Careful with that ax

Mike Patton’s past as frontman for one of the more important rock acts of the late ’90s still haunts him. After he joined Faith No More, the band moved from Bay Area cult status, rising from defunct clubs like the I-Beam and the River Theater, to take over the world within the year, with tour invites from Metallica and Guns N’ Roses and a gargantuan following overseas. Then Patton lost interest, and Faith No More broke up.

But Patton kept moving; maybe it’s because of his ADD. Since the first demo tape by Mr. Bungle—one of his many side projects—got released, Patton’s been anything but sedentary. He started his own record label, Ipecac, named after a solution that induces vomiting, and he’s drummed up a few musical projects—Maldoror, Peeping Tom and Fantomas among them.

Since 1999, Patton and partner Gregg Werckman, who once ran Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label, have been waving a finger in the face of conventional labels. Forget the profit motive; Ipecac has become a haven for Patton’s personal indulgences. “Ipecac 2002 is a full-figured year,” he enthuses, “with releases by Skeleton Key, Isis, Dalek, Moistboyz, Ruins, Young Gods, Steroid Maximus, Phantomsmasher, Yuka Honda and, hopefully, General Patton vs. the X-ecutioners.” The label acquired the Melvins’ back catalog and is striving to push the avant-garde envelope with confusing, dissimilar releases by the Kids of Widney High, Eddie Def and Kid 606.

“It’s a strange thing,” Patton says, “but somehow bands just seem to find us. I listen to an unhealthy amount of music in my everyday life as it is—so when something jumps out at me and seems appropriate, I jump back at it. Right now we’re actually a bit over-committed—too many great bands and not enough time in the year to release them all. Whenever you dig deep and get your hands dirty, you can always find something sick and twisted to put out.”

Patton will bring his new band, Tomahawk, to Arco Arena on Saturday, July 13, opening for Tool. Tomahawk, which features ex-Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison, ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier and ex-Cows bassist Kevin Rutmanis, is touring to support its latest album, Tomahawk, released last Halloween.

As Patton explains the band’s genesis: “It begins and ends with Duane, our guitarist. So blame it on him. He initially approached me with some material that was more or less composed, and I added my special sauce. We then set out to find two miserable wretches who could share our vision and help bring it to life. Duane seduced John and I reeled in Kevin. They provided the solid foundation we needed.”

Tomahawk’s unconventional music is a twisted mélange of surf, rock and spaghetti western, and the band’s practice regimen is twisted, too. “The tunes on the record are Duane’s,” Patton says. “The rest of us just do our best to screw them up. A skeletal idea usually begins with Duane in Nashville. Then I fill in the blanks with vox, electronics and arrangement ideas in San Francisco. We then pass the tapes on to New York and Los Angeles to Dr. Stanier and Rutmanis for further examination.”

“We’ve done something in the neighborhood of four to five tours,” Patton adds, “maybe 150 to 200 shows? I never count these things; it can be too depressing! This Tool tour should be a hoot. It lasts about 2 1/2 months. I’m particularly looking forward to playing Arco, the sacred site where my Laker boys ripped the Kings’ heart out in game seven on their way to a three-peat!” [Editor’s note: Ahem, white courtesy cluephone for Mr. Patton—they grow tomatoes around here, and the locals know how to throw them.]

“But no touring plans after that,” Patton concludes. “Time to hibernate in the studio for the rest of the year.”

Maybe he just needs another band. Any takers?