One of these was called “Put Down the Drink”. He also spent time partying with the band at local bars and strip clubs. There was much excitement and tension surrounding Emphatic and anyone close to them; it felt very much like the fulfillment of people’s wildest dreams was just over the horizon.
During this process, it came to light that Jeff Fenn had been solicited to join Emphatic as a synth player, swelling their ranks to seven members. This created great tension within Beta-Minus, as Fenn’s attitude towards it began to deteriorate rapidly. Things came to a head on the evening of June 30th, 2009, when Beta-Minus was invited to open for a touring act called The Dear Hunter, again at The Waiting Room Lounge. With Justin McCain in the audience, Fenn deliberately attempted to sabotage the performance to demonstrate that he no longer cared about Beta-Minus. The band expertly covered for the intentional flub, averting a total on-stage humiliation. But everyone in the band knew what had happened. As soon as the show was over, Fenn instigated a heated argument outside the venue, and then headed immediately to his studio to meet with Emphatic. Days later, he would announce his decision to leave Beta-Minus via a series of vicious text messages, in which he personally attacked the members of the group. His scorched-earth approach left the rest of the band severely embittered. Though they would attempt to carry on without him for some time, including writing new content and even performing a few more shows as a four-piece (“Beta-Minus-One”), the band’s spirit had been effectively crushed.
[[ Emphatic gets signed-
In December 2009, Emphatic did indeed sign to Atlantic records. This was announced by Justin McCain on-air on 89.7 KIWR, the selfsame FM radio station which had been so instrumental in promoting the band for the previous five years. The station’s program director, who was widely seen as Emphatic's de facto manager, conducted this live interview. Many bemoaned an apparent conflict of interest, but what was done was done. As Emphatic began work on their debut album, it was revealed that the production would not include any material performed by the actual members of the band who’d been on board since its inception; the record was to be produced with only McCain and vocalist Patrick Wilson. All other parts were to be performed by session musicians, including drums performed by Josh Freese. It was, in fact, rumored that McCain became so volatile towards Freese during a recording session that he, McCain, had to be escorted out of the facility. Photographs appeared online shortly thereafter, depicting McCain jokingly posing as if he was about to strike Freese in the head with his guitar; this was most likely an attempt to make light of McCain’s outburst. In these photos, Freese seemed completely disinterested.
Emphatic’s first major-label release Damage was released on July 12, 2011. As the record was nearing completion, Justin McCain and Patrick Wilson were out-of-state working on the album while the rest of the band remained in Omaha vigorously rehearsing for the up-coming tour. There came a day when Justin was back in town. A band practice was called, and as the group gathered and began setting up to play, Justin remained seated. Eventually he revealed to the room that everyone in the band besides he and Wilson were going to be replaced by the record company before the commencement of the tour: they’d all been fired. After informing them of this, McCain abruptly left. Not long after, Wilson got into a bar fight in which he was punched in the throat, rendering him unable to sing. He was replaced by a stand-in while he healed, and only returned briefly before stepping down permanently. Jeff Fenn remained part of the line-up and went on a single tour with Emphatic, where he was rumored to be seen going door-to-door asking strangers for sex. He eventually left Emphatic, ostensibly of his own accord. He would later comment that the whole experience had taught him what really wants out of music, as it showed him a reality that he truly doesn’t want. Justin McCain is now the only remaining original member of Emphatic, which was re-branded as Through Fire and is currently signed to Sumerian Records. ]]
As for the remaining members of Beta-Minus, in April 2010, the group performed its final concert, either sold or gave away the last of their merchandise, and formally disbanded. Afterward, they all eventually disengaged from one another in life. The recordings, including the EP and some of the demos from 2007, are all that now remain.
In the years which followed, both Jeff Fenn and David Evans would face serious legal struggles and largely turned away from society.
Paul Love and Cameron Waters left behind their musical aspirations and focused on their families and professions.
Steven John was the only member of Beta-Minus who carried on as an artist and a performer.

Ancestors Of God — Factual Outline
• Steven Linnell was a member of Ancestors Of God from October 6, 2017, through April 8, 2021, alongside Nicholas Platter and Shane “Shanesaw” Wilson.
• The band was an active heavy-music project during Steven’s tenure, releasing two recordings, a music video, and performing numerous live shows and public appearances.
• Steven joined as bassist after responding to Nick Platter’s Facebook post seeking a bass player. The group’s sound was rooted in long-form, atmospheric heavy music, emphasizing mood, repetition, and weight over technical display.
• Steven’s involvement appears to have been materially significant from the beginning. According to his later account, before he joined, the group had not completed a song; within roughly three months of his involvement, the band had written and recorded an EP and performed its first show.
• Steven’s first show with Ancestors Of God took place in January 2018 and was received positively, giving him a sense of vindication after several years away from heavy live performance.
• Steven contributed to the band in several capacities: as a performer, writer, financial contributor, gear purchaser, recording participant, and later as the person who created and maintained the online catalog through which the music remained publicly available.
• As a condition of membership, Steven made regular payments toward rehearsal-space rent and other band expenses. For the first two years, those payments were made in cash without receipts. Beginning in September 2019, he moved payments to Cash App to create a record.
• In the final eighteen months of his membership alone, Steven’s records indicate that he paid Nicholas Platter a net total of $2,010. He also documented $1,781.67 in musical equipment purchased specifically for use in Ancestors Of God.
• Steven also paid invoices to Focus Mastering totaling $596.96. He later argued that these invoices established his ownership of the master tracks distributed through streaming platforms, particularly because the mastering invoices and CDBaby account were in his name.
• Steven calculated his documented investment in Ancestors Of God at $4,388.63, not including the first two years of cash payments. He estimated that his true out-of-pocket contribution was probably above $6,000.
• Over time, Steven became increasingly frustrated with the band’s interpersonal and creative dynamics. He felt that his ideas were often rejected harshly, that his input was controlled, and that his work and money were accepted without corresponding respect or creative agency.
• By October 2019, during work on a second recording project, Steven was seriously questioning whether the band could survive. He objected to certain studio decisions and felt pressured to act against his judgment.
• By February 2020, Steven still hoped the recording project might receive a positive local response, but he doubted the interpersonal problems would improve.
• On April 8, 2021, Steven formally stepped down from Ancestors Of God. He later described the departure itself as calm and direct: he told Nick and Shane in person that it was time to begin doing things his own way.
• The immediate aftermath became hostile. Steven was urged to remove his gear earlier than he believed had been agreed, and a dispute arose over ownership of a headphone amplifier.
• The gear dispute escalated into an angry email exchange with Nick Platter on May 1, 2021. Steven maintained that the amplifier was his property; Nick disputed the circumstances and claimed Steven had overstayed his welcome.
• Steven later acknowledged that his own reaction to the gear incident did not de-escalate the conflict. He described damaging the disputed item rather than simply taking it or walking away.
• By May 4, 2021, Steven wrote that he was at peace with the chapter being closed. He characterized the band as something he had been unhappy in, something he had finally chosen to leave, and something he could still look back on with accomplishment.
• In later statements, Steven emphasized that he had no intention of suing anyone, but retained the financial records as evidence of how much he had invested in the band.
• Steven’s final position was that Nick and Shane were free to rework or rerelease material under a new identity, but that any Ancestors Of God material bearing his name, performances, payments, or administrative work should remain permanently protected from alteration, erasure, or hostile control.
• The essence of the experience: Steven entered Ancestors Of God seeking serious musical collaboration; helped transform the project into a recorded and performing band; invested substantial labor, money, gear, and administrative work; became increasingly alienated by the band’s internal dynamics; left in April 2021 to reclaim creative autonomy; and preserved the public record of his contributions because he believed he had both earned and paid for his place in that work.

Tharsis Rise — Factual Outline
• Tharsis Rise emerged as Steven Linnell’s own musical project after years of participating in bands shaped largely by other people’s visions.
• By January 2022, Steven described the new band as the project he had wanted to launch for years: a vehicle for his own music, presented with a serious commitment to recording, visual art, video, and a complete immersive experience.
• The band made its live debut at The Valley in Tacoma in February 2022. This was Steven’s first live performance in roughly two years, following his last show with Ancestors Of God in February 2020.
• After the debut, Steven regarded Tharsis Rise as one of the strongest creative statements he had made in Tacoma. He saw the project not as a touring-career vehicle, but as a mature artistic statement rooted in authorship, documentation, and self-direction.
• In 2022, Steven entered an ambitious recording process for the Tharsis Rise album. The sessions took place at the Old Rainier Brewery in Seattle, a location connected to his earlier Key Of Solomon history, giving the project a strong sense of personal and artistic closure.
• The album was recorded quickly and intensively, with Steven viewing it as a culmination of years of musical development. He regarded it as the first true successor to his Beta Minus work, after many intervening years spent inside projects that were primarily someone else’s vision.
• From the beginning, the project carried internal strain. Rodney Griffin’s negativity, financial instability, and uncertain future in Washington created pressure around the band. Pete’s personal life and relationship dynamics also complicated the group’s stability.
• Despite the tensions, Steven remained focused on completing the record. By October 2022, the first full mix had arrived, and Steven felt that the work itself had been achieved, regardless of what might happen to the band afterward.
• Rodney’s involvement effectively ended in October 2022 after he announced plans to return to Atlanta because of his father’s illness. This also caused the sudden loss of the rehearsal space, creating logistical and financial consequences for Steven and for another band that had been brought into the space to share rent.
• The record then entered a late-stage mixing and mastering process. Doug Van Sloun raised concerns about the mix, which led to additional revisions by David Green. Steven accepted the need for improvement while emphasizing that the chemistry captured in the recordings should be preserved.
• In December 2022, Steven personally prepared and attempted to deliver promotional materials to KISW 99.9 FM in Seattle, including copies of the single “Vessels” and the full album. Unable to deliver them directly to the station, he mailed the press kit instead.
• On January 1, 2023, the Tharsis Rise album was released.
• In March 2023, KISW’s Loud & Local program played “Vessels,” and Kevin Diers invited Steven to schedule an interview. This represented a major promotional milestone for the project.
• Around the same time, Tharsis Rise resumed rehearsals with Gabriel Valdez as drummer. Steven was initially optimistic about the new lineup, but renewed problems with Pete’s attitude and behavior quickly undermined that optimism.
• By May 2023, Steven concluded that Tharsis Rise should be dissolved. He viewed the album and accompanying video work as a completed artistic statement and did not want further interpersonal bitterness to contaminate the music or the memory of its creation.
• Later in 2023, there was a possible opening for Tharsis Rise to continue after Rodney returned to Washington. Steven approached this possibility cautiously, with a day-by-day attitude.
• In early 2024, the original lineup resumed activity. The band began practicing again, moved toward live performance, and eventually obtained a new rehearsal space at Hush Rehearsal Studios in Steven’s name.
• On June 28, 2024, Tharsis Rise performed at The Valley for the first time in more than a year and a half. Steven viewed the show as a triumph and, in effect, an unofficial album-release celebration for the January 2023 record.
• After the June 2024 show, Steven felt a sense of fulfillment and freedom. He saw the original album cycle as having received its due, and he began thinking about reimagining the band through new material.
• In November 2024, Peter Ruff stepped away from Tharsis Rise, citing work obligations and other musical commitments. The departure was handled amicably, though it again raised questions about the band’s future.
• By 2025, Tharsis Rise had continued with Bradley Phair on bass. However, the project suffered a major rupture on September 26, 2025, when Rodney cancelled a significant Valley performance at the last minute because of illness.
• The September 2025 cancellation deeply affected Steven, especially because he had taken the day off work, helped prepare the venue, and had invited people from important chapters of his musical life to attend.
• In October 2025, a heated argument occurred at rehearsal between Steven and Rodney. Longstanding grievances came to the surface, and Steven came to view the working relationship as no longer salvageable.
• On November 11, 2025, Steven informed Bradley Phair that he was contemplating stepping away and moving the music in a different direction. The result was that Brad and Rodney were no longer part of the project.
• In November 2025, a final equipment-retrieval conflict occurred when Steven attempted to recover his Ampeg SVT Classic and SVT-810E cabinet from a storage unit leased to Rodney. The incident reinforced Steven’s desire to reclaim all equipment and sever remaining dependencies.
• The essence of the experience: Tharsis Rise was Steven’s attempt to reclaim authorship after years of compromised collaboration. It produced a completed album, video work, live performances, radio attention, and a renewed sense of artistic identity. But the project was repeatedly destabilized by unreliable collaborators, rehearsal-space problems, interpersonal tension, cancelled opportunities, and unresolved anger. Its deepest meaning lies in the fact that Steven completed the work anyway: he made the record, brought it to the stage, secured public recognition, and ultimately chose to protect the music by moving forward without the people who had made the project unsustainable.