Michael Anthony Mangini (born April 18, 1963) is an American musician and current drummer of the

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...

band

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...

. He has also played for bands and artists such as Annihilator, Extreme,

James LaBrie Kevin James LaBrie (born May 5, 1963) is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead singer of American progressive metal band Dream Theater, which he has been fronting since 1991. Early life Kevin James LaBrie was born in Penetanguishene, Ontar ...

, and

Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist for ...

. Before joining Dream Theater, Mangini was a faculty member at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. Between 2002 and 2005, he set five World's Fastest Drummer records. Mangini appeared on the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

show ''

Time Warp Time travel is a common theme in fiction, mainly since the late 19th century, and has been depicted in a variety of media, such as literature, television, film, and advertisements. The concept of time travel by mechanical means was popularize ...

'', displaying his drum skills for high-speed cameras.

Early life and career

Born in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...

, to Italian parents, Mangini first started playing the drums when he was two and a half years old, being inspired by

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. He would practice two to four hours a day and by the time he was nine he was already mimicking

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

performances. Other influences include

Bobby Colomby Robert Wayne Colomby (born 20 December 1944) is a jazz-rock fusion drummer, record producer and television presenter. He is best known as an original member of the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, which he co-founded in 1967. He has also played wit ...

Danny Seraphine Daniel Peter Seraphine (born August 28, 1948) is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer. He is best known as the original drummer and a founding member of the rock band Chicago, a tenure which lasted from F ...

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove,J ...

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...

and

Terry Bozzio Terry John Bozzio (born December 27, 1950) is an American drummer best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa. He has been featured on nine solo or collaborative albums, 26 albums with Zappa and seven albums with Missing Person ...

. By high school, he was performing in bands and participating in the prestigious All-State, and All-Eastern United States ensembles. After graduating from Waltham Senior High School in 1981, Mangini put aside his music studies to pursue a

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

major at

Bentley University Bentley University is a private university focused on business, accountancy, and finance and located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1917 as a school of accounting and finance in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, Bentley moved to Waltham in ...

. After graduating he started programming software for the

Patriot Missile The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar compon ...

program. At the same time, he was working on a program that studied the links between the human brain and body. In 1987, Mangini scored one of his first high-profile gigs, playing drums for Boston's ''

Rick Berlin Rick Berlin (born Richard Gustave Kinscherf III, in Sioux City, Iowa in 1945) is a Boston-based singer-songwriter, formerly the frontman of Orchestra Luna, Luna, Berlin Airlift, Rick Berlin: The Movie, and The Shelley Winters Project. Life an ...

'' Band. This would be his first collaboration with bassist

Philip Bynoe Philip Earl Bynoe is an American musician best known for his work with Steve Vai. He has been the bass player of Vai's touring band since 2012, a role he previously held from 1996 to 2000. He has also played on four of Vai's studio albums. Other ...

. He also taught drums privately in Boston during this time. In 1991, Mangini joined the thrash metal band Annihilator, playing drums on several tracks for the band's album '' Set the World on Fire''. He went on to tour with the band in support of this album until 1994. That year, he joined Boston hard rock band Extreme, replacing original drummer

Paul Geary Paul Geary (born July 24, 1961 in Medford, Massachusetts) is an American rock and roll drummer and Artist Manager. He is a co-founder and drummer of the Rock band Extreme. He left the group in 1994 to pursue a career in artist management. ...

. Mangini played on three songs on Extreme's 1995 album ''

Waiting for the Punchline ''Waiting for the Punchline'' is the fourth album by American band Extreme, released in 1995. It is known by fans as a distinctively raw-sounding record with a significant influence from grunge, especially when compared to the big production of ...

'', and appeared with the band on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

''. After Extreme disbanded in 1996, Mike was informed through drummer

Jonathan Mover Jonathan Mover a.k.a. "Mover" is an American drummer, engineer and producer. He is a former member of the bands Marillion and GTR. Early life and career Mover was raised in the Boston area and began playing drums at age thirteen. Primarily s ...

that guitarist

was auditioning drummers for his live band. Mike successfully auditioned for Vai's band and relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. From late 1996 to early 2000, Mangini was the highly regarded drummer of Vai's live ensemble, which also included bassist Philip Bynoe, guitarist

Mike Keneally Michael Joseph Keneally (born December 20, 1961) is an American session guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Early years and musical influences Keneally started playing music at the age of 7 when he received an electric organ for h ...

and beginning in 2000, guitarist

Dave Weiner David Jason Weiner (born September 24, 1976) is an American musician, best known for being one of Steve Vai's touring guitarists. He also posts instructional videos, called the "Riff of the Week", every Wednesday on YouTube, iTunes and his own w ...

. Mangini appeared on Vai's studio albums ''

Fire Garden ''Fire Garden'' is the fourth studio album by guitarist Steve Vai, released on September 17, 1996, through Epic Records. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas"Fire Garden - Steve Vai" ''AllMusic''. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-12-10. The album reached N ...

'' and ''

The Ultra Zone ''The Ultra Zone'' is the sixth studio album by guitarist Steve Vai, released on September 7, 1999 through Epic Records. ''The Ultra Zone'' is structurally similar to Vai's previous album, '' Fire Garden'', in that the first half of the album c ...

'', and the live album ''

Alive in an Ultra World ''Alive in an Ultra World'' is a live album by Steve Vai, recorded during ''The Ultra Zone'' world tour in 2000, and released in 2001. The songs compiled on this album were written specifically for the countries that Vai and his band were visitin ...

''.

2004-11-25 Mike Mangini in Singapore (Clinic)

During a hiatus on Vai's ''Ultra Zone'' tour in 2000, Mangini returned to Boston, where he served as an associate professor at

. He also formed the short-lived band

Tribe of Judah According to the Hebrew Bible, the tribe of Judah (, ''Shevet Yehudah'') was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel, named after Judah, the son of Jacob. Judah was the first tribe to take its place in the Land of Israel, occupying the southern ...

with former Extreme frontman

Gary Cherone Gary Francis Caine Cherone ( ; born July 26, 1961) is an American rock singer and songwriter. Cherone is known for his work as the lead vocalist of the Boston rock group Extreme and Van Halen. He has also released solo recordings. In 2007, he ...

and bassist

Pat Badger Patrick John Badger, (born July 22, 1967, in Boston, Massachusetts) is a musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist in the band Extreme. He has also performed in groups like Daemon, In The Pink, Super Trans Atlantic, Tri ...

. Mangini appeared on other albums during this time, including a

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

tribute record entitled ''Subdivisions'' and his second and third Annihilator albums titled '' All for You'' and Metal, respectively. He also recorded tracks for artists Sal DiFusco, Bill Lonero and Chris Emerson. In 2005, Mangini accepted a full-time teaching position at the

in the Percussion Department. He resigned in 2010 after joining Dream Theater.

Dream Theater

In late 2010, Mangini, along with

Marco Minnemann Marco Minnemann (born 24 December 1970) is a German drummer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Career Marco Minnemann has released over a dozen solo albums as drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist, and performed on over 100 studio alb ...

Peter Wildoer Karl Peter Wildoer is a Swedish musician who is the drummer for Darkane, Electrocution 250 and Grimmark. He has also drummed for the bands Armageddon, Majestic, Pestilence, Silver Seraph, Arch Enemy, Time Requiem, Soilwork, Gardens of Obscuri ...

(who also served as a drummer for LaBrie's solo project at the time),

Virgil Donati Virgil Donati (born 22 October 1958) is an Australian drummer, composer and producer. He holds the drum sticks in the Traditional grip, traditional style and is also proficient at the Keyboard instrument, keyboard. Donati formed Planet X (band), ...

Aquiles Priester Aquiles Priester (born June 25, 1971) is a Namibian-born Brazilian drummer. He is currently the drummer of Brazilian power metal band Hangar, and progressive metal bands Midas Fate and Noturnall. As a tour drummer, Priester has played with Paul ...

Derek Roddy Derek Roddy (born August 28, 1972) is an American drummer and snake breeder, originally from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His ability to record entire drum tracks in one or two takes earned him the nickname "One Take". Derek has gained a reputa ...

and

Thomas Lang Thomas Lang (; born 5 August 1967) is an Austrian drummer. He is the founding member of the Los Angeles-based progressive/ avant garde metal band stOrk and is known for his international session work on a wide variety of genres such as rock, ...

, auditioned to succeed

Mike Portnoy Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician who is primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departur ...

as the drummer for

. He had previously appeared on three solo albums by Dream Theater's lead singer,

. Mangini was announced as Dream Theater's new drummer on April 29, 2011, several months after he actually joined. He has appeared on every Dream Theater release since 2011's ''

A Dramatic Turn Of Events A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

''. ''

Distance over Time ''Distance Over Time'' is the fourteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on February 22, 2019, and the band's first release on Inside Out Music. ''Distance over Time'' was announced alongside a tour of Nort ...

'', Mangini's fourth studio album with Dream Theater, featured his debut as a lyricist, on the song "Room 137".

Other projects

Mangini served as the drummer for Dream Theater bandmate

John Petrucci John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with former member Mike Portnoy before he departed the band in 2010 ...

on the G3 tour, along with bassist

Dave LaRue Dave LaRue is an American bassist who has performed with the Dixie Dregs since 1988 and with the Steve Morse Band since 1989. He also has worked with Dream Theater's John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Jordan Rudess. He plays Music ...

, in 2012 and 2018. In 2015, Mangini joined

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

for their "Final World Tour".

Gear

Mike plays and endorses

Pearl drums , simply known as Pearl, is a multinational corporation based in Japan with a wide range of products, predominantly percussion instruments. History Pearl was founded by Katsumi Yanagisawa -who began manufacturing music stands in Sumida, Tokyo- o ...

, hardware, pedals and percussion,

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 ...

cymbals, Vater drumsticks,

Remo Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and hardware. History Drummer and founder Re ...

drumheads and

Shure Shure Incorporated is an American audio products corporation. It was founded by Sidney N. Shure in Chicago, Illinois, in 1925 as a supplier of radio parts kits. The company became a consumer and professional audio-electronics manufacturer of mi ...

microphones.

Discography

Selected album appearances

; Annihilator * '' Set the World on Fire'' (1993) * '' All for You'' (2004) * ''

Metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

'' (2007) ; Extreme * ''

'' (1995) – tracks "Hip Today", "Leave Me Alone" and "No Respect" ;

Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (born September 20, 1966) is a Portuguese-American guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and businessman. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. He has also recorded ...

* '' Schizophonic'' (1997) – tracks "Swollen Princess" and "Fine By Me" ;

* ''Sluggo!'' (1997) – track "Egg Zooming" ;

* ''

'' (1996) – tracks "Bangkok" and "The Fire Garden Suite" * '' G3: Live in Concert'' (1996) * ''Merry Axemas – A Guitar Christmas'' (1997) – track "Christmas Time is Here" * ''

'' (1999) – tracks "Jibboom", "Windows to the Soul" and "Here I Am" * ''

'' (2001) *'' The Story of Light'' (2012) – track "The Moon and I" *''

Modern Primitive Modern primitives or urban primitives are people in developed, or modern nations who engage in body modification rituals and practices inspired by the ceremonies, rites of passage, or bodily ornamentation in what they consider traditional cultu ...

'' (2016) – track "Never Forever" ;

MullMuzzler James LaBrie (formally MullMuzzler or ''James LaBrie's MullMuzzler'') is the progressive metal solo side project by James LaBrie, the lead singer of Dream Theater, before recording under his own name in 2005. The record company would not allow LaB ...

* '' Keep It to Yourself'' (1999) * '' James LaBrie's MullMuzzler 2'' (2001) * ''

Elements of Persuasion ''Elements of Persuasion'', released March 29, 2005, is Dream Theater singer James LaBrie's first solo album under his name, and third solo project, his first two being ''Keep It to Yourself (album), Keep It to Yourself'' and ''MullMuzzler 2'', ...

'' (2005) ;Sal DiFusco * ''Nevertheless'' (2000) * ''Great Exploits'' (2002) * ''Vanishing Mist'' (2008) ;

* ''

Exit Elvis ''Exit Elvis'' is the first and only album by Tribe of Judah. It was the first full-length album by Gary Cherone after leaving Van Halen. The sound of the album is described as a mix between hard rock, industrial and electronica with a major use ...

'' (2002) ;Mike Visconti * ''Take 3'' (1999) * ''In Other Words'' (2003) * Boston Accent (2007) ;Tim Donahue * ''Madmen & Sinners'' (2004) ;Rush Tribute * ''Subdivisions'' (2005) ;Shredding the Envelope * ''The Call of the Flames'' (2009) ;Daniel Pique * ''Boo!!'' (2009) ;

* ''

A Dramatic Turn of Events A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'' (2011) * ''

'' (2013) * ''

Live at Luna Park ''Live at Luna Park'' is the seventh live album and video by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on November 5, 2013, through Eagle Rock Entertainment. The concert film was produced by Over The Edge Productions and directed by ...

'' (2013) * ''

Breaking the Fourth Wall Breaking or breakin' may refer to: Arts * Breakdancing (also breaking), an athletic style of street dance * ''Breakin, a 1984 American breakdancing-themed musical film * "Breakin, a twelfth-season episode of the American animated television se ...

'' (2014) * ''

The Astonishing ''The Astonishing'' is the thirteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on January 29, 2016 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's second concept album, with a story conceived by guitarist John Petrucc ...

'' (2016) * ''

Distance Over Time ''Distance Over Time'' is the fourteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on February 22, 2019, and the band's first release on Inside Out Music. ''Distance over Time'' was announced alongside a tour of Nort ...

'' (2019) * '' Distant Memories – Live in London'' (2020) * ''

A View from the Top of the World ''A View from the Top of the World'' is the fifteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 22, 2021. This is their first album to be recorded at their own studio, DTHQ (Dream Theater Headquarters), a ...

'' (2021) ;Into the Great Divide * ''Into the Great Divide'' (2018) ;Rob Silverman * ''Drumology II'' (2022) – track "Victory"

References

External links

*
Official Rhythm Knowledge websitePearl Drums: Drumset Artists – Mike Mangini: Dream Theater
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mangini, Mike 1963 births Living people American heavy metal drummers Dream Theater members Extreme (band) members Missing Persons (band) members Berklee College of Music faculty Bentley University alumni 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Annihilator (band) members American people of Italian descent Waltham High School alumni