Lee Patrick Mastelotto (born September 10, 1955) is an American rock drummer and record producer. He has been a member of King Crimson, Stick Men, Mr. Mister and O.R.k., as well as working as a session drummer with XTC, The Pointer Sisters and The Rembrandts (including well known Friends theme song I'll Be There for You), among others.[1] In addition, he has led or co-led other projects including Mastica, Tuner, TU and The Mastelottos. [2][3]
Pat Mastelotto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lee Patrick Mastelotto |
| Born | September 10, 1955 Chico, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Progressive rock, jazz fusion, pop rock, progressive metal |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, electronic percussion |
| Member of | King Crimson, Stick Men, O.R.k. |
| Formerly of | Mr. Mister, HoBoLeMa, The Rembrandts, XTC, Tuner |
| Website | PatMastelotto.com |
For King Crimson, he initially formed part of the "Double Trio" lineup from 1994 to 1997, working with Bill Bruford as part of a double-drumkit arrangement. Following Bruford's departure in 1997, Mastelotto remained with King Crimson, becoming their longest-serving drummer and working both solo and in various configurations with subsequent drummers Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin and Jeremy Stacey.[4]
Mastelotto is a pioneer and continuing developer of a mixed acoustic-and-electronic drumming approach which he refers to as "traps and buttons", and which incorporates techniques and methods from rock, pop and electronic dance music styles.[5] As well as being a drummer, he works as a producer, engineer and mixer, working extensively with digital audio workstations.[6]
Career
editEarly years and Mr. Mister
editMastelotto was born in Chico, California.[1] He started playing the drums at the age of 10; by the time he was 16 he was playing in popular local bands and while still in high school commuted several hours to Lake Tahoe for gigs. Moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, Mastelotto worked for many bands and as a studio session drummer. In this capacity he worked for Martin Briley, Holly Knight, Scandal, Al Jarreau, The Pointer Sisters, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Martika, Danny Wilde and Holly Penfield as well as playing drums on the double platinum album Rockland by Canadian rock musician Kim Mitchell.[7][8]
In 1982 Mastelotto was a founding member of Mr. Mister. The band had a number one album, Welcome to the Real World, and two number one singles, "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie". They recorded four albums, with the fourth, Pull, recorded in 1989–1990 but remaining unreleased until late 2010.[9]
His tenure with Mr. Mister was followed by more session work for bands such as XTC, The Sugarcubes, Hall & Oates, Cock Robin, The Rembrandts, Jude Cole, Eddie Money, Tina Arena, Matthew Sweet, Julia Fordham, Robyn Hitchcock and David Sylvian. In 1991 Mastelotto co-produced Peter Kingsbery's first solo album before being asked to join King Crimson.[10]
King Crimson
editMastelotto has been a member of King Crimson since 1994, resulting in him becoming their longest serving drummer. He was the first of two drummers hired for the "Double Trio" line-up of the mid-1990s, the second being previous long-term King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford. Mastelotto and Bruford operated as parallel drummers for the Double Trio, playing different styles and parts which sometimes intermeshed and sometimes worked separately. Following Bruford's departure in 1997, Mastelotto became the band's sole drummer, working mostly on the electronic Roland V-Drums set and bringing in simultaneous/triggered electronic drum loops and textures based on his interest in intelligent dance music and drum and bass. For King Crimson's 2008 lineup, the band returned to a double-drummer arrangement with Mastelotto now joined by Gavin Harrison.[11]
For the period of King Crimson activity lasting from 2013 to 2021 (the "Seven Headed Beast" and "Three over Five" line-ups), Mastelotto played as part of a three-drummer arrangement, initially with Harrison and Bill Rieflin, and subsequently with Harrison and Jeremy Stacey. In each of these setups, Mastelotto also took on an extended percussionist role incorporating multiple sound effects, samples and programs (taking on something of the function played by percussionist/"allsorts" contributor Jamie Muir in the 1972 King Crimson).[11]
To date, Mastelotto has appeared on three King Crimson studio albums (Thrak, The ConstruKction of Light and The Power to Believe, released between 1995 and 2003), one mini-album, two EPs and numerous live releases between 1995 and 2022.[12]
King Crimson-related
editDuring, and in parallel to, his King Crimson work, Mastelotto has been an integral part of several King Crimson-related bands. He produced, edited, mixed and played on the ProjeKct 3 and ProjeKct 4 releases by the band's "ProjeKcts" subgroupings, playing a particularly dominant role on the IDM-influenced ProjeKct 3.[13]
Mastelotto also played with League of Crafty Guitarists who formed Fripp adjacent bands; one was California Guitar Trio. Along with Tony Levin and CGT, such pieces as Mahavishnu Orchestra covers were done.[14]
Mastelotto currently works with King Crimson bass/Chapman Stick player Tony Levin and centrozoon's touch guitarist Markus Reuter in the art rock trio Stick Men.[15] He is also a member of the progressive/experimental bands TU (with fellow King Crimson alumnus Trey Gunn), KTU (with Gunn, Kimmo Pohjonen and Samuli Kosminen), and Tuner[16] (a duo with Markus Reuter).[15]
Mastelotto was one of the two drummers in the Crimson ProjeKct, a six-piece band which merged Stick Men with the Adrian Belew Power Trio in order to play King Crimson music from the 1980s to 2000s periods. In conjunction with engineer/programmer Bill Munyon, Mastelotto formed the IDM project BPM&M (which to date has recorded one album, 2001's 'XtraKcts & ArtifaKcts', which featured or sampled many King Crimson members and associates). In early 2021 he released a new album, A Romantic's Guide to King Crimson, with his wife Deborah on lead vocals, credited to The Mastelottos. The album featured reworked versions of twelve King Crimson songs, deliberately re-arranged in a more popular style in order to accent the group's songwriting and its gentler side.[17][18]
O.R.k.
editIn 2015, Mastelotto joined Carmelo Pipitone (guitarist of Italian band Marta sui Tubi), Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari (singer and keyboard player with Berserk! and Obake) and Colin Edwin (former bass player with Porcupine Tree) in a new heavy progressive rock band called O.R.k. Their first album, "Inflamed Rides", was released the same year and was followed in 2017 by Soul of an Octopus, in 2019 by Ramagehead (with artwork by Adam Jones of Tool) and in 2022 by Screamnasium.[19][20]
Other projects
editMastelotto's other projects include Mastica (an Americana/art-rock trio with Mark "Gum B." Williams of Poi Dog Pondering/Alejandro Escovedo band and Monica 'MonKey' Champion from Baboon Orchestra), and M.P.TU (with Little Feat guitarist Phil Brown, singer Malford Milligan and Spirit/Firefall/Heart bassist Mark Andes).[21] He has continued to guest with Jay Terrien, Cock Robin, drummer Terry Bozzio, Mecca, Herd of Instinct, Tony Levin and the California Guitar Trio, and has contributed to major network television themes.[22]
Since moving to Austin, Texas, Mastelotto has worked with Austinites Storyville, Abra Moore, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and theremin player Pamelia Kurstin. In 2007 Mastelotto went on tour with The Flower Kings in Europe supporting their album The Sum Of No Evil, followed by an appearance at the enormous Creation of Peace festival in Kazan, Russia, with Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Eddie Jobson. This was followed by another new project, HoBoLeMa, with Levin, Bozzio and Allan Holdsworth.[23]
In 2014, he released a collaborative album with Tobias Ralph called ToPaRaMa.[24]
Discography
edit| Year | Projects | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Martin Briley | One Night with a Stranger |
| 1984 | Mr. Mister | I Wear the Face |
| 1985 | Mr. Mister | Welcome to the Real World |
| 1987 | Mr. Mister | Go On... |
| 1989 | XTC | Oranges & Lemons |
| 2010 | Mr. Mister | Pull (Recorded 1989–1990) |
| 1994 | King Crimson | Vrooom |
| 1995 | King Crimson | THRAK |
| 1995 | King Crimson | B'Boom: Live in Argentina |
| 1996 | King Crimson | Thrakattak |
| 1998 | ProjeKct Four | West Coast Live |
| 1998 | ProjeKct Four | Live in San Francisco/The Roar of P4 |
| 1999 | ProjeKct Three | Masque |
| 1999 | ProjeKct Three | Live in Austin, TX |
| 1999 | King Crimson | The ProjeKcts |
| 1999 | King Crimson | The Deception of the Thrush: A Beginners' Guide to ProjeKcts |
| 2000 | Bozzio / Mastelotto | Bozzio / Mastelotto |
| 2000 | ProjeKct X | Heaven and Earth |
| 2000 | Mastica | 99 |
| 2000 | King Crimson | the construKction of light |
| 2000 | King Crimson | Heavy ConstruKction |
| 2001 | King Crimson | Level Five |
| 2001 | King Crimson | Vrooom Vrooom |
| 2001 | BPM&M | XtraKcts & ArtifaKcts |
| 2002 | Rhythm Buddies (TU) | Thunderbird Suite |
| 2002 | Mastica | MasTicAttack |
| 2002 | California Guitar Trio with Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto | CG3+2 |
| 2002 | King Crimson | Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With |
| 2003 | King Crimson | The Power to Believe |
| 2003 | King Crimson | EleKtrik: Live in Japan |
| 2003 | TU | TU |
| 2005 | TU | Official Bootleg |
| 2005 | Tuner | TOTEM |
| 2005 | KTU | 8 Armed Monkey |
| 2007 | Tuner | POLE |
| 2007 | M.P.TU | M.P.TU |
| 2008 | Tuner | MÜÜT |
| 2008 | Pat Mastelotto & Pamelia Kurstin | Tunisia |
| 2009 | Tuner | ZWAR |
| 2009 | KTU | Quiver |
| 2009 | Stick Men | Stick Men [A special edition] |
| 2010 | Stick Men | Soup |
| 2011 | TU | Live In Russia |
| 2011 | Stick Men | Absalom EP |
| 2011 | Stick Men | Live In Montevideo 2011 |
| 2011 | Stick Men | Live In Buenos Aires 2011 |
| 2011 | The Flower Kings | Tour Kaputt |
| 2012 | Stick Men | Open |
| 2013 | Stick Men | Deep |
| 2013 | The Crimson Projekct | Official Bootleg Live 2012 |
| 2014 | Stick Men | Power Play |
| 2014 | Stick Men | Unleashed: Live Improvs 2013 |
| 2014 | The Crimson Projekct | Live In Tokyo |
| 2014 | Pat Mastelotto, Tobias Ralph | ToPaRaMa |
| 2015 | KoMaRa | KoMaRa |
| 2015 | O.R.k | Inflamed Rides |
| 2015 | King Crimson | Live at the Orpheum |
| 2015 | King Crimson | Live EP 2014 (Vinyl Cyclops Picture Disc) |
| 2016 | King Crimson | Live In Toronto |
| 2016 | King Crimson | Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind |
| 2016 | Stick Men feat. David Cross | Midori: Live In Tokyo |
| 2016 | Stick Men | Prog Noir |
| 2017 | O.R.k | Soul of an Octopus |
| 2017 | King Crimson | Heroes - Live In Europe, 2016 |
| 2017 | Tuner | FACE |
| 2017 | King Crimson | Live in Chicago |
| 2017 | Stick Men feat. Mel Collins | Roppongi - Live In Tokyo 2017 |
| 2019 | O.R.k. | Ramagehead |
| 2020 | David Cross and Peter Banks | Crossover |
| 2021 | The Mastelottos | A Romantic's Guide to King Crimson |
| 2021 | Frost* | Day And Age |
| 2023 | Tu-Ner | T-1 Contact Information |
References
edit- ^ a b Hayes, Kelvin. "Biography: Pat Mastelotto". AMG. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ^ Prasad, Anil (2017). "Pat Mastelotto: The Irresistible Blowtorch". innerviews.org. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Mastelotto, Pat (November 11, 1999). "MasticA 99". bandcamp.com. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Chiu, David (June 16, 2020). "Drummer Pat Mastelotto On 25 Years With King Crimson, Recording Mr. Mister's Hit Album, And Life In Quarantine". Forbes. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ "XTC Reel by Real: XTC: Oranges & Lemons". chalkhills.org. November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ "Pat Mastelotto net worth". People Ai. November 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Chapman, Lee (March 3, 2023). "King Crimson – "The Drummer's Drummer" – The Pat Mastelotto Interview". Produce Like A Pro. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ "Rockland Kim Mitchell Released 1989". ML Genius Holdings, LLC. 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Kachejian, Brian (May 2024). "Complete List Of Mr. Mister Albums And Songs". ClassicRockHistory.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Dudek, Les (2024). "1991 Peter Kingsbery – A Different Man". Sessiondays. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Blanchard, Wayne (October 2017). "The Drummers Of King Crimson". Drum! Magazine. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Stevens, Will (March 31, 2024). "King Crimson Albums Ranked — An In Depth Analysis into the Founders of Prog". Medium. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ "What Could Have Been". tvtropes.org. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "Dance of Maya". YouTube. July 16, 2015.
- ^ a b "Pat Mastelotto interview on Outsight Radio Hours". Archive.org. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
- ^ myspace.com, Official Tuner MySpace page, retrieved May 8, 2010
- ^ Ewing, Jerry (January 6, 2021). "Pat Mastelotto and wife to release new King Crimson covers collection". Louder.
- ^ "The Mastelottos - A Romantic's Guide to King Crimson". Pat Mastelotto's official website. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Ewing, Jerry (October 7, 2024). "O.R.k. return with powerful new single Blast Of Silence". Louder by Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "O.R.k." Spirit of Rock. 2003–2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Roman, Sokal. "Mastica: Mastica '99 CD". TapeOp.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ "Band". Stick Men. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ "Interview: Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, Mr Mister, HoBoLeMa, TU, KTU)". Hit-channel.com. April 11, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ Turner, Mark F. (June 20, 2014). "Pat Mastelotto / Tobias Ralph: ToPaRaMa (2014)". All About Jazz. Retrieved June 21, 2014.