Stick Men

Stick Men – Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto, the powerhouse bass and drums of the group King Crimson for a few decades, bring that tradition to all their playing. Levin plays the Chapman Stick, from which the band takes it’s name. Having bass and guitar strings, the Chapman Stick functions at times like two instruments. Markus Reuter plays his self-designed touch style guitar – again covering much more ground than a guitar or a bass. And Mastelotto’s drumming encompasses not just the acoustic kit, but a unique electronic setup too, allowing him to add loops, samples, percussion, and more. Members of STICK MEN have recorded on albums that sold over 100 million records worldwide and all 4 individual members have played collectively in many different projects in past 5 decades in over 90 countries worldwide.

Tony Levin – Born in Boston, Tony Levin started out in classical music, playing bass in the Rochester Philharmonic. Then moving into jazz and rock, he has had a notable career, recording and touring with Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Yes, Alice Cooper, Paul Simon, Seal and many more. He has also released 5 solo CDs and three books of photohraphy and poetry. In addition to touring with Stick Men, he is currently a member of King Crimson (since 1980) and Peter Gabriel Band (since 1977), and jazz bands Levin Brothers (with his older brother Pete Levin) and L’Image (with Steve Gadd, Mike Manieri, David Spinozza, Warren Bernhard). Tony Levin is one of the most recorded bass players in history of music, appearing on over 1000 albums, and one of the most iconic and recognizable rock musicians in the past 5 decades. His popular website, tonylevin.com, featured one of the web’s first blogs, and has over 5 million visits.

Pat Mastelotto – Very rarely does a drummer go on to forge the most successful career on the demise of their former hit band. Phil Collins and Dave Grohl have managed it, so too has Pat Mastelotto, a self taught drummer from Northern California, who has also been involved with pushing the envelope of electronic drumming. Pat has spent a lifetime jumping genres from pop, to prog, to electronica to world music with – among others – Mr. Mister, XTC, David Sylvian, The Rembrandts, Kimmo Pohjonen, and for the last 25 years with King Crimson.

Markus Reuter – Markus is a composer, guitarist, and producer. Initially trained as a pianist, he subsequently studied Robert Fripp’s Guitar Craft and learned to play the Chapman Stick, later moving onto the U8 Touch Guitar. Reuter has re- leased several solo recordings and worked extensively with other musicians. He is one of the core members of the experi- mental band Centrozoon, is half of the duo Tuner (with Pat Mastelotto) and was also a member of Europa String Choir. Reuter has collaborated with Ian Boddy, Robert Rich, No-Man singer Tim Bowness, and many others, and he has joined the new Devin Townsend ’s band. His new power trio TRUCE is recording the second album and will be touring worldwide.

Stylistically, Stick Men’s sound is quite unique. Touting the fact that their lead musicians are “playing instruments unlike any other,” their music has evolved to be somewhere between Art Rock, Progressive Rock, and in some cases Progressive Metal. There is a heavy influence of free music and improvisation during their live shows, as the musicians will often showcase their prowess on their respective instruments in extended free music jams. Most notably, the band honors their connection and tenure with King Crimson by performing songs by the band as well as songs by Robert Fripp, King Crimson’s lead member and guitarist. Stick Men has also composed an abridged version of Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite”, a staple of their live shows. Most of their compositions are instrumental, with very few songs featuring vocals, mostly by Levin, but occasionally by Reuter and Mastelotto as well.