Stick Men at the Mystic!
Written by Jamison Smeltz
Stick Men returned to the Mystic Theater in Petaluma, 9/21/2026. They are a trio playing complex, hard, mostly instrumental music (and by ‘hard’ I don’t mean ‘difficult’, although that is also true. I consider it prog-fusion-metal, with a healthy dollop of math.)
Tony Levin and Markus Reuter take the wings, both playing stringed instruments that
allow for both bass and treble excursions played simultaneously by ‘tapping’ frets with
both hands (without needing to ‘pluck’), allowing two parts to be played at the same
time. Markus (on the left, as you look at the stage) plays a gorgeous axe he helped
create, called a Touch Guitar U8, 4 ‘bass’ strings and 4 ‘treble’ strings (although that
distinction is a bit too simple); Tony (on the audience’s right) plays a traditional
Chapman Stick (for which the group is named), a 12-string beast with the strings laid
out in 5ths, all fretboard no body, strapped across his torso like half a giant X. Between
and behind them is drummer Pat Mastelotto, a wonderfully melodic player who utilizes
electronics and samples, expanding his traditional rock kit to include sounds exotic,
industrial, and just bizarre. A lot of humor included!
This is the second time in less than a year that Stick Men have played the Mystic; they were there also on December 8 2025, a show that was re-scheduled from July 20, when Tony Levin was taken ill. Tony is now 80! Lean and angular, when he leans over his Chapman Stick and his bald pate shines in the light he appears equally formidable and gentle, with a perfect round head and soft eyes looking up bashfully.
I first saw Tony play on July 10, 1980. Though I consider 1976 my ‘birth’ as a prog-boy
(I was 12), having received The Yes Album as a forever-favorite Christmas present, I
wasn’t allowed to see a concert (because of weed, apparently) until I was 15. I had
been seeing concerts just over a year at that point, having been to Yes, Kansas, and
Blue Oyster Cult. My oldest brother Jon had an extra ticket to see Peter Gabriel at the
Tower Theater in Philadelphia; I didn’t know who Peter Gabriel was, but Jon told me he
used to sing with Genesis and that was good enough for me. The band were all
dressed in white jumpsuits, and all had shaved heads. This 16 year-old didn’t know
what to make of it. Now, over 46 years later, I realize I was anointed with the right show
at the right moment of my life, to bust my paradigms of expectation and allow this ‘punk’
or ‘new wave’ energy into my ‘prog’ life.
I have since come to know Tony personally, as I attended Three of a Perfect Pair Camp
in upstate New York in 2024. They include a loose jazz set as part of the activity, so I
got to blow on tunes like Blue Bossa and So What with Tony holding down the bottom
end, his brother Pete glorious on the keyboard. Quite a thrill!
I am a late convert to King Crimson, I wasn’t turned onto them until my college days in the early 80s, with the revival albums Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair; I rode in the back of a pickup to see this band at the Greek Amphitheater in Berkeley in 1984. This is when Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford, from the previous 1974 iteration of KC, were joined by Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, combining prog with a new wave sensibility, skinny ties and all. But King Crimson always had a darker harder edge, almost like a more intellectual Led Zeppelin, to me.
Pat joined King Crimson in the early 90s (along with Warr guitarist Trey Gunn) with the creation of the Double Trio (2 basses, 2 guitars, 2 drummers), a very exciting time for fans of this band. I later learned that he played drums on one of my favorite pop albums, XTC’s Oranges and Lemons. He is versatile and understated but hits with drive and ferocity, and swings hard. One of my favorite drummers!
Stick Men was formed in 2007, Tony and Pat with Michael Bernier as the third member; in 2010 he was replaced by German multi-instrumentalist Markus Reuter, a student of Robert Fripp’s Guitar Craft as well as a fan of Tony Levin; he learned both the 10- and 12-string Chapman Stick, and later Warr guitar, before he set up the Touch Guitar company in 2007. He is thoughtful and kind and very funny, in a dry European way. Stocky while Tony is gangly, the pair make for a mesmerizing visual display, playing their instruments without apparent effort, often not even looking at the fretboard, as the most wonderful and bizarre and intense music is cast from the respective necks, complexity belying the zen-like complacency of the creators.
Pat veers alternately from gentle to volcanic, relaxed but intensely focused. To see a Stick Men set from a few feet away (no mosh pit at the Mystic show) allows for a microscopic analysis of what each player is doing and when; even so, I must convince myself that all is occurring in real time, as there seems to be far more going on than three people can possibly create at once. (Caveat: Markus occasionally uses loops, so not all is technically real-time. And Pat’s samples are also time-bending.)
The show featured much new material from their latest release “Let’s Thrak Again”, including the title track, Komodo, Brutal, Fandango, The Well, and Swimming in Tea. Included from their back catalog were Cusp, Ringtone, Crack in the Sky, Tentacles, Mantra and Prog Noir; and rounding out a heady two-plus-hour set were King Crimson’s VROOOM VROOOM, Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Part Two, and Level Five (since re-christened Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Part Five).
Only one song featured singing, Tony’s lovely soft voice on Prog Noir; Markus added a few spoken ‘Brutals’ (and nobody sang on Swimming in Tea, oddly). All players addressed the crowd several times, offering humorous insights and asides in addition to introducing songs; and as no intermission was taken, there was never a sense of urgency or hurry. Just three very relaxed guys, among the best in the world at what they do, playing dense, fascinating music.
After the show, all three are accessible, staying for photos and autographs and a quick conversation. Markus mentioned that they are now hosting a mailing list, as that is proving to be the only assured way of reaching one’s fans. They are traveling with a crew of two: one who drives, techs, and does sound (who I also met at Camp, hi Adrian! Great sound!), and one who does Merch, Pat’s lovely wife (and sometimes co-collaborator) Deborah Carter Mastelotto, who has always been gracious and kind to me. She also sells portable CD players at the merch table, as many people buy CDs to support the band but confess they don’t have anything to play them on!
Tonight Stick Men play at Winter’s Tavern in Pacifica, and then a night off before two nights at LA’s Famous The Baked Potato. Then Tony put his Crimson hat back on for another tour of Beat starting October 9th in Santa Cruz, playing material from those 1980s seminal King Crimson albums with their co-creator Adrian Belew, as well as stunt guitarist Steve Vai, and new-for-this-tour drummer Terry Bozzio. This makes three Zappa alums in this touring band (all but Tony); fans are hoping for a nod to Frank, my vote would be City of Tiny Lites (please and thank you). Go see live music! ~ Jamison Smeltz (The Music Soup Prog writer).
This is Cheryl, Editor of The Music Soup...I thoroughly enjoyed the Stick Men show at the Mystic. I had never heard their music but have heard about them through my prog friends like Jamison. And I have always liked Prog and Prog shows, so there's that. Yet, I've always wondered why Prog shows always seems to be so 'dude heavy ' in attendance. And that shall continue to be a question that I may never understand but I'm good with it, as the upside is, at every prog show there has NEVER been a queue at the womens restrooms!
This show was very cool, and exuded a very different sound than anything else I'd ever heard. A 'planned chaos' is how I may describe what I heard. The stringed instruments used by Tony and Markus were so different and so very fascinating to watch them play. I don't think there's anything anywhere that sounds, or looks quite like them.
The attendees seemed to be loving and appreciating every note. What I enjoyed most is the band members were so friendly, kind and chatty. After the show, as Pat was aware that the drums are my favorite part of any band from our chat before the show, he invited me onstage and introduced me to his kit. Showed me a special cymbal and I was fascinated with the snare adorned with his notes, written clearly across the head.
He also showed me a cool little device called chopsticks (above), that he attaches to the sticks for practice for the fingers.
The sounds that he got during the show were so unusual. At one point in the set, I heard a distinct gong sound, but when I asked him, where is the gong, it wasn't a gong at all - it was his special electronic pad sitting next the the kit. Apart from Stick Mens unusual sounding music, I was very impressed with their connection to the audience. And the audience seemed to REALLY REALLY LOVE THEM! They are almost like Dead Heads in the religious manner that they follow this music. Such enthusiasm was lovely to witness.
As always....Life is short and gets shorter everyday. Live life NOW. Please, be kind to each other. Greet each day with love in your heart. Never regret anything that made you smile. Make amends to those we may have hurt along the way. Take accountability and apologize - we are human and we all make mistakes! Life is precious. Remember that it can end at any moment. Keep learning, growing, healing and improve yourself daily. We can always get better. Protect our democracy. Use your voice and PLEASE VOTE! Your vote does count! And we must all help take care of our planet. Turn up the music and see art! With love and gratitude,
Cheryl, at The Music Soup ❤️✌🏻🎵
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