François Mazetier : Bass
It
all started with a grandfather who was a musician and who continuously
sang opera, operetta and traditional french tunes. He also had two
old upright pianos (slightly detuned and with some broken keys) on
which François, his sister, his brother and his friends enjoyed themselves
making as much noise as possible. He also had parents who early brought
them to listen to classical music, religious and jazz concerts in
the churches around.
It is his brother who made him discover Rock'n'roll with the Beatles and The Rolling Stones like many did in the late Sixties.
His parents buy him his first guitar for Christmas
when he is 14, and they also offer him a few guitar lessons with a
guy living in the same town. He buys his first bass a few time later.
It is a copy of a white Randall Precision that he plugs in a 60 watts
Stal tube amplifier that he bought to the bassist of
Suntears (a local band).
He founds his first band in a stride, with some friends. Eclipse is an instrumental progressive band with two accordionists who are playing on Farfisa Synthetisers with accordion keys. It is also the time when he discovers King Crimson, Genesis and Yes.
Then comes the first break. So he founds a new band with some members of Eclipse and a few new comers. They have no name, but they spend a few years having fun and doing fine jam sessions, still with no singer.
He met Thierry during this period, while they where
schoolmates. They did not always agree as far as music was concerned,
but when he saw a him with a stick in his hands, he was stunned !
With WOTAN, there was no quarter, you could not fight ! Power, originality
and high efficiency were their religion. 
This
band was a really special one, they did not really match the mood
of the 70's (maybe a little ahead of their time). And it is a real
pity that they could not leave us an album just to remember how good
they were ...
Then he went to Paris to study (he stopped quick), and he had a few auditions leading to three nice experiences. First there was Transept whose songwriter was a huge The Doors fan. Then came Hucksters. It was a rock band with an american singer who was also an harmonicist and with a pair of fine guitarists. And finally there was a band with no name with a great Crimson fan as a drummer, and an excellent guitarist with both high feeling and sensitivity (he unfortunately committed suicide).
He then takes a few years long musical break to come
back in 1989 with Fric-Frac (Thierry will even play some solos on
their first demo). They start as a high energy power trio to become
a quintet with the addition of a backing singer
(Isabelle) and a second guitarist. Léo et les Bas is raised at the
same time. It's a French Rock band with a little alternative side.
And you know what comes next with Décade and Déviance (see Thierry and Rudy) and, and, and, finally :
KOB !!!
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