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At the Crossroads of Jim Donnelly Metal Music West Coast News and Comedy By Justine Taormino ’06 By Peter Gordon ’78 Northern California alumni are abuzz At the improbable intersection of Brendon Small ’97 with news of their work in a variety metal music, animated TV, and stand- of areas. Here are some recent high- up comedy, the story of guitarist, com- lights. poser, actor, and producer Brendon sitcom that aired from 1999 to 2004. Benjamin Flint ’85 of Oakland led Small ’97 stands apart. Metal fans Although he also provided the show’s two Diablo Valley College jazz choirs worldwide know him as the creative music, he rapidly became better Reno Jazz Festival where they took first mastermind behind the smash-hit ani- known as a comedian. and third places in their division. Flint mated TV show Metalocalypse and the Toward the end of the show’s run, also directs the Oakland Jazz Choir and metal bands Dethklok and Galaktikon. Small began to turn back to the guitar. has taught at Jazz Camp West. Small’s unique journey began in “I was so excited to hear what people This fall, saxophonist Sonya the laid-back northern California town were doing in metal,” he says. “They Jason ’85 of Montara, will release of Salinas, where he remembers spend- were actually playing their instruments Feels So Good: Live in Half Moon Bay, ing long hours practicing guitar and incredibly well! I now had the comedy her fourth solo album. Recorded live re-watching VHS copies of his favorite chops and could write, thanks to Home at the legendary jazz venue Bach comedies. “I had no choice but to start Movies, so the music and comedy just Dancing & Dynamite Society, the getting serious about music and com- blended naturally. Somehow I became album is a tribute to influential con- edy,” he says. Small became an avid a musician again.” temporary jazz artists of the 1970s Michael Semanick ’85 reader of Guitar Player magazine and This led to the creation of and 1980s. after realizing that his guitar heroes, Metalocalypse, an adult animated televi- Michael Semanick ’85 of San Steve Vai ’79 and John Scofield ’73, sion series, which premiered on August Rafael is a re-recording mixer at of original compositions. His latest had both attended Berklee, his college 6, 2006, and concluded on October 27, Skywalker Sound. This year he worked album, Desire Paths, will be released in choice became clear. 2013, on Adult Swim. The storyline cen- on the films Lego Batman, Cars 3, Star the fall. When he was 17 years old, he ters on the larger-than-life death-metal Wars: The Last Jedi, and Coco. Semanick David Rupley ’02 of Concord is the attended Berklee’s Five-Week Summer band Dethklok, with Small supplying received the Cinema Audio Society CEO of Cumulus Sky Music, and has Performance Program and he fell in the voice for many of the characters award for best sound for his work on composed music for seven albums as love with Boston. “It was the first time and creating the music. “The cool thing the animated film Finding Dory. well as an orchestral piece. He oper- I met like-minded folks who lived, about Metalocalypse and Dethklok,” Kurt Ribak ’89 of Berkeley is ates his own publishing company and breathed, and slept music,” he recalls. Small says, “is that we got to turn kids completing his fifth recording as has written a movie screenplay. “I knew then that if I could just get out onto metal and guitars and help grow a bandleader. The album will feature Omar Ledezma Jr. ’04 of San of Salinas and get to Boston, my cre- new crop of listeners and players.” his tunes, upright bass playing, and Leandro, is a percussionist and singer ative life would truly start.” Small’s reputation as a guitar vocals. Fellow alumni Russ Gold ’84 for the Grammy-winning band Pacific At Berklee as a full-time student, player led to a deal with Gibson gui- and Alan Hall ’79 are also featured on Mambo Orchestra. He has released Small took guitar classes with profes- tars to create his own signature model: the album. several albums in recent years and sors Jon Finn and Tomo Fujita. But he Brendon Small Snow Falcon Flying V Matt Zebley ’93 of Concord, CA, is appears on videos featuring instru- had to face his fear of playing in front guitar (visit www.gibson.com). establishing himself as a jazz artist and ments from product manufacturers of people. Stage fright was a long-term Brendon Small’s Galaktikon is educator in the Bay Area. Since 2013, Soultone Cymbals and Pearl. challenge that Small eventually con- his latest project. Released in 2012, he has been the director of jazz stud- Jon Keilson ’06 of San Francisco is quered though stand-up comedy. the first Galaktikon recording was a ies at Diablo Valley College. Last May, director of product at TuneIn, an on- During the summer before his “high-stakes, intergalactic, extreme- he received tenure in the Contra Costa demand internet radio service that final year at Berklee, Small was intern- rock album” that featured former Community College District. provides listeners access to more than ing in New York and often visited a Dethklok collaborators drummer Jordan Feinstein ’94 of San 100,000 terrestrial radio stations and friend who was interning on Late Night Gene Hoglan (Testament, Death, Francisco is an in-demand keyboard 4 million podcasts streaming from with Conan O’Brien. His desire to cre- Dark Angel) and bassist extraordi- player working with numerous bands around the globe. ate comedy took hold and he decided naire Bryan Beller ’92 (the Aristocrats, and recently played a gig with Phil Jeff Wheeler ’10 of Half Moon Bay to pursue comedy writing. During his Joe Satriani, Steve Vai). Lesh, the bassist for the Grateful Dead. is touring with the renowned Street final year, Small took advantage of The album Galaktikon II: Become He also leads his own group, Jordan Drum Corps in addition to playing Berklee’s sister-school relationship with the Storm, released in 2017, con- and the RituaL and operates a project shows with singer/songwriter Socorra Emerson College and took comedy tinues the original space-age sto- studio called Studio 352. and others. When he is not on the and script-writing classes there. His ryline in another heavy metal opus. Alex James Muscat ’94 of Daly road, Wheeler maintains a full teach- teacher, Mike Bent, helped him get on Underscoring the unique blend of City founded of Last Stop Records and ing schedule. stage at the Comedy Studio in Harvard Small’s talents, the record release party has been producing and engineering Alán Hensley ’15 of Oakland was Square. Soon Small was making regular for the new album was held at the leg- recordings for Bay Area artists at 7th recently named the head of the Latino appearances at the club. endary Hollywood Improv comedy club Chord Studio. In addition to perform- department for EMPIRE Distribution, After graduating from Berklee, (visit www.galaktikon.com). ing locally with his band Tall Shadows, a large independent music company some local TV producers in Boston Speaking of Small, Bryan Beller he has released four studio albums that focuses on urban music. saw him perform and offered him says, “He’s super-talented in so many the opportunity to co-create his own ways, and I’m glad to be one small part show, Home Movies, an animated of his creative universe.” Fall 2017 35.