Bryan Mantia
232339
226030521
2008-07-16T14:51:07Z
71.194.224.134
{{Cleanup|date=May 2007}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|Img=Replace this image male.svg <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see [[WP:NONFREE]] --> | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| Name = Bryan Mantia
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| Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| Birth_name =
| Alias = Brain<br>The Man<br>The Myth<br>The Pseudo-Mexican
| Born = 1964
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| Origin = [[Cupertino, California|Cupertino]], [[California]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| Instrument = [[Drums]]
| Voice_type =
| Genre = [[Alternative rock]]<br>[[Hard rock]]<br>[[Funk metal]]
| Occupation =
| Years_active = [[1990 in music|1990]] - present
| Label =
| Associated_acts = [[Giant Robot]]<br>[[Bullmark (band)|Bullmark]]<br>[[Praxis (band)|Praxis]]<br>[[Primus (band)|Primus]]<br>[[Buckethead]]<br>[[Guns N' Roses]]<br>[[Godflesh]]<br>[[Pieces]]<br>[[El Stew]]<br>[[No Forcefield]]<br>[[Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains]]<br>[[Serj Tankian]]
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}}
'''Bryan "Brain" Mantia''' is a contemporary [[rock music|rock]] [[drummer]]. He has played with bands like [[Primus (band)|Primus]], [[Guns N' Roses]] and [[Godflesh]], and with other popular performers such as [[Tom Waits]] and [[Buckethead]] (solo and with Guns N' Roses).
==History==
Born in 1964 in the South Bay city of [[Cupertino, California]], Mantia became interested in such ‘groove heavy' artists as [[James Brown (musician)|James Brown]], [[Led Zeppelin]], and [[Jimi Hendrix]] early on, but it wasn't until he was 16 years old that Mantia began playing drums. Shortly thereafter, Mantia acquired the nickname “Brain" while playing in a high school concert band, due to his obsession with the complex Anthony Cirone book, "Portraits in Rhythm." Mantia continued to perfect his drumming skills, by studying at such music schools as the [[Musicians Institute|Percussion Institute of Technology]] in [[Hollywood]]. The mid ‘80s saw Mantia join the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] funk-rock band, the [[Limbomaniacs]], who broke up later in the decade, but reformed to issue a lone full-length in 1990, Stinky Grooves.
From there, Mantia played with a variety of other outfits, including [[M.I.R.V.]] (Cosmodrome, Feeding Time on Monkey Island), [[MCM]] and the Monster (Collective Emotional Problems), and [[Tom Waits]] (Bone Machine), before co-forming the funk/experimental supergroup, [[Praxis (band)|Praxis]]. Included in the group were Parliament-Funkadelic veterans [[Bootsy Collins]] (bass) and [[Bernie Worrell]] (keyboards), as well as masked guitarist [[Buckethead]] and producer [[Bill Laswell]] -- resulting in countless releases throughout the ‘90s (including such standouts as [[Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)]], Transmutation Live, and Warszawa, among countless others). Mantia continued to work with Buckethead even outside of Praxis -- playing on such solo Buckethead albums as Giant Robot and Monsters and Robots.
The late ‘90s saw Mantia appear on releases by [[Godflesh]] ([[Songs of Love and Hate (Godflesh album)|Songs of Love and Hate]], [[Love and Hate in Dub]]) and longtime friends, [[Primus (band)|Primus]] (whom Mantia was briefly a member of in 1989, before a broken foot led to his exit). His second go-around with Primus proved more fruitful, as Mantia toured extensively with the trio and played on such albums as ''[[Brown Album]]'', ''[[Rhinoplasty (album)|Rhinoplasty]]'', and ''[[Antipop]]''. Mantia also contributed to a side project with [[Larry Lalonde]] called [[No Forcefield]], releasing two albums. Already boasting quite an impressive musical resume, it was about to get even greater, as [[Axl Rose]] invited Mantia to join his overhauled version of [[Guns N' Roses]] in 2000 (at the insistence of Buckethead, who was brought onboard as Slash's replacement). Mantia appeared with the group throughout sporadic live dates in 2001 and 2002, while continuing to lay down tracks for the Guns N' Roses' upcoming studio album, '[[Chinese Democracy]]'.
[http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:7hx7gjwr86iv~T1]
Brain's Lessons: Shredding Repis On the Gnar Gnar Rad is a VHS drum workshop Published by Alfred Publishing. In the video, Brain goes through some of the techniques he feels are important, including Go Go, Funk Patterns, the Ostinato and the Up Down Technique. The video is shot to look like a home movie and includes many humorous moments including a sit down steak dinner with his parents right in the middle of Brain "shredding" on a toy drum set. Although silly at times, the video is extremely informative for drummers looking to learn the hard grooves he is known for.
Mantia appears on several songs on [[Brian Transeau|BT]]'s 2003 release ''[[Emotional Technology]]'' as well BT's score for the 2003 film ''[[Monster (film)|Monster]]''.
In the early summer of 2006, after 4 warm-up dates in New York City, Mantia toured Europe with Guns N' Roses. On [[June 21]], [[2006]] it was announced he was taking a short break from the GN'R tour to spend time with his wife, who gave birth to a baby girl on [[July 4]], [[2006]]. [http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/news/shownews.php?newsid=1660] Since leaving to be a father, replacement drummer [[Frank Ferrer]] has been performing in most of the band's shows. Ferrer was apparently recently promoted to an official member of the band and seems to be handling all live performances for at least the duration of the Fall North American tour, at one point fueling speculation that Bryan Mantia has resigned or been fired from Guns N' Roses. Axl recently introduced Ferrer as "our newest member" during one show in Florida. Nevertheless, band management has stated that, as of now, both Mantia and Ferrer are official members.
==Equipment==
===Drums===
[[Drum Workshop|DW]] Collector's Series Maple drums in Tony Williams Red Lacquer with Custom Yellow Hardware<br>
18x24 Bass Drum<br>
8x12, 9x13 Toms<br>
16x16, 16x18 Floor Toms w/ Legs<br>
6x14 Edge Snare
9000 Single Bass Drum Pedal<br>
9500 Hi-Hat<br>
9300 Snare Stand<br>
9700 Straight/Boom Cymbal Stand (x6)<br>
9900 Double Tom Stand (x2)<br>
9100 Throne
===Cymbals===
[[Avedis Zildjian Company|Zildjian]]<BR>
14" A Mastersound Hi-Hats<BR>
19" A Medium Thin Crash (2)<BR>
20" K Crash/Ride<BR>
20" A Deep Ride<BR>
20" A Medium Thin Crash<BR>
22" Oriental China "Trash"
===Electronics===
Akai MPC 60 II, 3000 LE, 4000<BR>
Technics SL-1210MKZ Turntables with a M44Gs stylus<BR>
Vestax PMCO5PRO DJMixer
==Selected discography==
* ''Brain's Lessons: Shredding Repis On the Gnar Gnar Rad'' (Instructional video 2002)
* ''Brain's Worst Drum Instructional DVD Ever'' (Instructional video 2008)
=== With Science Faxtion===
* ''[[Living On Another Frequency]]'' - 2008
===With Praxis===
* ''[[Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)]]'' - 1992
* ''[[Sacrifist]]'' - 1994
* ''[[Metatron (Praxis album)|Metatron]]'' - 1996
* ''[[Live in Poland (Praxis album)|Live in Poland]] - 1997
* ''[[Transmutation Live]]'' - 1997
* ''[[Warszawa (Praxis album)|Warszawa]]'' - 1999
* ''[[Profanation (Preparation for a Coming Darkness)]]'' - 2008
===With Primus===
* ''[[Brown Album]]'' - 1997
* ''[[Rhinoplasty (album)|Rhinoplasty]]'' - 1998
* ''[[Antipop]]'' - 1999
===With Bullmark===
* ''[[Interstate 76 soundtrack]]'' - 1996
===With Buckethead===
* ''[[Colma (album)|Colma]]'' - 1998
* ''[[Monsters and Robots]]'' - 1999
* ''[[Cuckoo Clocks Of Hell]]'' - 2004
* ''[[Kevin's Noodle House]]'' - 2007
===With Giant Robot===
* ''[[Giant Robot (Giant Robot album)|Giant Robot]]'' - 1996 (NTT Records)
===With Godflesh===
* ''[[Songs of Love and Hate (Godflesh)|Songs of Love and Hate]]'' - 1996 (Earache Records)
===With Pieces===
* ''[[I Need 5 Minutes Alone]]'' - 1997
===With El Stew===
* ''[[No Hesitation]]'' - 1999
===With No Forcefield===
*''[[Lee's Oriental Message|Lee's Oriental Massage 415-626-1837]]'' (2000)
*''[[God Is an Excuse]]'' (2001)
===With Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains===
* ''[[The Big Eyeball in the Sky]]'' - 2004
===With Guns N' Roses===
* ''[[Chinese Democracy (album)|Chinese Democracy]]'' - (TBA)
===With [[Serj Tankian]]===
* ''[[Elect the Dead]]'' (2007)
==References==
1. http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:7hx7gjwr86iv~T1
2. http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/news/shownews.php?newsid=1660
==External links==
* [http://www.wayofthebrain.com/ Official homepage]
* [http://www.drummerworld.com/Videos/Brianmantiagogobeat.html Video of Mantia]
{{Guns N' Roses}}
{{Primus}}
{{Godflesh}}
{{Serj Tankian}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mantia, Bryan}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Heavy metal drummers]]
[[Category:American rock drummers]]
[[Category:Guns N' Roses members]]
[[Category:Primus members]]
[[Category:San José State University alumni]]
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