Coachella 2009 – Patton & Rahzel

And for those craving something utterly out of left field, Patton & Rahzel had it in abundance. Playing a set of almost entirely improv, Rahzel beat boxed, mock scratched & video game blipped the foundation while the incomparable Mike Patton juggled microphones, CB communicators and a small army of effects, layering squeeks and squelches on top. Playing like the production end of classic 80’s hip hop, yet assembled right there on the spot the modest crowd ate up every second if it. At one point, smiling like they’ve played together for twenty years, they even did a dead-on rendition of Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder’s “Ebony & Ivory.”

Backstage, Patton was generous enough to speak with us for a moment. When asked if there was any chance if the reunited Faith No More would do any shows in the US, he replied, “Very slim.” When asked why they were focusing on Europe, he replied “Because that’s where the offers have been coming from. That’s where the demand is.” When we responded surprised figuring ever US festival would have jumped at the chance to have Faith No More play, he smiled and hysterically stated, “Hey, I just work here.”