Mike Patton

Mike Patton was born in California in 1968 and is one of the most versatile, distinctive and eclectic figures on the rock scene at the turn of the millennium between the late '90s and early 2000s. Throughout his artistic career he has split his time between a solo career, work as a producer, and membership in various bands including Faith No More, Mr. Bungle and Fantômas.

Faith No More, struck by the artist's versatility, ask Patton (then a member of Mr. Bungle) to join the band in 1989. Mike accepts on the condition that he wouldn't have to leave Mr. Bungle. The new Faith No More line-up achieves international fame thanks to albums such as "The Real Thing" (1989), "Angel Dust" (1992) and "Album Of The Year" (1997).

Mr. Bungle, meanwhile, sign a record deal with Warner Bros., partly thanks to the fame Patton had achieved. They release "Mr. Bungle" in 1991 and "Disco Volante" in 1995. It's this latter album that wins over critics, cementing the band's ability to tear down every genre barrier to create innovative, unpredictable music.

In 1998 Faith No More break up and Patton embarks on a new musical project: the supergroup Fantômas, featuring Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn. Fantômas release their debut album, "Fantômas", in 1999, and that same year Patton and Mr. Bungle also put out what would become the band's best album, "California".

The first decade of the 2000s proves an extremely prolific period for Mike. He releases the second Fantômas album, "The Director's Cut" (2001). He forms the experimental band Lovage, with whom he puts out "Lovage: Music To Make To Your Old Lady By" (2001). He contributes to Peeping Tom's self-titled pop record "Peeping Tom" in 2006.

In 2010 Patton releases an album inspired by Italy and bel canto, "Mondo Cane", on which he performs traditional songs from the Fifties and Sixties by Mogol ("20 Km Al Giorno", "L'uomo che non sapeva amare"), Gino Paoli ("Senza fine", "Il cielo in una stanza"), Don Backy ("Canzone") and Ennio Morricone ("Deep Down", "Quello che conta"), with proper respect for that tradition, yet without giving up his own distinctive approach.

In 2012 Patton scores the soundtrack for the neo-noir film directed by Derek Cianfrance, "The Place Beyond the Pines", and in 2015 he releases, together with Faith No More, "Sol Invictus", the band's first new album since 1997's "Album Of The Year".

In 2017, then, comes "Dead Cross", the debut album from the eponymous hardcore punk group formed together with Dave Lombardo and members of punk band Retox. While in 2019 Patton collaborates with French composer Jean-Claude Vannier on the album "Corpse Flower".

Source: Ponderosa.it