Chris Mancinelli:
My Checkered Career
(or more than most would like to know....)
- Raised amongst the cornstalks of Illinois and amid the Blue Ridge Mountains
of North Carolina.
- Brilliant child star (according to my mother) in Summer Opera
series: performs in La Boheme, Aida, Annie Get Your Gun, The King and
I, Samson and Delilah, Barber of Seville, La Traviata to name but a
few. Falsetto roles later diminished due to onset of puberty. Joins Opera
Chorus as teen.
- Piano lessons from age 5 to 14. Loves “Boogie-Woogie,”
Bach and Burt (Bacharach).
- Stars in Rice Krispies commercial at
age 11. Airs nationally for a year and plays during the Academy Awards broadcast.
30 seconds of fame! (and easy money)
- Cello studies from age 11 to 17. Becomes principal cellist
in high school orchestra, despite frequently altered states due to excessive
bong usage.
- Age 15 - Initiates drum set studies. Drums are an immediate
outlet for a misguided and rebellious teen. I just want to rock!
- English/EuroProg-Rock Fanatic - Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, Gentle Giant,
Deep Purple, The Who, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, etc. Driven by teen angst
I’m sure.
1976-1980: College Days
- Attends and graduates from Berklee College of Music Boston, Massachusetts.
Discovers Jazz-Fusion, Bebop, Salsa, and Brazilian Music. In demand drummer
in Boston jazz scene, but just wants to rock....
- Initial exposure to the jazz greats - Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Duke
Ellington Thelonius Monk, Ornette Coleman, etc. Hears Music for 18 Musicians
by Steve Reich and rediscovers John Cage. Perception of music is changed
forever, but still wants to rock...
- Tours South America with Frank Quintero as opening act for Tina Turner.
Highlight of the tour is a riot at the Caracas, Venezuela
show. Military police line the stage armed with machetes and we are whisked
off stage and out of the building.
1981: Manifest destiny:
Heads west to Los Angeles.
- Returns to Rock Drumming. Works steadily in LA club scene and tours with
Blues Goddess Bonnie Bramlett Band and Cajun legend Jo-El Sonnier.
1983-1991: The LA Club Scene
- Forms BLOC with Steuart Liebig, Nels Cline, Nick
Kirgo, and Camille Henry. Becomes quite a successful
local act with much critical acclaim. Lasts for 8 long years culminating
in a major label deal on A&M Records. One release. Band implodes due
to...well it just implodes. The group finally fractures and disintegrates
in 1991 aided by the members’ naiveté regarding the realities
of the record business. Yuck!
- •Receives professional endorsements from Paiste Cymbals,
Rimshot Drum Sticks, and Evans Drum Heads. Is
featured in “Modern Drummer” magazine.
- Works on several musical scores for visual artist documentaries in collaboration
with Long Beach Museum of Art Video Annex.
- 1991: Impoverished and emotionally drained from the psycho-dysfunctional
BLOC experience. Retires from drumming due to chronic tendonitis in both
wrists and a lack of creative playing opportunities in the Rock/Pop music
world. Doesn’t want to rock anymore....placed on injured reserve.
- 1991: Accepts job in the live concert business as a manager
in touring at Concerts West.
1992-2008: The rest of the story
- 1992-95: Accepts job in personal management and runs the affiliated Gecko
Records label in Beverly Hills for three years.
- 1993: Returns to music as composer/ producer/ performer for the quirky
Norwegian pop band Borneo Express. The album yields
3 top ten hits on Scandinavian radio but not much else.
- 1995: Signs record deal with Apollon Records in Japan with Osamu
Kitajima. Fun stuff! Creates Beyond The Circle. The album
is also released in USA/World on Higher Octave.
- Begins exploration of digital audio recording/ programming/ production.
Starts to lock self in studio…..tweaking obsessively.
- 1995-2004: Hired as tour manager for English Prog/Rockers the Moody
Blues. Begins an extreme work life of private jets, 5 star hotels,
expensive wines, and 6 shows a week in different cities. All residing in
the proverbial “fast lane.” Touring 3 times a year and actually
thriving in the high-pressure/breakneck environment.....hey it’s a
great day job! Fortunately balanced by staunch middle class life style and
comfortable home life.
- 1995-2004: Continues to work with music in Japanese and SE Asian markets
on many and varied commercial releases as producer/ arranger/ performer
with partner Osamu Kitajima for Toshiba/EMI, Warner Bros/Japan,
and Pony Canyon.
- Consults for Steinberg/Cubase and is the featured
artist in the March 2001 online magazine. Unfortunately, Cubase
goes corporate and online magazine gets canned. All my colleagues quit or
are fired.
- Explores the expanding world of electronica hybrid styles.
Seduced by the potentials of music technology. The possibilities are endless!
- Several wacky side projects such as Fabulous Breaker Boys
(techno-surf extravaganza; #1 on mp3.com) and dance re-mixes of classic
Japanese pop music for Warner Bros/Japan and Sony Classic. Sukiyaki
re-mix becomes a dance classic in SE Asia.
- 2002: Creates new album with Osamu under the name of Dragon Chi
for Miles Copeland’s mondorhythmica label.
One track is released on Zen and the Art of Chilling Vol.2 but
the product manager misspells name as “Dragon Chai.” The full
album is never put out due to downsizing of the label, the result of the
steep decline in worldwide CD sales. Dragon Chi CD eventually self-released
online @ www.eastquest.com.
Great stuff.
- 2003: As frustration capitulates with the commercial record businesss,
decides to explore complete independence. Initiates the Twilight
Archive project for self-release, focusing on experimental/down
tempo sonic landscape creations with a little bit of Feng Shui (that’s
pronounced “Fung-Schway”). First album released in 2004. Available
@ www.cdbaby.com
- 2004-2008: continues management work with Moody Blues - it's a gold mine. thank my lucky stars.
- 2006-2008: works on compositions for 2nd Twilight Archive album when not travelling on the road
- 2007: becomes a father...it's the end of the world as we know it....but I feel fine!
- 2008: releases new Twilight Archive album entitled “Ritual Fiction” — the third release on my mythical label — electrophonogram