PAUL BENTO

Guitar, vocals, bass, misc. instruments

A multi-instrumentalist, Paul has been singing and playing music since grade school in New York City.  He began his musical training singing in church and school choirs while studying classical trumpet in a private music school.  He then took up electric bass, guitar, sitar, while studying various vocal styles. 

Paul has played the role of sideman, artist, and producer.  He currently is playing guitar with Carnivore, Peter Steele’s pre-Type O Negative band.  They just finished a German tour, appearing at the Wacken Open Air festival, and the Markthal in Hamburg, as well as a Northeastern tour that included B.B. King’s.  A follow-up European tour is expected in the Summer of 2007.  Paul has added guitar, sitar and tambura to four Type O Negative albums (1 of which had attained platinum status, and 2 had gone gold). His sitar embellishments and guitar solos have lent a distinctive style to these albums.  Paul has studied sitar with three sitar masters, has performed with, and recorded, many notable Indian musicians.  He has also recorded sitar tracks for AT&T radio ads and cable submissions. 

Paul has also been a session guitarist/writer/producer for Variety Recording Studio, Full Moon Studio, Sandy Pearlman (The Clash, Blue Oyster Cult) and Mark East (Pink Floyd). Paul played guitar with the Brooklyn hardcore band, ‘Gas,’ who had been endorsed by Jagermeister.  He has played and recorded rock duets with Ronald Shannon Jackson as part of the Decoding Duo, culminating in a European tour, and has performed with various other bands and artists.  Peter Steele (Type O Negative) has recorded with Paul’s band, Metal Health Association, on their upcoming album.  They are presently seeking management and label interest.  Paul also teaches guitar at Norm’s Music in Brooklyn, NY (for over eight years) and is accepting students at many levels.

Paul’s equipment is all modified and customized (with both electronics and art work).  From guitars down through the pedal chain to the amps and speakers, everything is reworked for tone and voice. 

Paul uses:  Schecter guitars, DiMarzio Norton and Air Norton pickups, Peavey 6505 amps, 4x12 Peavey XXX  bottoms, Eminence speakers, pedalboards by NYC Pedalboards, Area 51 super wahs, Analog Man Clone Chorus, Skreddy Pedals (the Zero), TRex Replica, Exotic RC boost, Planet Waves instrument cables, DR Highbeam .010g strings—standard tuning,.012/.013g—C#/baritone tuning, Clayton Custom 1.26mm picks.  

His endorsements include Schecter, Peavey, DiMarzio, Area 51 Tube Design, Skreddy Pedals, Coffin Cases, Wilkinson, JT Custom Shop.

Toben Project Studio:  Paul’s personal analog/digital project studio, and Metal Health Association’s home base.  Centers around 3 networked computers: Sonar 5.0 for multi-track DAW, (with Echo Audio Layla converters/2 UAD-1 cards), SoundTrax 56-input console (modified by SG Custom Sound), Sound Forge 8.0 for mix-downs and editing, and a third computer for Pro Tools LE, sampling, midi and back-up.  16 track analog with Dolby S and Otari ¼ inch mix-down machine.  Various converters by Lucid, Lexicon, Benchmark, Echo Audio, M-Audio, and a wide selection of quality microphones (over 40), and outboard gear.

His influences include Black Sabbath, Type O Negative, Pantera, Black Label Society, Ozzy, Nine Inch Nails, Sevendust, Nevermore, and Metallica.