Music, Drumming, Watersports (Paddling canoe, kayaking, surfing, diving, etc.), Traveling to beautiful places around the world for extended periods of time, and of course its always nice to come home to Maui. To answer a few recent Maui inquiries, the short version reads like:
Move from Laguna Beach to Chico State. Play music, study music, drink coffee, repeat. Become Recording Engineer. Record stuff. Grow hair. Play lots. Tour with band (Sunset Red). Book shows at World Cafe in 1996 (now Ruth's Chris) in some little town called Lahaina, Maui. Fall in love with island. Find endless summers, small-town coziness and ample supplies of warm sand to lodge between shoeless toes. Return to Chico in a Daze. Repeat adventure during Lahaina Halloween insanity of 1997. Realize with fellow Chicoan that there's nothing to read besides a boring daily newspaper and a pennysaver/couch-selling/TV guide yawner. Decide to start our own.
Take chance. Leave band. Sell everything. Change career. Teach myself Graphic Design. Raise capital (the hard way). Pack container. Leap.
Land on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Find oceanfront live/work cottage with great surf break out back. Publish Maui Time Magazine. Live, Eat, Sleep, Work, Edit, Write, Design, Type. Create, Publish, Distribute. Evolve. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat...
...after 5 years, sell paper, re-focus on musical passion, Drum around the country (thanks, LP!). Travel. Follow Bliss. Repeat.
To be continued...
Music
Music is the non-stop express route to that part of me that lives and loves and has for so long.I am blessed to have the drums pick me at an early age and attract the instructors and musical influences that reminded me what really matters. Thanks to my gracious drum teachers, who gave me the tools to express through the Conga drums, I feel like I can express/speak/communicate a language that words only limit. Music is more than entertainment. I can find no quicker or efficient way to tap into an emotion, a feeling, a memory or attitude adjustment of the heart. Good music comes in so many shapes and sizes and they all set the soundtrack for my life. (ok, maybe not Country or Polka). Yet. Growing up with the sounds of Brubeck, Trane, Dizzie, Miles, Bird, Sonny Rollins, Monk, Ornette, Cannonball and more. Today's Latin lions: The late great Cachao, Chucho, Michel Camilo, Eddie Palmieri, Arturo Sandoval, and so many brilliant musicians that have contributed to the beauty and diversity we enjoy.
Electronic music artists: Dzihan & Kamien, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Zero7, Jaffa, Air, Sia, Tina Dico, Boozou Bajou, Alex Cortiz, Ursadelica, Blue Six, Fragile State, Olive, Frou Frou, Mark Farina (Mushroom Jazz changed my life!?)...
House DJs and Producers: Derrick Carter, Jay-J, Julius Papp, Miguel Migs, Brent Lawrence, M3, Booka Shade, Chicken Lips, DJ Dan, Paul Oakenfold, the Stompy folks, Hed Kandi releases, endless Cafe Del Mar offerings, "Essential _____________" (fill in the blank), Behrouz, OM Records and all the purveyors of that Deep SF sound we love so much.
Live shows that came together so otherworldly that they clearly remind you of the power and beauty that lies right behind that thin veil in front of us. I think some of my most astonishing moments in life were beautiful avalanches of music at shows by Santana, Tool, Ben Harper, Miles Davis, and half a dozen gigs I just stumbled onto in some corner of the world. It might make a college professor dig a little deeper, but bands like Tool, or Battles, or Rage Against the Machine, or James Brown, Prince, and Funkadelic should be taught in schools. Great stuff like Fugazi and A Perfect Circle, Deftones, Helmet, System of a Down, Ozomatli, Jack Johnson, hell, even Journey, I'll say it. What? Tell me theres not a copy of "Escape" somewhere. If you're ever feeling short on Gratitude, look at your music selection; that soundtrack of your life that has contributed so much to this little slice of time and space we are exploring and remember how fast a mood can soften, a reminiscent smile can spread, or a fond memory can bubble up thanks to music.
Movies
The Color of Paradise, Death at a Funeral, Dark Days, The Corporation, Amelie,The Secret, Favela Rising, Hot Rod, City of Lost Children, I Heart Huckabees, The Princess Bride, Swingers, The Usual Suspects, Eastern Promises, Rafifi, House of Flying Daggers, Boondock Saints, MST3K and Harvey Birdman Episodes, First year of Ren & Stimpy, Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels, Caddyshack, Reservoir Dogs, The Motorcycle Diaries, Road Warrior, An Inconvienient Truth, Seven Samurai, Farenheit 911, Outfoxed, Delicatessen, Calle 54, Shaolin Soccer, Human Traffic, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Hero, Wonder Showzen, ...anything but Snakes on a Plane
Television
Ok. I watch the HD Discovery Channel. Often.
Books
Many Lives Many Masters, Freakonomics, The Four Agreements, Conversations with God, Messages From the Masters, Only Love is Real, The People's History of the U.S., The Disappearance of the Universe, The Alchemist, Lamb, Ask and It Is Given, The Prophet, conga drum books, The Websters Abridged... blah blah blah, etc
Heroes
First and foremost, a musical influence that brought about the epiphany to ditch the sticks and find some Cubans to learn the tools: Armando Peraza. My many other incredibly inspiring musical influences: Mongo Santamaria, Giovanni Hidalgo, Changuito, Tata Guines, Manny Oquendo, Tito, Chano, Poncho Sanchez, Raul Rekow, Anga, Panga, Francisco Aguabella, Horacio "El Negro", Jerry Gonzales, El Nino, Alex Acuna, Richie Flores, and every other conga/timbale player influence throughout the years; great musician drummers that inspire and humble in the same stroke. I can really dig those "students of the drum" that continue to demonstrate the human potential and beauty in music.
People who can see the beauty, unity, compassion, etc, etc) beyond the ego and make the right choice. People who can let fear and its offspring hang outside with their rubba slippas when they come inside. Goofy people. People who believe in the amazing potential we all have, and the work they do reminding us: Esther and Jerry Hicks, Ram Dass, Dr. Michael Beckwith, etc. People like MLK, Jr. and Gandhi (and the majority of us) who believe in the strength of non-violence in all aspects of their life.
Just your standard fortunate Conga player living on Maui, Hawaii... drumming page at www.MarkDantonio.com
Who I'd like to meet: The best in people. Either playing a gig in your hometown, or watching a beautiful Maui sunset, the grass is green all over the place. I hope the wonderment never ends
I believe in the strength of non-violence in all aspects of our life..drums was always my favorite instrument.. have a great week wishes from Athens to Hawaii, Elma
Every time that we listen or write music... play an instrument... dance... act in a play... or work in some audio/image/video engineering process... Something is healing inside...
When we share it with friends... Something is healing all over...
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