finetune artist: Mr. Bungle

Formed in 1985 in Eureka, California, USA, this bizarre punk/metal/jazz amalgam was Mike Patton's (b. Michael Allan Patton, 27 January 1968, Eureka, California, USA) first band prior to joining Faith No More, and the success of the latter's 1989 album The Real Thing helped Patton to secure a recording contract for his previous project. Patton originally formed Mr. Bungle (named after an old educational film) with Trey Spruance (guitar/keyboards), Trevor Dunn (bass), Jed Watts (drums) and Scott Fritz (trumpet), recording a number of demo tapes in the late 80s. By the time of their major label debut the line-up featured Patton, Dunn, Spruance, Daniel Heifetz (drums, the grandson of noted violinist Jascha Heifetz), Clinton "Br" McKinnon (tenor saxophone/clarinet) and Theo Lengyel (alto saxophone). The sextet adopted an oddly costumed image to match their eclectic musical style, with Patton and Spruance adopting the respective pseudonyms Vlad Dracula and Scummy. They also enlisted jazz-noise experimentalist John Zorn to produce their self-titled 1991 debut. The album received surprisingly positive reviews considering its extreme, genre-hopping, improvisational format and strange lyrical themes, although Zorn's sympathetic production helped to focus the eccentricity. Mr. Bungle sold respectably on the strength of Patton's name, but his Faith No More commitments kept live shows to a minimum.

Listen to Mr. Bungle at Finetune.

(1999) California
(1995) Disco Volante
(1991) Mr. Bungle

Squeeze Me Macaroni
Carousel
Retrovertigo
The Girls of Porn
My Ass Is On Fire

middnightmomma on 2010-04-15 05:59:28.000:
I really dig Mr.Bungle.His music is deep yet out there and fun to hear....So listen up,you just might like him too.