Drummer Greg Mag, guitarist Bob Melpignano and James Möbius (bass and Chapman Stick) aren't taking the easy way out with complex songs. The first song "Countdown" takes off like a bat out of hell and it keeps going up to and including the final track, the fantastic "The Mad Hatter", really. Breaks are usually just bridging the gap to the next piece of phenomenal instrumental brutality. On top of that, it could end up in complete and utter chaos if they weren't such an incredibly tight band. Which is remarkable in itself, if you consider the fact that Möbius is basically a funky 'Billy Sheehan on speed'. After reading this you might think Mojoceratops is nothing but complexity for complexity's sake, but it's actually quite the opposite: there's always a clear song structure, which doens't even need vocals. This is a band that deserves more than just local fame.
File: Mojoceratops - Live In Boston
File Under: Long live the Internet!
"It was like witnessing a sonic maelstrom. I doubt any of the other bands could have pulled that off. :)
-Andy from the Golden Hell reviewing our Emergenza Festival debut.
They ARE Giants
Massimo Del Genio
You guys are amazing! ...It was cool meeting you at Tower records in Cambridge!
Bandcamp
"...Very kewl tracks. Awesome work! I like Dream of the Moors - so glad I stumbled upon your site James! Great Influences!!! Thanx:) ... I wish you the best of success!"
-Sera
the Stiffff Kitties~
Great Stuff!... Rock On!
UHF (the band)
Your band sounds interesting and your style is very ambitious in a superb way!
You've got that progressive touch to your music that I love. Musicians should be following your creative path.
Boris Larsson & The Blatch Experience
GREAT tunes!! ROCK ON!
Moon Hoax
veryveryvery groovy and cool
Lazarus
all you people - don't be fooled!!!!
that thing plays itself - James just looks at it.
i've been there and was lucky to escape....
i saw it. it didn't seem real at the time and i've no explanation for what i saw, some telepathical control he exerts over the thing as he waves his fingers over it's strings creating sounds beyond the pale of mere music as they caress the soul and feast the mind.
the strings that is...not his fingers.
-Kirk, a famous multi-instrumentalist and actor.
Groovy, nice mixture of instruments, and great bass playing
The Playing Orchestra
Excellent combination of pounding bass, furioso drumming, and Hovian (Steve Howe-like) mandolin playing. Kudos, please keep up the good work.
Eduard Antoni
"JAMES MOBIUS RULES! ! !"
-Chris Allen, reknowned Boston guitarist.
Luv your grooves
-Ray from the UK
"You guys sound really amazing, and your bass player is super hawt!"
-Donna M.
"Was that your band playing upstairs? I really enjoyed it!"
-Jackson H. (He lived downstairs and is a jazz virtuoso.)
"You guys sounded excellent!"
-Al. (An ex-housemate. Also a very talented guitarist, so he oughtta know!)
"I liked it!"
Mike Van London, professional musician.
"Pretty cool stuff. Sounds like a mix between Primus and King Crimson. I liked your stick work on the bass.
reminded me of Tony Levin. You guys all sound like top notch players. I enjoyed the music a lot."
-Brian Marquis, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter.
brianmarquis.com
"u guys r bad ass"
-Lestat
"I love your sound man. Inspiring."
-Zeph Daniel
"TOP SOUNDS DUDES! "
-Logical Confusion
"Bob Melpignano. SuperGod of the axe."
-Mad Axe Man
"Your music made me want to kill myself"
- Ken Dean, Tattoo artist. (he was just jealous probably. Actually he has huge respect for our musicianship.)
"Yeah I heard your CD, -Sucks!"
-Raphael Seranno, very talented tattoo artist with questionable taste in music who likes to razz people.
"They'll never work in this town again!"
-hand scrawled note on the door of a club in Worcester, MA. we were late for the gig due to a communication mixup, but James ever the diplomat, talked the manager into letting them play anyway and a splendid time was had by all. They did in fact continue to play in that town many times.
Some reviews from Amazon where people are selling used copies of our old CD, M3.:
5.0 out of 5 stars awesome music!, April 5, 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars Rare find, October 19, 2008
My only question is where did these guys go? This CD was released in 1999, I'm sure they've created more incredible tunes since then, which I'd love to hear.
(we're right here!)
Initial post: Dec. 8, 2006 9:50 PM PST
Where are they now? They're here, so don't panic!
By A Customer
This review is from: M3 (Audio CD)
This is a truly amazing cd. The basslines are awesome, and seldom will you find a band this talented these days. kinda funky, jazzy, hard rock - y, you won't be disappointed by this instrumental cd.
By Turbo x Knight
This review is from: M3 (MP3 Download)
This CD is amazing, the guitar riffs in many of the tracks seems to be on a 'higher level' per say. Very talented group, this is an instant classic in my library.
Bruce Boyes says:
I stumbled across M3 playing at a subway stop near Harvard a couple of days before 9-11. Bought their CD and keep coming back to it. Incredibly tight band. Not always easy to listen to. The pair of Impossible Figure... and Stay Alive set up a mood that is magical. Impossible Figure feels like it's struggling to break free of something. It has a lot of edgey energy which is almost hard for me to listen to. It's almost grating. It segues right into Stay Alive which carries through the themes of Impossible Figure but is also distinctly different, and resolves all the pent-up dischord. That's the best I can describe it. Definitely worth a listen. These guys are just incredibly good. Where are they now? I wish them well. The quality of their music should earn them some success.
Here are some nice things people have said about us back when we called ourselves M3...
What people said about M3...
'HEAVY-META' What IS M3 anyway?
It's "Post-Contemporary Semi-Non-Retro-Futurist Heavy-MetaLatin-Celtic-
FunkEgyptoReggae-Folky NeoJazzic Pop" -or so they say...
'Energetic and intense, dynamic and precise, and elaborately neoteric- they run on
atomic power!'
'The most happening new band in the country'
'I never thought I'd hear music like that again!'
'You guys sound like the Turkish army coming over the hill'
'Our bass player is afraid of you.'
We also got an excellent review in Soundcheck Magazine,
which I'll post here shortly, ah here it is now, see, that didn't take long.
the following review by L.A. Joe appeared in the
May 2000 issue of Boston Soundcheck magazine,
three stars! (out of a possible four)
' M-3 (sic) describes their sound as 'Brave new music on frightened old
instruments " -When I pointed out that some of their gear looks quite new they
hasten to add that 'Some of the music dates back to 1988 or earlier, so it's also
some Frightening old music on brave new instruments'. Drummer Mag is
rumoured to wear a special suit in case of spontaneous combustion, and well he
should considering the ferocious intensity with which this 'Band' attacks their
original music, with it's heavy use of radical invented scales. The Bassist appears
to interweave drum and guitar parts within his bass lines, the drummer also
layers syncopated (virtual & actual) percussion parts into his daring odd-metre
grooves -verily, the guitarist (who sometimes plays faster than you can see or
hear), will digitally drop an octave to cover the low end when the bass is up on
his sixth, or tenth(!) string.
But what kind of music IS it, really? If You put Nine Inch Nails, the
Chieftains and Earth Wind & Fire into a blender and pressed 'Chops' You
might have an inkling (Or just a huge bloody mess I suppose), Just don't call it
'Fusion', (no one likes the 'F' word). The band is seeking a daring & open-
minded, imaginative female vocalist, so they can call themselves 'Alternative'
instead of 'Instrumental', Good luck lads, You are unique'
-Fatchna FickShonnell, Glasgow New Muzik Zine.
-Sharynne NicMacha of Devanduarae,(ex-Moors)
-WCUV FM radio DJ Captain P.J. (Worcester MA.)
- a fusion fan in Harvard Square, Cambridge MA.
-the King of Harvard Square
a band we gigged with in Worcester.
THE AMPLIFIER
M3 - 10-song CD
Produced and Arranged by M3; Executive Producer Bob Melpignano;
Recorded and Mixed by Bob Melpignano at Energy Recording;
Mastered by Jonathan Wyner, M3, and Dave Merullo at M Works
Three-piece band; guitar bass and drums. Let's call it rock/fusion,
vaguely reminiscent of Chick Corea's Return To Forever days without the keyboards.
No vocals - just riffed up songs and some jamming. Bass player and guitar player
are over the top, but the drummer is world class. My compliments to all. Geez have
you guys practiced or what.
Fave songs? Well I like the melody stuff on 'The Machine' and 'Mr. Radio'
reminds me of something nice that Joe Satriani did, but I'm going with 'Impossible
Figure (for Su)/Another Viking Victory at the Green Midget Cafe.' Hell the song
title takes up half the review and it's a whopping nine minutes and twenty seconds.
That deserves some sort of mention doesn't it? No? O.K. then I won't mention it.
Other titles: 'The Mad Hatter,' 'Conviction,' and 'Sharon is Happy.' So is Joe. ;
- L.A. N4 ***
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