Mike Patton could very well be one of the most versatile and talented singers in
rock music. He may be
rock's most valuable player as well, since he has divided his time between at least five projects:
Faith No More,
Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, Tomahawk and an
experimental solo career. Born in Eureka, CA, on January 27, 1968,
Patton discovered his vocal talents when he and some high school friends formed the wacked-out
Mr. Bungle.
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The group touched upon almost every musical style imaginable and became popular in their region. The members of
Faith No More first met
Patton around 1988, when they were playing a show in the area. The group was having problems with their singer at the time, Chuck Mosley, and gave a careful listen to a
Mr. Bungle demo that
Patton gave the group. They were blown away. When Mosley finally got the boot a short time later, the band set out to find a replacement. Since
Patton was quite content with being a college student and playing with
Mr. Bungle, he didn't exactly jump at the invitation (interestingly, the band also asked
Chris Cornell of
Soundgarden). Eventually he did change his mind, but made it clear that he would be a member of
Faith No More and
Mr. Bungle.
Patton proved to be an important addition to
FNM, as they gained worldwide fame and notoriety with releases like
The Real Thing,
Angel Dust, and
Album of the Year.
Mr. Bungle signed to Warner Bros., due in part to
Patton's newfound fame, and released their self-titled debut in 1991 (produced by experimentalist
John Zorn) and the critically acclaimed Disco Volante in 1995. Although they didn't acquired massive
FNM-like success, they obtained a loyal and constantly growing fan base.
Patton continued to work with
John Zorn, releasing a pair of solo albums for
Zorn's Tzadik label, in addition to guesting on tracks by
Sepultura,
the Kronos Quartet, and the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., among others. A year after
Faith No More called it a day in mid-1998,
Patton launched his own record label, Ipecac. The label's first release was the self-titled debut by the
Patton-led, all-star
experimental outfit Fantomas, who also included former
Slayer drummer
Dave Lombardo,
Melvins guitarist Buzz Osbourne, and
Mr. Bungle bassist
Trevor Dunn.
Patton then returned to
Mr. Bungle, contributing to one of their finest albums, the
Beach Boys-tinged
California. He subsequently joined ex-Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison's Tomahawk (featuring ex-
Helmet drummer John Stanier and
Melvins bassist Kevin Rutmanis) and formed the
R&B/pop/
electronic experiment Lovage (a collaboration with
hip-hop producer
the Automator). He also contributed tracks to Tzadik Records' tributes to
Burt Bacharach,
Serge Gainsbourg, and
Marc Bolan. 2001 saw the release of Fantomas' sophomore effort, The Director's Cut, the debut recording of Tomahawk, and a collaboration with Dan the Automator on the Lovage album. Lovage was met with great enthusiasm to new audiences, inspiring Dan the Automator and
Patton to collaborate on more songs throughout 2002 for a Peeping Tom album. And when old friends Dillinger Escape Plan found themselves without a singer that spring,
Patton stepped up and helped them put together a new EP, even continuing as a temporary singer after they had filled the position. After six years of perfecting Patton's warped take on a pop album, Peeping Tom was finally released in May of 2006.
