Bryan Kei Mantia (born February 4, 1963), known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as
Primus,
Guns N' Roses,
Praxis, and
Godflesh, and with other performers such as
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
,
Serj Tankian
Serj Tankian (born August 21, 1967) is an Armenian-American singer, musician, songwriter, political activist and entrepreneur. He is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal ...
,
Bill Laswell
William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...
,
Bootsy Collins, and
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...
. He has also done session work for numerous artists and bands.
History
Mantia was born February 4, 1963, in the South Bay city of
Cupertino, California
Cupertino ( ) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 57,82 ...
, to an Italian American father and a Japanese American mother. As a teenager, Mantia became interested in such artists as
James Brown,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, and
Jimi Hendrix, acts that featured
groove
Groove or Grooves may refer to:
Music
* Groove (music)
* Groove (drumming)
* The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s
* The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station
* Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station
...
-heavy sounds.
When he was 16 years old, he started playing drums. Because of his 'obsessive' study of the drum book ''Portraits in Rhythm'', Mantia was given the nickname "Brain" by members of his high school concert band.
Mantia attended the
Percussion Institute of Technology in Hollywood, California, during the mid-1980s to further hone his craft.
During this time, he was a member of local funk-rock band named the Limbomaniacs (which would later become part of
Ben Wa
Ben Wa balls, also known as orgasm balls, or Venus balls ( "vagina ball", or "internal-use ball"), are small, marble-sized balls, usually hollow and containing a small weight, that roll around and are used for sexual stimulation by insertio ...
).
In 1989, Mantia joined
Primus briefly, before breaking his foot, forcing him to pull out of the band.
In the early '90s, he joined
Praxis, a musical project led by
Bill Laswell
William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...
featuring
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Rol ...
,
Bootsy Collins and
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...
. Mantia recorded with Buckethead on many of Buckethead's solo albums, including ''
Monsters and Robots
''Monsters and Robots'' is Buckethead's fifth studio album, released April 20, 1999, by Higher Octave records. A large part of the album was co-written with Les Claypool, who also plays bass on several tracks and lends his vocals to the track "Th ...
'', ''
Colma'', ''
The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell
''The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist Buckethead. It was released on April 20, 2004 via Disembodied Records.
Track listing
Spokes for the Wheel of Torment
"Spokes for the Wheel of Torment" is the ...
'', and ''
Bucketheadland 2
''Bucketheadland 2'' is the tenth studio album by guitarist Buckethead. Released in 2003, it is a sequel to his debut album, ''Bucketheadland'', a concept album about his fictional "abusement" park.
The album was nominated for the 2004 Shortlis ...
'', among others.
Mantia appeared on releases by the industrial metal band
Godflesh in the late 1990s, including ''
Songs of Love and Hate
''Songs of Love and Hate'' is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album was released on March 19, 1971, through Columbia Records.
Recording and composition
Cohen reunited with produ ...
'', and ''
Love and Hate in Dub
''Love and Hate in Dub'' is remix album by industrial metal band Godflesh released on 24 June 1997 through Earache Records. The remixed songs are sourced from their 1996 album ''Songs of Love and Hate'', and they adopt a more ambient, dub an ...
''. In 1996, Mantia rejoined Primus, touring with and recording for four years with the group, appearing on
The Brown Album,
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty ( grc, ῥίς, rhī́s, nose + grc, πλάσσειν, plássein, to shape), commonly called nose job, medically called nasal reconstruction is a plastic surgery procedure for altering and reconstructing the nose. There are two typ ...
and
Antipop.
In March 2000, Mantia joined the revamped lineup of
Guns N' Roses after being recommended to singer
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...
by Buckethead (who himself had joined the band a few months earlier).
In 2003, Mantia appeared on several songs on
BT's 2003 release ''
Emotional Technology
''Emotional Technology'' is the fourth studio album by electronica artist BT. Transitioning towards a more pop music oriented sound, the album features some of BT's more commercially successful releases, including " Somnambulist (Simply Being Lo ...
'' as well BT's score for the 2003 film ''
Monster''.
Mantia toured several legs of the
Chinese Democracy Tour
The Chinese Democracy Tour was a worldwide concert tour by American rock band Guns N' Roses to promote the group's album ''Chinese Democracy''. It began in 2001, with three U.S. dates and a Brazilian one, while their 2002 tour included Asian, No ...
with Guns N' Roses from 2000 until 2006, when he left the band to take care of his newborn child.
Frank Ferrer
Frank Ferrer (born March 25, 1966) is an American rock drummer. He is best known as the drummer for hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has played, toured, and recorded since 2006. Ferrer was also a member of The Psychedelic Furs, Love ...
, originally brought in as just a replacement drummer for the tour, eventually replaced Mantia as full time drummer for the band. ''
Chinese Democracy'' was released in 2008, and featured drums from Mantia on every track except
the title track. Mantia was also credited with writing the songs "
Shackler's Revenge" and "Sorry". Parts of Mantia's drumming on the album were note-for-note re-recordings of
Josh Freese's parts, who left the band before Mantia joined. Mantia was also responsible for arrangements on "Shackler's Revenge", "
Better", "
Street of Dreams", "There Was a Time", "Sorry", "
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
", and "
Prostitute", initial production on "Shackler's Revenge" and "Sorry", engineering on "Sorry", drum machine and drum programming on "I.R.S." and
Logic Pro
Logic Pro is a digital audio workstation (DAW) and MIDI sequencer software application for the macOS platform. It was originally created in the early 1990s as Notator Logic, or Logic, by German software developer C-Lab which later went by E ...
engineering for the entire album.
After leaving the band, Mantia made a guest appearance (alongside fellow former GNR member
Robin Finck
Robert John "Robin" Finck (born November 7, 1971) is an American guitarist. Finck is the longest-serving touring musician for Nine Inch Nails, performing with the band from 1994 to 2000, and returning in 2008. With Nine Inch Nails, Finck contribu ...
) at Guns N' Roses'
House of Blues
House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at Ha ...
West Hollywood show on March 12, 2012. Mantia played congas on "You're Crazy" and "Rocket Queen". He continued to occasionally work for the band on yet to be released remix material.
Since leaving Guns N' Roses, Mantia has primarily been focused on music behind the scenes as a composer and producer.
Mantia had a brief stint drumming with
The Crystal Method
The Crystal Method is an American electronic music act formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. They were pioneers of the big beat genre and their music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video gam ...
in 2013 and 2014 (alongside Guns N' Roses guitarist
Richard Fortus
Richard Fortus (born November 17, 1966) is an American guitarist. He has been a member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has recorded one studio album, since 2001. Fortus has also collaborated extensively with The Psychedelic Fur ...
). These performances included appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Last Call with Carson Daly
In 2017, Mantia toured with Buckethead and
Dan Monti as part of Buckethead's live show.
Composing
Mantia has partnered with musician
Melissa Reese
Melissa Reese (born March 1, 1990) is an American musician and model who has collaborated frequently with Bryan "Brain" Mantia and is a current member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses.
Early life
Reese was born in Seattle, Washington. on several projects, a composing team dubbed "Brain and Melissa". In 2010, along with
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...
, they released the multi-CD sets ''Kind Regards'' and ''Best Regards''. Brain and Melissa composed part of the soundtrack to the video game ''
Infamous 2
''Infamous 2'' (stylized as ''inFAMOUS 2'') is an action-adventure video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3 video game console. It is a sequel to the 2009 video game '' Infa ...
'', for which they were nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Original Composition" by the
Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
awards. Other video games the duo worked on include, ''
PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home was a virtual 3D social gaming platform developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) on the PlayStation Network (PSN). It was accessible from the PS3's XrossMediaBar (XMB). Membership was ...
'', ''
ModNation Racers'', ''
Twisted Metal
''Twisted Metal'' is a series of vehicular combat video games published by Sony Computer Entertainment, and developed by various companies. The series has appeared on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. As o ...
'', ''
Fantasia: Music Evolved'' and ''
Infamous: Second Son'' (received the nomination ''Original Dramatic Score, Franchise'' at the 2014 NAVGTR Awards, shared with
Marc Canham and Nathan Johnson). They also scored the films ''
Detention'' and ''
Power/Rangers
''Power/Rangers'', or ''Power Rangers: Unauthorized'', is an American superhero fan short film directed and co-written by Joseph Kahn, produced by Adi Shankar and Jil Hardin, and co-written by James Van Der Beek and Dutch Southern. It was r ...
''. They have worked with music video director
Joseph Kahn on several television commercials, including
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
,
SEAT, and
Qoros
Qoros Auto Co., Ltd. was a Chinese automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Shanghai, China. Its principal activity was the design, development, production and sale of passenger cars sold under the Qoros marque.
It was founded as a jo ...
. In addition, they scored a commercial for
Johnnie Walker Blue which featured a computer-generated
Bruce Lee. They also worked on several remixes of songs off of ''Chinese Democracy'' for a planned remix album.
The two created a
stock music album called "Eclectic Cinema" alongside former Guns N' Roses guitarist
Paul Tobias
Paul H. Tobias (also known as Paul Edward Huge (pronounced hugh-gee); born in August 1963, Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American guitarist best known for his involvement with hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has collaborated since 199 ...
, and Guns N' Roses and Buckethead collaborator Pete Scaturro. Mantia has also worked with Tobias on several other stock music tracks.
The duo performed at the halftime show of a
Houston Rockets basketball game on November 10, 2017, performing remixes of "Sorry" and "If the World" from ''Chinese Democracy'', and a cover of
KISS
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
's "Do You Love Me?" from
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
.
Equipment
''Information sourced from "Bryan Mantia's Drum setup".''
Drums
DW Collector's Series Maple drums in
Tony Williams Yellow Lacquer with Custom Yellow Hardware
18x24 Bass Drum
8x12, 9x13 Toms
16x16, 16x18 Floor Toms w/ Legs
6x14 Edge Snare
9000 Single Bass Drum Pedal
9500 Hi-Hat
9300 Snare Stand
9700 Straight/Boom Cymbal Stand (x6)
9900 Double Tom Stand (x2)
9100 Throne
Cymbals
Zildjian
:''Zildjian leads here. For people with the surname, see Zildjian (disambiguation)''
The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded ...
14" A Mastersound Hi-Hats
19" A Medium Thin Crash (2)
20" K CrashRide
20" A Deep Ride
20" A Medium Thin Crash
22" Oriental China "Trash"
Electronics
Akai MPC 60 II, 3000 LE, 4000
Technics SL-1210MKZ Turntables with a M44Gs stylus
Vestax PMCO5PRO DJMixer
Selected discography and videography
* ''Brain's Lessons: Shredding Repis On the Gnar Gnar Rad'' – 2002 instructional video
* ''Brain's Worst Drum Instructional DVD Ever'' – 2008 instructional video
;Limbomaniacs
* ''Stinky Grooves'' – 1990
;Praxis
* ''
Transmutation'' – 1992
* ''
Sacrifist'' – 1994
* ''
Metatron
Metatron ( ''Meṭāṭrōn'', ''Məṭaṭrōn'', ''Mēṭaṭrōn'', ''Mīṭaṭrōn'', ''Meṭaṭrōn'', ''Mīṭṭaṭrōn'') or Mattatron ( ''Maṭṭaṭrōn'') is an angel in Judaism mentioned three times in the Talmud in a few br ...
'' – 1994
* ''Live in Poland'' – 1997
* ''
Transmutation Live
''Transmutation Live'' is a live album by experimental rock band Praxis, recorded during a performance in Zurich, Switzerland, in the summer of 1996.
The album features the lineup of bassist Bill Laswell, guitarist Buckethead, drummer Brain ...
'' – 1997
* ''
Warszawa
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
'' – 1999
* ''
Tennessee 2004'' – 2007
* ''
Profanation'' – 2008
;Bullmark
* ''
Interstate 76 soundtrack'' – 1996
;Giant Robot
* ''Giant Robot'' – 1996
;Godflesh
* ''
Songs of Love and Hate
''Songs of Love and Hate'' is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album was released on March 19, 1971, through Columbia Records.
Recording and composition
Cohen reunited with produ ...
'' – 1996
;Tom Waits
*''
Bone Machine
''Bone Machine'' is the eleventh studio album by American singer and musician Tom Waits, released by Island Records on September 8, 1992. It won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and features guest appearances by David Hidalgo, Le ...
'' – 1992
*''
Mule Variations
''Mule Variations'' is the thirteenth studio album by American musician Tom Waits, released on April 16, 1999, on the ANTI- label. It was Waits' first studio album in six years, following ''The Black Rider'' (1993). The album was backed by an ext ...
'' – 1999
*''
Real Gone'' – 2004
*''
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards'' – 2006
;Primus
* ''
Brown Album
''Brown Album'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Primus. It was released on July 8, 1997, by Prawn Song and Interscope Records. It was the band's first album with new drummer Brain, who replaced former drummer Tim Alexander. ...
'' – 1997
* ''
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty ( grc, ῥίς, rhī́s, nose + grc, πλάσσειν, plássein, to shape), commonly called nose job, medically called nasal reconstruction is a plastic surgery procedure for altering and reconstructing the nose. There are two typ ...
'' – 1998
* ''
Antipop'' – 1999
;Buckethead;
* ''I Need 5 Minutes Alone'' (as Pieces) – 1997
* ''
Colma'' – 1998
* ''
Monsters and Robots
''Monsters and Robots'' is Buckethead's fifth studio album, released April 20, 1999, by Higher Octave records. A large part of the album was co-written with Les Claypool, who also plays bass on several tracks and lends his vocals to the track "Th ...
'' – 1999
* ''
The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell
''The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist Buckethead. It was released on April 20, 2004 via Disembodied Records.
Track listing
Spokes for the Wheel of Torment
"Spokes for the Wheel of Torment" is the ...
'' – 2004
* ''Kevin's Noodle House'' – 2007
* ''A Real Diamond in the Rough'' (tracks 2, 4, & 7) – 2009
* ''Best Regards'' (with
Melissa Reese
Melissa Reese (born March 1, 1990) is an American musician and model who has collaborated frequently with Bryan "Brain" Mantia and is a current member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses.
Early life
Reese was born in Seattle, Washington. ) – 2010
* ''Brain as Hamenoodle'' – 2010
* ''Kind Regards'' (with Melissa Reese) – 2010
;El Stew
* ''No Hesitation'' – 1999
;No Forcefield
*''Lee's Oriental Massage 415-626-1837'' – 2000
*''God Is an Excuse'' – 2001
;Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains
* ''
The Big Eyeball in the Sky'' – 2004
;Serj Tankian
* ''
Elect the Dead
''Elect the Dead'' is the debut album by rock musician Serj Tankian, lead singer and founding member of Armenian-American metal band System of a Down. It was released on October 22, 2007. Alongside Tankian appears Armenian-American coloratura A ...
'' – 2007
* ''
Imperfect Harmonies
''Imperfect Harmonies'' is the second studio album by Armenian-American singer Serj Tankian. The album was released on September 21, 2010 through Reprise Records and Serjical Strike Records.
Release and promotion
''Imperfect Harmonies'' was orig ...
'' (track 10) – 2010
;Guns N' Roses
* ''
Chinese Democracy'' – 2008
* "
Absurd" – 2021
;Science Faxtion
* ''
Living on Another Frequency'' – 2008
;Travis Dickerson
* ''The Dragons of Eden'' (with
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...
) – 2008
* ''Iconography'' (with
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...
) – 2009
;Video Games
* ''
Cyberpunk 2077
''Cyberpunk 2077'' is a 2020 action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt. Set in Night City, an open world set in the ''Cyberpunk'' universe, players assume the role of a customisable mercenary know ...
'' (with
Melissa Reese
Melissa Reese (born March 1, 1990) is an American musician and model who has collaborated frequently with Bryan "Brain" Mantia and is a current member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses.
Early life
Reese was born in Seattle, Washington. ) – 2020
Notes
References
External links
Brain and Melissa official websiteAudio Interview with Brain from the podcast "I'd Hit That"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brain
Living people
American heavy metal drummers
American people of Italian descent
American musicians of Japanese descent
Musicians from California
People from Cupertino, California
Godflesh members
Guns N' Roses members
Primus (band) members
San Jose State University alumni
Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area
Blue Coast Records artists
1963 births
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
21st-century American drummers
Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains members
Praxis (band) members