Mest
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Mest was a punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois.
Contents |
History
Cousins Matt Lovato and Tony Lovato formed the band together in 1996. Current guitarist Jeremiah Rangel joined the band in 1998. Before that their guitarist was Steve Lovato, Tony Lavato´s brother. He left the band due to creative differences. Nick Gigler has played drums for Mest since 1997.
In 1998, the band released Mo' Money, Mo' 40z as a self-released album. Their debut album on Maverick Records Wasting Time was released in July 2000 with song "Fuck the Greyhound Bus" and Destination Unknown in 2001. They toured as an opening band for Goldfinger on July 20, 2002 in Las Vegas and then a few months later released a DVD called The Show Must Go Off in January 2003. Later in 2003, the band released their self-titled album, which featured the single 'Jaded (These Years)' which featured Benji Madden of Good Charlotte. Some saw the fact that Jaded was the single as an attempt to cash in on Good Charlotte's popularity, because they had been one of the biggest selling bands of 2003, however Tony defended this by saying "The song was going to happen, whether GC had become famous or not"
In 2005, following a tour with Social Distortion cut short when drummer Nick Gigler required medical attention for his carpal tunnel syndrome. The band's most recent album, Photographs, was released October 18th, 2005. Two singles released on the internet from the disc, 'Kiss Me, Kill Me' and 'Take Me Away (Cried Out To Heaven)', which can be found at MySpace, along with the video for the lead single, 'Take Me Away'. 'Kiss Me, Kill Me' is notable for being the only single to be released that featured Rangel as the lead vocalist, something fans on their message board had been demanding for some time.
Break up
In 2006 the band announced on their Myspace blog: that they have decided to cease preforming together.
Their vocalist Tony Lovato released this statment:
we are not turning our backs on our fans.. come on. someday ill explain the reason/reasons. i debated telling everyone but figured its better to be honest and to let the people know that want to see us one last time.. its been 10 years, 5 records and ive seen the world. its been my life. trust me this is harder on me than ANY of you. i wouldnt have changed a thing. ive done and seen more in the past 10 yrs than most people will experience in there entire life. and its because of you guys so thank you. thank you to the people that ive affected with my music and thank you to the people that have affected me through my music. weve had a great run.. i love you all....
Trivia
◘ The band's name allegedly came while one of the band members was drinking a can of Milwaukees Best, he made a spoonerism of the name (Bilwaukee's Mest).
◘ Frontman Tony Lovato nearly left himself paralyzed or dead when he opted to play the 2003 Warped Tour instead of seeking medical attention for a serious back injury. He reported that he got himself through the show by self-medicating with alcohol and painkillers. He later had emergency back surgery and fully recovered.
◘ Tony's birtday is on June 20, 1980
◘ Jeremiah's birthday is on October 2, 1977
◘ Matt's birtday is on May 1, 1978
◘ Nick's birthday is on November 5, 1979
◘ Originally, the band consisted only of Tony, Matt, Nick and Steve (Tony's Brother).
◘ "Kiss Me, Kill Me" was the first and the only single with Jeremiah (Rangel) on lead vocals.
◘ The band is not actually from Chicago, but from Blue Island, which is a suburb south of Chicago.
◘ Lead singer Tony wears a ring on his left ring finger that has the word "Brothers" on it. Benji Madden (Good Charlotte) also has this ring.
Line-Up
- Tony Lovato - Vocals, Guitar
- Jeremiah Rangel - Guitar, Vocals
- Matt Lovato - Bass
- Nick Gigler - Drums
- Nick also fronts a hip-hop side project called The Diners Club known as 'Stomach Ache', with a friend known as 'Stray Dog'.
Discography
- Mo' Money, Mo' 40z (self-released) (1998)
- Wasting Time (2000)
- Destination Unknown (2001)
- Mest (Self-Titled) (2003)
- Photographs (2005)
Videography
- Mest: Live at the House of Blues (2002) DVD
- The Show Must Go Off (2003) DVD
- 7 Deadly Sins (2005) DVD (bonus with the first pressing of "Photographs"; formerly titled "Beating A Dead Horse")