The Semibeings were an alternative rock band based in Mercerville-Hamilton Square, New Jersey, and active in the 1990s. The band released Sickness and Health on Shimmy Disc in 1995 and Three Pawns Standing on Seattle’s C/Z label in 1997, both produced by Mark Kramer and recorded at his Noise New Jersey studio. The band’s primary members were brother’s Joe and Pat Baker and Keith Monacchio. Playing numerous shows at the City Gardens club in Trenton, the group disbanded in 1999 to pursue other interests. The Semibeings' music was featured on a number of seasons of MTV's The Real World and Road Rules during the 1990s. Beginnings It can be said that The Semibeings started with the pseudo band “The Political Manifestos” in 1989. Joseph Baker and Keith Monacchio became friends while attending Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, during the 80's. Joe and brother Pat were involved in music from an early age. Joe purportedly has hundreds of cassette tapes filled with homemade albums he has made with the assistance of his brother from 1980 to the present including home made album covers and liner notes for each. Irrationally fearing the criticism he felt he would receive if his peers knew of his hobby, Joe had kept this other life "in the closet" till he chose to reveal his secret to Keith who was interested in much of the same music Joe was into. Keith who was known around school as having a great singing voice had aspired to get involved with music himself, but had never had the opportunity until he discovered Joe's secret. While living at Long Beach Island, N.J. during the summer of 1989, Joe and Keith started writing songs together and recording them on cassette tapes as “albums” in the same way Joe had previously been doing and titled their band “The Political Manifestos”. During this time, Patrick Baker who had developed into a truly gifted guitarist and musician in his own right was busy with the role of lead guitarist as one of the original members of the local hard-core band Mouthpiece, co-writing their first EP. After spending several years writing and recording music together just for its own sake, feeling that their music was good enough that others would like it, Keith persuaded Joe to try their hands at truly coming out of the closet and having a go professionally. Joe, whom