Brain (musician)

Last updated

Brain
Primus copenhagen 1998 (cropped).jpg
Brain in a 1998 photo with Primus
Background information
Birth nameBryan Kei Mantia
Born (1963-02-04) February 4, 1963 (age 61)
Cupertino, California, U.S.
Genres
OccupationDrummer
InstrumentDrums
Years active1984–present
Formerly of
Website brainarcane.com

Bryan Kei Mantia [note 1] (born February 4, 1963), known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins, and Buckethead. He has also done session work for numerous artists and bands.

Contents

History

Mantia was born February 4, 1963, in the South Bay city of Cupertino, California, to an Italian American father and a Japanese American mother. [1] As a teenager, Mantia became interested in such artists as James Brown, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix, acts that featured groove-heavy sounds. [2] When he was 16 years old, he started playing drums. Because of his 'obsessive' study of the drum book Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony J. Cirone, Mantia was given the nickname "Brain" by members of his high school concert band. [2]

Mantia attended the Percussion Institute of Technology in Hollywood, California, during the mid-1980s to further hone his craft. [2] During this time, he was a member of local funk-rock band named the Limbomaniacs (which would later become part of Ben Wa). [2] In 1989, Mantia joined Primus briefly, before breaking his foot, forcing him to pull out of the band. [2]

In the early 1990s, he joined Praxis, a musical project led by Bill Laswell and initially featuring Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins and Buckethead. The drummer was a mainstay of Praxis for the 1990s, featuring on most of their albums. Mantia recorded with Buckethead on many of Buckethead's solo albums, including Monsters and Robots , Colma , The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell , and Bucketheadland 2 , among others.

Sometime in 1995, Mantia was approached by his cousin Kristin Yee, who was managing industrial metal band Godflesh, to join the band as their drummer. He accepted the offer and performed on their 1996 album Songs of Love and Hate as well as Love and Hate in Dub . However, Mantia was unable to commit his time in Europe and left the band the same year. [3] Some time later, Mantia rejoined Primus, touring with )and recording for) four years with the group, appearing on Brown Album , Rhinoplasty and Antipop . [2]

In March 2000, Mantia joined the revamped lineup of Guns N' Roses after being recommended to singer Axl Rose by Buckethead (who himself had joined the band a few months earlier). [4] [5]

In 2003, Mantia appeared on several songs on BT's 2003 release Emotional Technology as well as BT's score for the 2003 film Monster . [6] [7]

Mantia toured several legs of the Chinese Democracy Tour with Guns N' Roses from 2000 until 2006, when he left the band to take care of his newborn child. [8] Frank Ferrer, originally brought in as just a replacement drummer for the tour, eventually replaced Mantia as full time drummer for the band. Chinese Democracy was released in 2008, and featured drums from Mantia on every track except the title track. Mantia was also credited with writing the songs "Shackler's Revenge" and "Sorry". Parts of Mantia's drumming on the album were note-for-note re-recordings of Josh Freese's parts, who left the band before Mantia joined. [9] [10] Mantia was also responsible for arrangements on "Shackler's Revenge", "Better", "Street of Dreams", "There Was a Time", "Sorry", "Madagascar", and "Prostitute", initial production on "Shackler's Revenge" and "Sorry", engineering on "Sorry", drum machine and drum programming on "I.R.S." and Logic Pro engineering for the entire album.

After leaving the band, Mantia made a guest appearance (alongside fellow former GNR member Robin Finck) at Guns N' Roses' House of Blues West Hollywood show on March 12, 2012. Mantia played congas on "You're Crazy" and "Rocket Queen". He continued to occasionally work for the band on yet to be released remix material. [8]

Since leaving Guns N' Roses, Mantia has primarily been focused on music behind the scenes as a composer and producer.

Mantia had a brief stint drumming with The Crystal Method in 2013 and 2014 (alongside Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus). [11] These performances included appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Last Call with Carson Daly [12] [13]

In 2017, Mantia toured with Buckethead and Dan Monti as part of Buckethead's live show. [14]

Composing

Mantia has partnered with musician Melissa Reese on several projects, a composing team dubbed "Brain and Melissa". [15] In 2010, along with Buckethead, they released the multi-CD sets Kind Regards and Best Regards. Brain and Melissa composed part of the soundtrack to the video game Infamous 2 , for which they were nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Original Composition" by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awards. [16] Other video games the duo worked on include, Midnight Club 2 , PlayStation Home , ModNation Racers , Twisted Metal , Fantasia: Music Evolved and Infamous: Second Son (received the nomination Original Dramatic Score, Franchise at the 2014 NAVGTR Awards, shared with Marc Canham and Nathan Johnson). [17] They also scored the films Detention and Power/Rangers . They have worked with music video director Joseph Kahn on several television commercials, including NASCAR, SEAT, and Qoros. In addition, they scored a commercial for Johnnie Walker Blue which featured a computer-generated Bruce Lee. [18] They also worked on several remixes of songs off of Chinese Democracy for a planned remix album.

The two created a stock music album called "Eclectic Cinema" alongside former Guns N' Roses guitarist Paul Tobias, and Guns N' Roses and Buckethead collaborator Pete Scaturro. [19] Mantia has also worked with Tobias on several other stock music tracks.

The duo performed at the halftime show of a Houston Rockets basketball game on November 10, 2017, performing remixes of "Sorry" and "If the World" from Chinese Democracy, and a cover of KISS's "Do You Love Me?" from Destroyer. [20]

Equipment

Information sourced from "Bryan Mantia's Drum setup". [21]

Drums

DW Collector's Series Maple drums in Tony Williams Yellow Lacquer with Custom Yellow Hardware
18x24 Bass Drum
8x12, 9x13 Toms
16x16, 16x18 Floor Toms w/ Legs
6x14 Edge Snare

9000 Single Bass Drum Pedal
9500 Hi-Hat
9300 Snare Stand
9700 Straight/Boom Cymbal Stand (x6)
9900 Double Tom Stand (x2)
9100 Throne

Cymbals

Zildjian
14" A Mastersound Hi-Hats
19" A Medium Thin Crash (2)
20" K CrashRide
20" A Deep Ride
20" A Medium Thin Crash
22" Oriental China "Trash"

Electronics

Akai MPC 60 II, 3000 LE, 4000
Technics SL-1210MKZ Turntables with a M44Gs stylus
Vestax PMCO5PRO DJMixer

Selected discography and videography

Limbomaniacs
Praxis
Bullmark
Giant Robot
Godflesh
Tom Waits
Primus
Buckethead;
El Stew
No Forcefield
Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains
Serj Tankian
Guns N' Roses
Science Faxtion
Travis Dickerson
Video Games

Notes

  1. ↑ Frequently misspelled as "Brian Mantia"

Related Research Articles

Praxis is an experimental rock project, led by producer/bassist Bill Laswell and featuring guitarist Buckethead and drummer Brain in nearly every incarnation of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Fortus</span> American guitarist (born 1966)

Richard Fortus is an American guitarist. He is a member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has recorded one studio album, since 2002. Fortus has also collaborated extensively with The Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler and fellow Guns N' Roses bandmate Frank Ferrer. Aside from lead singer Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, Fortus is the longest-tenured member of Guns N' Roses, having been with the band continuously since 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Finck</span> Musical artist

Robert John "Robin" Finck is an American guitarist. Finck is the longest-serving touring musician for Nine Inch Nails, performing with the band from 1994 to 2000, and returning in 2008. With Nine Inch Nails, Finck contributed studio performances on The Slip (2008).

<i>Chinese Democracy</i> 2008 studio album by Guns N Roses

Chinese Democracy is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on November 23, 2008, by Black Frog and Geffen Records. It was the first Guns N' Roses studio album since the 1993 covers album "The Spaghetti Incident?", and their first album of original studio material since Use Your Illusion I and II (1991). It languished in development hell for eight years, delayed by personnel and legal problems, label interference, and the perfectionism of vocalist Axl Rose. It was the first Guns N' Roses album without Izzy Stradlin, Slash, and Duff McKagan, and the first not produced by Mike Clink; instead it was produced by Rose and Caram Costanzo.

Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains (C2B3) was an experimental rock supergroup featuring bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Buckethead, keyboardist Bernie Worrell and drummer Brain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guns N' Roses</span> American rock band

Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1985, as the result of a merger between local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic lineup" consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash, McKagan, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese.

<i>Songs of Love and Hate</i> (Godflesh album) 1996 studio album by Godflesh

Songs of Love and Hate is the fourth studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. Released on 20 August 1996 through Earache Records, it is the band's first album to feature live drums, played by drummer Bryan Mantia, combining a heavy metal sound with a more pronounced hip-hop influence, toning down the industrial and mechanical elements of previous releases. The cover is a photograph of Cancer Alley, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese Democracy Tour</span> 2001–2011 concert tour by Guns N Roses

The Chinese Democracy Tour was a worldwide concert tour by American rock band Guns N' Roses to promote the group's album Chinese Democracy. It began in 2001, with three U.S. dates and a Brazilian one, while their 2002 tour included Asian, North American and a few European dates. The band did not tour again until May 2006, when it toured North America again and performed a major tour of Europe. The band's tour continued in 2007 with shows in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Mexico.

"Madagascar" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, written by Axl Rose and keyboardist Chris Pitman and featured on their sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy, released in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckethead discography</span>

Buckethead is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Buckethead's extensive solo discography currently includes 31 studio albums, one live album, two extended plays, five special releases, six demo tapes, & four DVD releases. Since 2011, Buckethead started releasing albums in the "Pikes" series, mini-albums usually around 30 minutes in length, each with a sequential number similar to a comic book. Buckethead has released 655 Pike albums, 175 of which are live albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shackler's Revenge</span> 2008 song by Guns N Roses

"Shackler's Revenge" is a song by Guns N' Roses, and the second track on their sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy. The song was released on September 14, 2008 in the Rock Band 2 video game. The song was written by vocalist Axl Rose, guitarists Robin Finck and Buckethead, drummer Brain, producer Caram Costanzo and engineer Pete Scaturro. It was included as the b-side to the single "Chinese Democracy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Better (Guns N' Roses song)</span> 2008 promotional single by Guns N Roses

"Better" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on their 2008 sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy. It was sent out as the second radio promo from the album, after "Chinese Democracy", but was not commercially released as a single eligible for international sales charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckethead</span> American guitarist (born 1969)

Brian Patrick Carroll, known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street of Dreams (Guns N' Roses song)</span> 2009 promotional single by Guns N Roses

"Street of Dreams" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on their 2008 album Chinese Democracy. The song is the third promotional song sent to radio stations, but was not released as a commercial single eligible for international Singles charts. From 2001 to 2008, the song was called "The Blues", but was changed to "Street of Dreams" for the album's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Monti</span> American musician and record producer

Dan Monti, also known by his stage name Del Rey Brewer or simply Brewer, is an American musician, record producer and audio engineer who has worked with such bands as Metallica, Slayer and Guns N' Roses. The bulk of his work, however, has been in conjunction with Buckethead, with whom he has also toured as a bassist.

"Prostitute" is the fourteenth and final track from Chinese Democracy, Guns N' Roses' sixth studio album, released in 2008. The song is written by Axl Rose and Paul Tobias with additional work by Robin Finck.

"There Was a Time" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, written by Axl Rose, Paul Tobias, Dizzy Reed, and Tommy Stinson and featured on their sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy, released in 2008.

Stray Records was an American record label based in Oakland, California. In its short period of activity from 1998 to 2001 the subsidiary of Dogday Records released several dozen records. Artists of Stray included DJ Cue and Eddie Def as well as Faust & Shortee, Bullet Proof Space Travelers, No Forcefield, Westside Chemical, Mudkids and Oakland Faders. Then Guns N' Roses guitarist Buckethead was signed in January 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Reese</span> American musician

Melissa Reese is an American musician who has collaborated frequently with Bryan "Brain" Mantia and is a current member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses.

References

  1. ↑ "Interview with Guns N' Roses drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia – TalkHumor.com". Wickedinfo.com. November 9, 2008. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Brian "Brain" Mantia – Biography & History – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  3. ↑ NatterNet (September 4, 2018). "Brain talks about Buckethead, Axl Rose, Primus". YouTube. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  4. ↑ Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna (October 30, 2000). "Guns N' Roses Make Buckethead, Robin Finck, & Bob Ezrin Official". heretodaygonetohell.com; Allstarmag.com. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Guns 'N' Roses' Bryan "Brain" Mantia – Modern Drummer Magazine". March 25, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Emotional Technology – BT – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Music from and Inspired by the Film Monster – BT – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Guns N' Roses drummer says Axl Rose wants to release remix album of 'Chinese Democracy' songs". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. April 12, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  9. ↑ Joe Bosso (October 17, 2008). "Brain talks about making Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy". MusicRadar. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Brain Mantia Talks Tom Waits, Axl Rose". www.twentyfourbit.com. May 19, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  11. ↑ Fusilli, Jim (February 3, 2014). "The Right Method". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 10, 2018– via www.wsj.com.
  12. ↑ "The Crystal Method Celebrates 20 Years Together, Release 5th Studio Album". Thedjlist.com. January 13, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  13. ↑ "The Crystal Method To Appear On Last Call With Carson Daly Tonight". Philspicks.wordpress.com. February 4, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Buckethead Announces 2017 Fall Tour". August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  15. ↑ "About – Brain and Melissa" . Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  17. ↑ "NAVGTR Awards (2014)". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  18. ↑ "BBH China brings Legend Bruce Lee back to life in game changing campaign for Johnnie Walker". Campaign Brief. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Eclectic Cinema by Various Artists on Apple Music". iTunes . November 19, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  20. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Anthems (November 12, 2017). "Brain and Melissa live performance – Houston Rockets Half Time Show" . Retrieved January 10, 2018– via YouTube.
  21. ↑ "Brian "Brain" Mantia's drum setup". www.ram.org. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Melissa Reese Music - About". melissareesemusic.com. August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.