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Self is a rock band that is mostly the brainchild of one Matt Mahaffey from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Mahaffey began his musical career as a drummer, forming his first band at the precocious age of nine or ten with band members twice his age. Having gigged with punk, reggae, and pop bands, and even bluegrass square-dancing bands, Mahaffey went on to produce beats for rap artists out of his college dorm room. His diverse musical tastes would contribute to Self's unique sound. He later founded the indie record label Spongebath with his bandmate at the time, Seth Timbs, and manager Rick Williams.

While Mahaffey has received nearly all the attention for the music, he is not the only member of the band or the sole songwriter. Current members of the band include Chris James (keyboards, piano, samplers, guitar, backing vocals), Mac Burrus (bass guitar, keyboards, horns, backing vocals), and Jason Rawlings (Drums). Past members include Matt's brother, Mike Mahaffey (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Timm Nobles (bass guitar). Because Matt is proficient in almost all of the instruments that Self uses, he plays most of the instruments on the albums; the other members contribute occasional parts on albums and participate in live performances. Seth Timbs has also played a small role in the band's songwriting and contributes vocals to a cover of the hit song "Dizzy," but is not an official member of the band.

Self's debut album, Subliminal Plastic Motives, was released in 1995 on the Spongebath label. It was followed by The Half-Baked Serenade in 1996 and an album released for free via the Internet in 1997 called Feels Like Breakin' Shit. An EP titled Brunch (1998) and the album Breakfast with Girls (1999) were co-released by the Spongebath and Dreamworks labels. Back at Spongebath, Self released Gizmodgery in 2000, an album that copies Pianosaurus'(Groovy Neighborhood, 1987) concept of an album created entirely with children's toy instruments. That same year, Self released two more free Internet-only albums, Self Goes Shopping and Selfafornia.

In 2005, Self again released an album for free on the Internet. Porno, Mint, and Grime consists of demos recorded during the 2001-2004 sessions for the album Ornament and Crime which has not yet been released.

Self also recorded a cover of "Ana Ng," for the They Might Be Giants tribute album Hello Radio, released July 2006.

Their album Ornament and Crime is fully complete, however Dreamworks (their record label) has declined to release the album for unknown reasons. A few songs from Ornament and Crime have been featured on the band's MySpace, but the band has mostly given up on releasing it and moved on to other projects.

A DVD has also been completed, but due to legal reasons, may or may not be released. The performance includes a cover of AC/DC's hit song "Back in Black," which has not yet been approved.

The future of Self is somewhat uncertain. Mike died in May 2005, and his role in the band has yet to be filled. The remaining members played a special show in his honor October 09, 2005, but other than "Ana Ng" and one other new song, "Sucked Out the Center," there has been little activity as Self since then. Members of the band have also been working on other projects. Jason has been drumming for the band Suburban tragedy, and Matt has formed a new band, Wired All Wrong, with God Lives Underwater member Jeff Turzo. That band released their first album, Break Out The Battle Tapes on September 12, 2006. Matt and Chris have also been working on production for various artists.

On January 13, 2007 Matt announced on his MySpace blog that a new Self album was in the works. There is currently no projected release date.

• Subliminal Plastic Motives (1995) - LP
• The Half-Baked Serenade (1996) - LP
• Feels Like Breakin' Shit (1997) - internet album
• Brunch (1998) - EP
• Breakfast with Girls (1999) - LP
• Gizmodgery (2000) - LP
• Self Goes Shopping (2000) - internet album
• Selfafornia (2000) - internet album
• Ornament & Crime (2004) - Unreleased LP
• Porno, Mint, and Grime (2005) - internet album

• Matt Mahaffey / Self MySpace page
• Self's discography at the Discogs database