Prison from MasticA 99 by Pat Mastelotto

p@ - traps, buttons & production

Lee Patrick Mastelotto was born on the 10th of September 1955 in Chico, California. Pat an autodidact drummer who, like most kids in the 60's took inspiration from "the two R's - Radio & Ringo" as time passed and Pat found himself listening to everything from Hank Williams to Bela Bartok. His heroes became Ginger Baker and Mike Giles for their drumming and Lennon and Rundgren for their songwriting. Pat's own drumming begun at the age of 10, teaching himself by playing along to records.
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By the time Pat moved to LA in 1973 his drumming heroes had become "the Jim's- Jim Gordon, James Gadson and Jim Keltner", within weeks of moving to LA he got his first LA 'session' gig with Juice Newton, but a year or two later when the record surfaced Pat's parts had been redone by Jeff Porcaro and Hal Blaine... reality bites.
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Countless low budget 70's demos session led to meeting, then #1 producer, Mike Chapman who often used Pat for session work. With Chinn&Chap and partner producer Peter Coleman he played on records for Holly Penfield, Shandi, Michael Des Barres, Scandal, Nick Gilder, Danny Wilde, Bernie Taupin, Martin Briley. Mike also helped form a super band with hit songwriters Holly Knight and Michael Des Barres, paired with Prescott (The Knack) and Pat who recorded (later) hits like "Obsession", "Bleeding Babies". This band was crumbling into 'Device' when Pat met the Misters.
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Like most LA musicians he earn a living doing some odd jobs (like stamping envelopes along side Chili Pepper drummer Cliff Martinez) when Kim Bullard (from Poco) advised Pat to contact Richard Page and Steve George. At Pat's audition singer Richard Page grabbed a bass and they jammed on a few of their new songs. Richard kept yelling 'Go!',... so Pat played more and more... Pat later learned Rich was saying 'Ringo!' (because Rich thought Pat had Ringo's feel) Half an hour later Mr Mister was born. They released three albums, the second a number 1 LP selling million's and delivered two #1 hits. This led to session work with Al Jarreau, Pointer Sisters, Kenny Loggins, Patti Labell, Eddie Money, Martika and many others.
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In 1998 guitarist Steve Farris left and an extensive search for a replacement guitarist led Pat to call Adrian Belew's management only to learn Bowie had just reenlisted Adrian. The three remaining Misters went into the studio to record a fourth album (PULL) with guitarists Trevor Rabin and Buzz Feiten. During the two years writing and recording 'PULL' Pat also played on hit albums by XTC and Cock Robin and Jude Cole. On the 25th of September, 1990 the Misters were released from RCA, the fourth album has never been released.
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During the early nineties Pat CoProduced Peter Kingsberry and did sessions including three CD's each for Jude Cole and the Rembrandts, hits within Tina Arena, soundtrack work with James Newton Howard as well as hired gun work for producers Tony Berg and Paul Fox who used Pat for Michael Penn, Ted Hawkins, Robyn Hitchcock, The Sugercubes, Too Much Joy and more. He even did some overdubs for a dance mix of a Rolling Stones Steel Wheels single with producer Don Was.
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In 1993 Pat heard of the Sylvian/Fripp audition and flew to England and soon found himself touring with S/F throughout the year This led directly into the reformation of double trio King Crimson of 1994: At this same time Pat moved his family to the Texas hill country near Austin as Crimson stomped through over a hundred shows, "VROOOM", "THRAK", "THRAKATTACK", "B'Boom", "Deja Vrooom", and "Vrooom Vrooom" and after a short pause into the 1997 KC ProjeKcts.
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As the Crim breaks extended Pat needed more 'human R&D' and started looking for local musical soul mates, finding Gumby and Monkey he formed MasticA and he developed an electronic alter R&D ego as BPM&M (with sound designer Bill Munyon) eventually releasing "XtraKcts & ArtifaKcts".
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1999 saw Pat moving between home and Nashville where King Crimson recorded 'The Construcktion of Light" then back to p@ garage were BPM&M completed ProjeKct X just in time for the Y2CRIM's quick trip around the world pausing briefly to arrange and mix disc 3 of KC's "Heavy Construcktion".
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2001 Pat rejoined Tony Levin but this time with the California Guitar Trio! Then helped introduce Crim to TOOL via emailing drumbud Danny Carrey. After a short cobill of TOOL and KC ending in Mexico City Pat started touring the very next day with the CGT and T Levin in Utah. After an exhilarating but physically abusive two week tour BPMM led the CG3+2 into their favorite Austin studio for 4 intense days of recording followed by several weeks of 24/7 editing until jumping right back into Crimson tour bus co-billing with John Paul Jones to finish out the year. Somewhere in the midst of all that Pat record with Abra Moore, Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets, did live shows with Left Over Salmon and the Spoonfed Tribe and got another dog from the pound.
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2002 marks a return to the studio with King Crimson. Cyber collaborations with German band CENTROZOON, release of the MasticAttack freakout CD, the completion of a duet CD with Terry Bozzio and the start of a duet projeKct with Rhythm Buddy Trey Gunn.
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Pat currently resides in the hill country near Austin Texas with his wife, daughter, 5 dogs, 2 birds, 1 kitty and an inordinate number of drums.
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For p@'s discography visit www.patmastelotto.com/423.0.html
gum B - bass, cello, mandocello,tenor guitar & vocals

�gumB� was born Mark Alan Williams in a small town in Texas. Well, maybe not small, but Houston was much smaller then. They called him �Doc� . L�il Doc had a doxie named Sandy and spent his days chasing his brothers around, or more likely hiding from them. As two of his older brothers learned the violin, he knew he was destined to play something lower, to ease the pain of squeals and squeaks his brothers had tormented him with as they learned their instruments. His first cello was late in the third grade, and to his delight it rumbled and moaned, and he was immersed in it as much as baseball and football, bicycles and slot-cars. This diversity didn�t always come easily, so Mark continued balancing the jock/music thing through high school. Now in a truly small resort town in South Florida on the Caloosahatchee River, his father�s family lived simple lives and he grew up like in a twisted episode of �Flipper�.

Eventually the cello gave way to the bass and one long-haired music gave way to another. Baseball practice and string rehearsals became dingy storage space practices and dances in the gym under the backboards. Soon the bass took all his time. That and a trip to Gainesville made him realize what was out there beyond that little resort town full of shrimpers and back-woods islanders. After a very metaphysical time in Gainesville, where he ripped the frets off his clear acrylic Dan Armstrong bass, played too many country-rock bars and beach front dives to remember, burnt his brain on Hot Tuna and all that goes with, and learned to tolerate guitar players, he was ready to move on. Houston always seemed enticing to him . After returning, he couldn't settle into the big city Houston had become, and it didn't take long to find that jewel to the west known for Willie Nelson and the Armadillo World Headquarters.

Austin was quieter then too, and 6th St. was drug stores and an occasional bar, and UT was a ghost town in the summer. Bike shop jobs and folk gigs seemed to soothe that Florida country-rock burnout and soon he was playing in a popular �electro-celtic� band voted best folk band in the Austin Chronicle. A fun band to see at Maggie Maes back when it was the tiny Guiness-powered rugby player hangout , and bands were free. He married the violinist and had a son named Zebran. They bought a house and opened a bike shop. He picked up the mandocello (basically a large mandolin) from a band mate , which soon brought him back to the cello of his childhood (which he passed on to his son, who also plays cello). But eventually the diddley-diddley of too many Irish tunes took their toll and it seemed the only antidote would be to play some funk.

Answering an ad in the chronicle �Stick People seek funky bassist,� he soon added a new style to his playing with Thor, Malford Mulligan and Craig Ross. They became popular despite their quirkiness, signed a publishing deal with Sony, and toured the country with Poi-dog Pondering and others. But the rock star thing was not to be and they broke up before recording an album. Thor and the now nicknamed �gumB� continued to play together whenever possible despite their �near miss� with rock stardom.

gumB (who , by the way, earned his nickname by being diligently supportive of all Art Clokey efforts and eventually received a call from the �creator of Gumby� which led to a meeting and witnessing of the making of the new Gumby episodes made in the late �80�s) continued to search for new avenues for the bass and cello, and began to write more songs on the bass(which he began in pre Stick People years with another bassist in a lower and slower duo called Basically Speaking and also later in Stick People).

But the usual guitar, bass, drum lineup didn�t exactly tickle his fancy, and on one fateful Valentines day, after many breakups of both the romantic and musical kind he accidentally met his future love and band mate. Playing soprano saxophone (not his favorite instrument at the time) she charmed him with her tone and style , simple yet schooled , dark yet full of light. He slowly converted her musical and romantic talents , which eventually led to the formation of �the Gumby Experience� with his old pal Thor and his new friend Monica (soon to become munkE). They enjoyed a casual existence of fun gigs, no rehearsals and little actual success but they loved it all the same, they kept playing (now as Gumbopolis) when anything �came up�. All in fun but not too serious. gumB continued to pick up bass gigs whenever possible touring with Alejandro Escovedo and later with �the original god of hellfire�-Arthur Brown.

Then came the call that led to their present endeavor, with many trips to the studio and new songs and direction. And that would be none other than Pat Mastelotto, the drummer he and Thor idolized on XTC�s � oranges & lemons�, listening intently on many Stick People road trips. Pat had recently moved to Austin from L.A., looking desperately for some musicians in Austin to expand his already volumous discography. The first day it seemed to click in an eerie but comfortable way, as if they�d played before, stepping outside and back again from relentless grooves and sonic playfulness.

So now here they are these three musicians of diverse talents and styles, trying to bring together something cohesive enough to be called a band, loose enough to be an experiment.

munkE and gumB now have a new addition and inspiration, a new chunk off the wad, a beautiful little girl named Miabel who already plays the organ and bongo�s, and baby scats with her hand in her mouth. Zebran adds the drums to his newest instruments of pleasure, and gumB continues to wrestle with the upright bass, and anything bass clef, including fretless electric and acoustic basses built by his luthier friend Stephen Wise.
munk e - saxophone, clarinet, guitar & vocals

munkE was born Monica Angela Champion to a Spanish mother and American father one cold November day in the town of Madison, Wisconsin. Before turning one year old, her family relocated to the quaint college town of San Marcos, Texas, where her father was offered the position of Spanish professor.

This would be the town where she would prosper until moving 30 miles north to the attend the University of Texas at Austin. Growing up in the shadows of two older bothers, all the three Champion children began piano lessons at a young age. Forced practice time and sibiling rivalry lead to a somewhat speedy resignation of the long tabletop with black and white keys. Music wouldn't be rediscovered until the sixth grade when munkE decided to take up the clarinet.

Discovery of the saxophone in the seventh grade junior high school jazz band lead to a new form of expression. Her interest in jazz flourished and she listened to as many recordings as she could get her hands on. As she moved on to high school, she stayed in the band program, although mandatory marching band didn't set too well with her.

With a passionate drive to finish high school early, munkE researched the possibilities: one correspondence course and a substitution of an English class would allow her to finish her senior year in one semester and attend the local college at the same time.

So she dropped the high school band program entirely and successfully auditioned for a jazz band at Southwest Texas State University. There she would meet the other musicians that would later join her and a high school friend to become Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz.

This band would play a wide range of music: from folky originals to jazz standards to Hendrix covers. The band did well, landing a spot on KUT's Live Set program. Gigging mostly in San Marcos, Wimberly and Austin, the band showed signs of defeat the summer before munkE was to move to Austin. Despite minor quarreling and personnel changes, Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz managed to stay alive throughout munkE�s freshman year as a Music major at U.T

Pacing the practice halls of the Music building one day, munkE saw a message on the bulliten board: "Female Reggae band looking for saxophone player." She called the number and immediately became the newest member of Irie Jane. Smogged out rehearsals and gigs at Mercado Caribe were thoroughly pleasing for the young munkE. Spingtime brought gigs at festivals and two showcases at South By Southwest (on the same night).

Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz became defunct soon after SXSW, so munkE spent her time on music theory homework, staying busy with Irie Jane and a new distraction - a man who called himself gumB. Accompanied by his adorable seven-year-old boy and travelling on bikes, munkE found these two very intriguing. She would be courted for several months with frequent visits by this sweet man who, with a guitar strapped to his back, would ride over to play her a tune.

The clarinet seemed the perfect accompaniment to gumB�s songwriting style. And although there lingered the doubts and fears of lovers being bandmates, they were never apparent enought to have any effect. The two asked for the rythmic help of Thor, gumB's most recent drummer bandmate, and began booking gigs.

At first, the name of the band was The Gumby Experience, which later evolved into Gumbopolis. This was the existing musical situation until the call was received in January of that year from local King Crimson drummer, Pat Mastelotto.

The message mentioned "compositions" and "orchestrations" which was the furthest thing from what this trio would attempt in its primary encounters. A collaboration of impromptu spontaneity at its best. Endless hours of chatter and storytelling would reveal gumB and munkE 's songwriting interests and desires. A combination of all of these elements is what Mastica has become. A careful mixture of structure and improvisation.

Pat Mastelotto is an American rock drummer and record producer who has worked with King Crimson, Mr. Mister, XTC, The Rembrandts, and many others.

patmastelotto.com