Mike Patton – Mondo Cane (USA/ITA) with Ilosaarirock Sinfonietta
Arrangements Daniele Luppi and Mike Patton
Co-produced by AngelicA and Emilia-Romagna Region
Mike Patton is a man who hardly needs any introduction at all. Though he first became known to the public at large as the frontman of the illustrious Faith No More, his curriculum vitae is bursting at the seams with various bands and projects, each greater and more imaginative than the last. To mention just the tip of the iceberg, he has demonstrated the elasticity of his vocal ligaments with such combos as Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk and Peeping Tom. At his latest visit to the Ilosaarirock Festival in 2000, he had his avantgarde metal band Fantômas in tow.
It is, then, certainly not an overstatement to call Mike Patton one of the most prominent renaissance personalities in the 21st century music. Patton's approach to music – or, should we rather say, to sound – is one of a zealous explorer who never tires of discovering unusual and unexpected details about his object of desire. And to top it all, Patton's singing voice is both fabulous and miraculously flexible. No nightclub jazz, no thrash metal seems too demanding for him and his ability to put his soul into whatever he's doing at the moment.
Mondo Cane is one of Patton's more recent projects that has played only a handful of dates so far. Through this concept, Patton can satisfy his passion for Italian music, and the set list consists of the most delicious examples of Italian popular music from the 1950s and 1960s. This means, among others, names such as Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota, and for Patton a multitude of opportunities to test the limits of his vocal abilities with the grand orchestrations of the songs. This is timeless music about desire, love and death.
Mondo Cane's performance at Ilosaarirock will also be a piece of Finnish rock festival history: before this no other rock festival in this country has presented such a large orchestra performing with an international artist. At Ilosaarirock Festival 2008, Mondo Cane will be led by Mike Patton and the backing band will be reinforced with Ilosaarirock Sinfonietta, a group of Joensuu-based professional classical musicians invited to play together for this one-off event only. Seek no further, the highlight of the Finnish festival summer is here.
"My aim in reassessing these songs is not to revive the past, but to show, through modern and daring interpretations, how vital and important this music still is" –Mike Patton