Mest

Related Topics:
Mest :: Mestre

Mest was a punk rock band from Blue Island, Illinois.

History

Cousins Matt Lovato and Tony Lovato formed the band together in October of 1995. The band's last guitarist, Jeremiah Rangel, joined the band in 1998. Their previous guitarist was Steve Lovato, Tony Lovato´s brother. He left the band due to creative differences. Nick Gigler played drums for Mest from 1997.

In 1998, the band self-released Mo' Money, Mo' 40z. Their debut album on Maverick Records, Wasting Time, was released in July 2000 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, that same year, the band released their self-titled album, which featured the single Jaded (These Years) which featured Benji Madden of Good Charlotte. Some saw Jaded 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 Lovato defended this by saying, "The song was going to happen, whether GC had become famous or not."

In 2005, a tour with Social Distortion was cut short when drummer Nick Gigler required medical attention. The band's last 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 Mest's message board had been demanding for some time.

Break up

In 2006, the band announced on their MySpace blog: that they had decided to cease preforming together.

Their vocalist Tony Lovato released this statement:

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 wouldn't 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 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 birthday is on June 20, 1980.
Jeremiah's birthday is on October 2, 1977.
Matt's birthday is on May 1, 1978.
Nick's birthday is on November 5, 1979.
Originally, the band consisted of Tony, Matt, Nick and Steve (Tony's Brother).
Jeremiah (Rangel) also sings on lead vocals, he has about four or five songs on each album, but tony is considered the lead singer.
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 (often mistaken for a wedding band) as a tribute to his best friends Benji Madden and Joel Madden from Good Charlotte. They each have one and inscribed on it is the word 'Brothers'.
Matt is engaged to his long time girlfriend,Tracy. He also has a daughter with Tracy. Her name is Amelie.
As a youngster Tony Lovato was a member of a band called Confederate Storm, a racist white power punk band.
Tony has been quoted in Alternative Press saying he does not believe in evolution.
Nick also fronts a hip-hop side project called The Diners Club known as 'Stomach Ache', with a friend known as 'Stray Dog'.

Line-Up

Tony Lovato - Vocals, Guitar
Jeremiah Rangel - Guitar, Vocals
Matt Lovato - Bass
Nick Gigler - Drums

Discography

Mo' Money, Mo' 40z (self-released) (1998)
Wasting Time (2000)
Destination Unknown (2001)
Mest (2003)
Photographs (2005)

Videography

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")

External links

Punk rock groups | Chicago musical groups | Illinois musical groups | American musical groups

MEST | MEST | Mest