Mantra the Band

Mantra the Band Review at Jimmy Seas in Green Bay, Wisconsin

By Brad
July 30, 2009
In Indian religions mantra is a sound, syllable, or group of words that are considered capable of "creating transformation." A phrase, word, or sound repeated over and over. This is exactly what comes to mind when hearing the band Mantra play. Catch one show and you'll want to hear them over and over. A new band on the scene but packed with a rich history of seasoned veterans. Fronting the band are two smokin' guitar players that couldn't come from more diverse backrounds. Sharing lead vocals and lead guitars are Jimmy Crimmins and Ravi Kondaveeti. Jimmy is a Green Bay original who left the small town for the bright lights of Hollywood. After various jobs and gigging around Hollywood, Jimmy found a home and became sales manager for Guitar Center Hollywood. Through that job Jimmy became friends with some of the biggest names in the music business, selling equipment to everyone from Tony Bennett to Paul Stanley from KISS. Little known fact, Jimmy sold Eddie Van Halen his first set of keyboards on which he wrote the hit Jump. Jimmy honed his chops playing with everyone from Albert king to doing 3 years with Jason Scheff lead singer for Chicago. Watching Jimmy play is amazing, something that this area is lacking on the live music scene. Ravi Kondaveeti is another story. Hailing from India, Ravi picked up the guitar later in life and immersed himself in his craft and it shows. A great foil for Jimmy with some smokin leads. As for Ravi's day job, he woudn't want me bragging on him so you can always ask him when you see him, but be careful girls, he does have a way with the ladies. Backed by one of the tightest rythmn sections that any band could hope for, bass player John Vasta is a seasoned pro having gigged around the Wisconsin area for years, his grooving bass lines and heavy bottom end will leave you wanting more. Drummer Gary Parpovich originally played with Jimmy when they were teenagers in the band Zoom and same as Jimmy relocated to LA and only recently hooked up together again. Amazing what music can do. His drumming holds it all together as sharp as any Carlie Watts fan can hope for, if you get my point. I recommend checking these guys out, they don't play live as often as I would like, so with no hype, flashy advertising or cheesy photos, you'll need to catch these guys by word of mouth and judging by the friday crowd at Jimmy Sea's, they will not be a secret for much longer. From blues to the Allmans, word up--Mantra.

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