Mammal #4: David Hefelfinger
Bringing the Six-String
In the latest evolution of the band, David Hefelfinger has joined as the lead guitarist and will contribute his songwriting abilities and additional vocals to the project.
David has been composing and playing since the early eighties and has had experience playing in all sorts of bands encompassing many different types of music (80's retro, Pop, Beatles Cover Band, Classic Rock, original bands, etc).
He began learning the guitar and piano when he was sixteen and has since written over 200 songs. He can and does write music in many types of genres depending on what is required.
One of his interests was to compose background music for movies and television of which he has created a large portfolio of instrumental pieces. Also, his self-entitled CD called 'Bliss' has had much success via the internet and through word of mouth.
Originally from Alabama, David moved to South Carolina and enjoyed a successful stint with the 80's cover band 88Rewind many years ago, but then split off to focus more on writing original material.
He is known for his dreamy, intense guitar licks and laid back demeanor on stage.
The Mammals are excited to have him on board and look forward to expanding their musical presence online where they hope to carve out a new unique niche in the world of music.
Mammal History
The three founding members of RadioActive Mammals, Stephen Van Camp, Karen Van Camp Roth and Eric Roth have played together in various band incarnations since 1980.
The Front
In 1980, high school friends Richard Montest, Stephen Van Camp, and Karen Van Camp decided to form a new band called The Front. Needing a drummer, they posted an ad for a drummer on the bulletin board of a local music store called Hollowoods. Eric Roth answered the posting seeking a drummer and soon joined the nascent band which now consisted of: Richard Montest on lead guitar and vocals; Eric Roth on drums and vocals; Stephen Van Camp rhythm guitar, keyboards, occasional bass guitar, and vocals; and Karen Van Camp on bass guitar, occasional lead guitar, and vocals. All of The Front’s members sang lead on some songs, but Stephen handled most of the lead vocals. The band primarily played cover tunes of bands such as The Beatles, The Stones, Dire Straits, The Cars, Pat Benatar, and Billy Joel in bars around Pittsburgh.
The band would also include some original songs written by Stephen Van Camp and his writing partner, Gordon Schlegel. The duo would write over 150 songs during their four-year partnership. Generally, Van Camp wrote the music with the basic chorus concept and Schlegel wrote the lyrics to the songs and wrote out sheet music based on a very crude cassette demo by Van Camp. The Front would play some early tracks such as the driving up-tempo songs “I Got the One” and “Love Her Tomorrow”.
The Front experienced personnel changes in the early 1980’s as Richard Montest left to pursue a very successful career as a live sound engineer for local Pittsburgh bands. His replacement, John Trentes, played both lead guitar and saxophone and was also a songwriter. (John is now a songwriter in Nashville with a penchant for penning novelty songs).
For a period, Eric Roth left to play in another band and was replaced. This iteration of The Front began to play more frequently around the western Pennsylvania area and recorded some original material in local studios during 1982.
After the drummer left the band suddenly, Eric stepped back in to play without rehearsal at a scheduled outdoor gig the next day. Eric remained in the band from that point forward.
When guitarist/saxophonist John Trentes departed The Front in 1983 the band expanded to a five-piece for a time with the addition of guitarist Ed McCall and keyboardist Ray Mihalko.
By 1984, The Front once again settled into a four-piece unit with Doug Bischoff on lead guitar and vocals, Eric Roth on drums and vocals, Karen Van Camp on bass and vocals, and Stephen Van Camp on vocals, guitar, and keyboards. This version of The Front continued to mix classic rock, some newer artists such as The Police and Billy Idol, along with a mix of original material such as Sister Grace, Finally Free, and Blitzkrieg Love. This version of the band set attendance and sales records at a few of the bars in which The Front played.
After acquiring a four-track reel to reel recorder, the band began to craft demos of original material. By 1985 Stephen Van Camp was now writing both the music and lyrics to the original material and the band decided to focus on its own songs. One of the demos included It’s No Wonder, Blitzkrieg Love, Cry if You Want To, and Fade to Gray. The Van Camps and Roth recorded for a time with a keyboardist, Ken Matthews (aka Kenny Keys), before deciding to move to Los Angeles in 1986.
In L.A., the band experimented with performing as a three-piece by utilizing keyboard sequencing technology with live guitar, bass, drums and vocals. The band took advantage of a great vocal coach, Wayne Eikenberry, who taught the Seth Riggs method utilized by Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. In 1988, the band decided to head back east when The Front was unable to secure a record deal.
Clockwork Blue
The band purchased an eight-track reel to reel recorder in 1988. In 1989, they began a recording project called Clockwork Blue at a home studio in Pittsburgh with a large number of new songs by Van Camp. Clockwork Blue included the now-married rhythm section of Eric Roth on drums and backing vocals, Karen Van Camp Roth on bass and backing vocals, the multi-talented Bill Hubauer on keyboards, guitar and woodwinds, Gary Prisby on lead and rhythm guitar, and Stephen Van Camp on vocals, guitar and keyboards.
Bill Hubauer is now a member of the highly successful Neal Morse Band, playing progressive rock in a succession of concept albums and tours. Gary Prisby is an in-demand solo performer in the Pittsburgh area.
Taking the Fly
By the 1990’s, Roth, Van Camp Roth, and Van Camp had relocated to Columbia, SC ... but the music never stopped.
In 1996, the group acquired a Roland VS-1680 digital multi-track recorder and began work on an EP called Dream in Color. Stephen, Karen, and Eric released a number of songs on mp3.com under the name Taking the Fly. This new online platform allowed the band to reach its audience without a record company. The songs released included What Love Can Do, Message to my Heart, Walk Away, Get the Picture, and Pray for Rain. Several of these tracks appeared on the mp3.com charts for South Carolina, and What Love Can Do peaked at #1 in South Carolina. Taking the Fly remained a recording project only and did not play live.
In 2015, Taking the Fly completed a rough version of a concept album called Resurrection. The new album was recorded using Pro Tools for the first time. RadioActive Mammals is revisiting the album and will release Resurrection in 2026.
Van Camp continued to write new material and the band periodically recorded songs that have not yet been released, such as Tending the Garden and Friendly Fire, under consideration for release in 2026.
RadioActive Mammals
In 2022, Stephen, Karen and Eric began work on a new album called GLOW. As usual, Van Camp sang lead, played guitar, and keyboards, Karen played bass and occasional lead guitar, and Eric played drums, percussion, and sang backup vocals. The GLOW album was released October 31, 2025, on over 100 streaming sites. CDs of the album will be available in local independent record stores in November, 2025. A vinyl version will be released at a later date.
The GLOW album features 11 original songs from RadioActive Mammals, whose melodic style blends elements of rock, folk, alternative, indie, and pop. GLOW kicks off with the rocking Molotov Cocktail, a conversation with Social Media. Great to be King details the misadventures of a Nero-like leader who watches it all burn. The band then shifts gears with the jangling pop-rock of Mr. Darcy is Dead. Hallelujah follows the narrator’s spiritual journey across the desert in a folk-driven tune that resolves in a hard rocking psychedelic outro. The Mammals follow with the spare folk guitar and cello of Love Unconditional, and Side 1 closes with Still We Ride, an ode to American nomads looking for a break. Side 2 opens with an alternative rock tune recounting the dubious history of the band, Radioactive Mammals. A father urges his son to save himself from a futile war in the keyboard-driven Run. In Stained, ambition gets the better of the narrator as he ruins his life by hooking his star to an unscrupulous leader he knew was trouble. The emotional title track, Glow, deals with the loss of a loved one. Finally, He’s So Romeo closes the album with a rocking song urging a young woman not to fall for the bad boy as the album fades with an extended “na na” chorus.
As of 2026, RadioActive Mammals has expanded its lineup to include lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter David Hefelfinger. This completes the lineup for playing occasional live shows as well as recording. Concerts in other cities are also under consideration.
In 2026, the Mammals are working on an album of new material tentatively titled Cold Fusion.