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1944 Born Oakland, California. Grew up in the golden hills of Hollister California.
1947 Got Busted and returned home by Hollister police after found on tricycle cruising Main Street with hundreds of Hells Angles on motorcycles during their “three day takeover” of the small central California town.
1953 Family moved 50 miles north to San Jose, CA. Mazzeo’s home was on the edge of a 700 acre cherry orchard which backed up to the “haunted” Winchester Mystery house.
1958-62 studied drama and art all four years at Campbell High School. San Jose, CA. Mazzeo’s art teacher, John Quigley, was a big influence on him. Mazzeo’s senior year, Quigley entered three of Mazzeo’s paintings in a major show of more than 700 artists. All three received awards. At the Valley Fair amateur art contest, Mazzeo received “best of show”, “honorable mention” and “first place- abstract art” for tissue paper collage. The interest level generated at the show initiated the first sales of Mazzeo’s art works.
1962-66 Mazzeo joins the U.S. Coast Guard. A four year obligation, for three years he was a sonarman aboard a 95 foot Search and Rescue boat. The vessel was tied off a pier at the end of Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. During this period, Mazzeo moved into North Beach, Ca with Margo St. James (the cities number one underground hostess). Through Margo’s cultural festivities, Mazzeo was befriended and inspired by cultural heroes such as Bill Graham, Ken Kesey, Alan Watts, Varga, Roger Sommers, Gary Synder, PigPen, Steve Mann, Mose Allison, Melvin Belli, Paul Kressner, Lenny Bruce, Lawrence Ferlingetti and others. Living and socializing with this diverse group was a real influence Mazzeo continues to exhibit to this day.
1965 Mazzeo is reassigned as a “dangerous cargo-man” to Port Chicago California to finish out his military career. He moves to Oakland’s College Avenue into a houseful of artists, in a quadplex called “ Benniwigs Palace”. Mazzeo is able to “sit in” at various classes at the California College of Arts and Crafts and furthers his artistic ability whenever possible.
1966 No longer constrained by Military circumstances, Mazzeo joins his first rock and roll band from Los Angeles. They were called “The West Coast Pop-Art Experimental Band”. In the process Mazzeo becomes the first one man psychedelic light show in the United States. This allows him to travel and play for many up and coming groups.
From August to December Mazzeo would split his week between LA and Sausalito. He would play Friday nights at the Daisy Club in LA, a private club for actors and actresses, and Saturday nights at “The Other Place” a private club in Santa Monica for film producers and directors. Returning to Sausalito on Sundays, Mazzeo would play for the next five days aboard an old converted Ferry boat at Gate 5. The Ark, an after hours rock and roll jam club, featured newly formed bands such as Moby Grape, Janis Joplin, Buffalo Springfield, Lee Michaels, The Mothers of Invention and the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. They were all fed free Huevos Rancheros breakfast at three AM in the morning for in exchange for financial compensation.
1967 The West Pop Art Experimental Band with Mazzeo’s Dream Light Show signed a six month tour and services contract with Chicago’s Three Star Agency booking music shows throughout the Midwest. The agency would also use Mazzeo’s light show with their featured bookings, allowing Mazzeo to play with such greats as, Junior Wells and the All Stars, The Moody Blues, The Beach Boys, The Mothers of Invention and the Animals. It was the Animals first appearance in the U. S., which took place at Northwestern University.
July ’67 Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, passing through Chicago, grabs Mazzeo and takes Him to live with them at the Chelsea Hotel in Greenwich Village, NYC. In the Village they played six nights a week at the Garrick Theatre shocking and enchanting audiences. During this time Maz met and was to become lifelong friends with Paul Butterfield. Through Butterfield Mazzeo was introduced to Michael Kropp who was partners with John Fishback, and Ian Haims. They hired Mazzeo to help design a psychedelic night club in Boston called the Crosstown Bus. Mazzeo moves to Boston and plays his lightshow, still called “The American Dream”, nightly at the new club.
The club feature fantastic psychedelic posters created by James McCracken, who Mazzeo deems “a genius”. They become fast friends. Mazzeo is able to call upon his boyhood buddy and fellow great West Coast Artist, Jim Phillips, from Santa Cruz California. McCracken Mazzeo and Phillips create artworks and light effects. The Crosstown Bus was to become the prototype club and inspiration for the world famous “Electric Circus club” in NYC.
Through Mazzeo’s friendship with Jim Morrison, the club was able to book the Doors for five nights of performances. That was the Doors first appearance on the East Coast.
It was during this time Andy Warhol and his light show joined forces with Mazzeo’s light show in order to fill a large theatre in Boston. They played together four nights with the Velvet Underground and Nico. Corruption closed the Crosstown Bus-Mazzeo and fellow artist James McCracken were invited to join “Livings Arts” program run by Mr. Phillip Hoffer and Cary Welch out of the Fogg museum at Harvard University. They called themselves “The Laughing Academy”.
That first Boston winter Mazzeo becomes a sidekick disc jockey with Tom Gamache and his Uncle T’s Freedom Machine radio program. Playing great music two hours a night, from 12 midnight to 2 a.m., their early broadcasts were from MIT in Cambridge on their five watt campus fm station. Uncle T’s Freedom Machine became so popular they were soon offered their nightly slot at Boston Universities FM Station “WBUR”, and its 50,000 watts. They were heard 7 nights a week 12 midnight to 2 am over five Northeastern States. Mazzeo would invite his musician friends to be on the program. These events included live interviews with such artists as Janis Joplin, The Mothers of Invention, Junior Wells, James Garrison, Jeremy Stagg and Archie Schepp. The Mothers of Invention took over the entire radio program every night for seven days straight! Janis got drunk and smashed her first album over the radio microphone. She did not like her first album, just released, which she felt was rushed into production. Uncle T, Mazzeo, McCracken, Bill Cummerford and Steve Canty started a band in which no one was allowed too know how to play their instruments. Mazzeo and McCracken would sing-chant words and phrases unknown to all peoples on earth. They called their group The Entire Navy. They would record every night from 2am to 4 am at WBUR’s recording studio. Uncle T would play the results as background fill for the radio program. They got lots of radio play and finished their short career performing for 5,000 people at a Bostom Commons Summer benefit concert for an underground newspaper, The Avatar.
August ’68 Mazzeo and McCracken travel to an abandoned logging mill in mountains above Palo Alto California. They intend to start an artist retreat they call “Star Hill Academy For Anything”. They have 1800 acres of redwoods overseeing the Pacific Ocean, an ideal situation. This becomes a commune with over 40 people and children living an alternative lifestyle.
1969 Mazzeo attends Cañada College in Woodside California where he writes poetry and publishes a student poetry magazine called “Live-Evil”. Mazzeo and McCracken build a house along with Roger Summers up at Lake Tahoe’s Fallen Leaf Lake. Mazzeo Lives in a Sioux Indian tee pee at the edge of Desolation Valley.
1970 Maze and McCracken continue to live at the Star Hill Academy for Anything commune. They create a forge to cast metal and a blacksmith type studio and produce many works and sculptures. Mazzeo begins to build custom wood burning stoves one of which is illustrated in the book “Handmade Houses, a guide to the Woodbutchers Art”.
1971 Mazzeo and Neil Young become close friends. Mazzeo moves to Neil’s ranch down the hill from Star Hill. Mazzeo and McCracken work together with Neil on his first film “Journey Through the Past”. Mazzeo does all set designs, costume designs as well as set construction while McCracken makes the films miniatures and props.
1973 Mazzeo tours with Neil’s Harvest band “The Stray Gaitors”. While on tour Mazzeo becomes close friends with Linda Ronstadt.
1974 Mazzeo, now Neil’s road manager, tours with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young World on their first world tour.
1975 Mazzeo and Steven Stills travel together on Still’s solo tour, after which Mazzeo and Neil move to Malibu California. Mazzeo does Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s Zuma album cover and songbook. These images were to remain scattered throughout Neil’s shows for the next twenty years.
Mazzeo accepts an offer to be the bands road manager on their “Last Waltz” good bye tour which lasted one year and finished in 1976.
1976 Thanksgiving at the Fillmore show “The Last Waltz” was “The Bands” last performance. Filmed by Marty Scorsese, it is considered to be one of the finest Rock and Roll concert films of all time.
After the last Waltz, Neil and Mazzeo take off in Neil’s bus for Nashville and Florida. Neil writes a bunch of great songs.
1977 Mazzeo and Neil move into Santa Cruz considered by both of them as an “art attack”. They gather Bob Mosley of Moby Grape, Johnny Cravioto, drummer and vocalist for the corvettes and Jeff Blackburn of Blackburn and Snow and become a summer surf band called “Ducks”!
1978 Mazzeo stays in Santa Cruz and starts a rock and roll publishing company called “Third Reef Music”. He publishes a song on the “Snails” first album.
1979 Moves back to Malibu where he works for while with pal Nick St. Nicholas in the band “Steppenwolf”. At the end of the year, Mazzeo returns to Santa Cruz.
1980 Mazzeo learns how to sail. He reconnects with his love of the ocean. Mazzeo’s close friend Paul Ziegler (a musician who spent some time with Hot Tuna) had a small teak ketch “Mary Anne. He and Mazzeo spent much time on Monterey Bay. Mazzeo became quite proficient at sailing, and buys his first boat “Spindrift”, a Catalina 22 on a trailer.
1981 Mazzeo starts “The Lucky Duck Boat works” and tries building a trailerable 26’ St. Pierre Dory with a ten horse diesel for costal cruising or fishing.
1982 Mazzeo lives in Santa Cruz. He enjoys spending time flying kites and sailing boats.
1983 Mazzeo promotes local shows.
1984 Coconut Grove: Flora Purim Concert. Flora, a singer who gained recognition with Miles Davis, performed along with her South American percussionist husband, Aierto.
1985 Mazzeo promotes The Blue Notes 3 days of shows.
1986 On tour, Mazzeo plays visuals with Neil Young and Crazy Horse in their concert called “In a Rusted out Garage”.
1987 Mazzeo buys “Seaway”, a 42’, 1936, John Alden canoe-stern ketch. Living aboard, he spends the year restoring the vessel to its original condition.
1988 Sets sail for Mexico. Upon arrival in San Diego, Seaway’s engine blows up. Mazzeo and his friends spend the next ten weeks and all their money on a new engine. They cancel their plans for Mexico, returning to Santa Cruz.
1989 Mazzeo designs major new light show for Neil Young’s “Lost Dogs” tour of Japan, Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Mazzeo calls his new light show “Traveling Light”. His paintings and drawings, which are loosely animated through multiple projectors, seem to dance along with the songs.
1990 Moto Haru Sano, a very popular Japanese singer and songwriter sees Mazzeo and Neil’s “Lost Dogs” concert in Tokyo and hires Mazzeo to design a separate light show for his 90 show tour of Japan. Mazzeo calls this light show “Napoleon Fish”. The light show and Mazzeo’s artworks are a huge success all over Japan. Moto writes a song that tells of Him and Mazzeo and his old boat back in Santa Cruz. The song is titled “The Circle” and is a hit in Japan. Mazzeo’s artwork continues to develop a warm relationship with his Japanese patrons and friends.
1990 With the beginning of worldwide acceptance, Mazzeo seriously digs in and begins to paint on canvas full time completing over 20 works. In the same year Mazzeo gets married and tries to find employment in the “real world”. He is forced to sell his boat. Becoming sidetracked, failing normalcy, 1993 ends in divorce and begins a renewed self-pledge to put all his time and energy into his art.
January 1994 Mazzeo paints with great passion and inner strength. He is ready to be called “Artist”.
1994-1999 Mazzeo paints for long periods of 10-14 hrs a day, seven days a week for the next five years. Needing a break from painting, Mazzeo would sculpt three dimensional cardboard sculptures. These cardboard sculptures have delighted just about everyone who has seen them.
1999 Mazzeo has his first one man exhibit/show at the Village Pub Restaurant in Woodside, California. The show lasts for one month and is highly successful giving Mazzeo renewed confidence that continues to this day.
2001 Mazzeo paints a series entitles “Fucking with Picasso” (Picasso by backlight) A 36 piece collection currently co-owned by Neil Young and Dale Djerassi.
2002 Mazzeo paints a huge 9’ tall x 12’ wide 9 panel piece entitled “A Circumference of Circumstance”.
Mazzeo ends 2002 as an actor in Neil Young’s “Greendale” DVD movie. Mazzeo plays Earl Green, a rejected artist, and father of Sun Green, the main character throughout the story.
2003 Mazzeo designs and builds a cardboard stage sets for final scene in Greendale. Cardboard trucks, cars, house, jail and a giant map of Alaska are shown throughout the movie. Mazzeo also does all Pen and Ink drawing, illustrating the story of “Greendale” as well as the entire Green family.
Mazzeo is preparing two different locations in San Francisco to blacklight show his most recent paintings. As window exhibits they are to shine over the sidewalks and streets of San Francisco nightly for all to enjoy into 2004.
The first installation, viewable in mid August, is located at Peter Rundberg’s Fog City Leather at 2060 Union St. in San Francisco, CA.
And a second installation is currently being negotiated at “Fifty Crows Gallery on Folsome St, South of Market in San Francisco.
Media Coverage
Santa Cruz Metro Article - May 12, 2004
One-man Show Review
Greendale Party 1 -- you have to register but it's free
Light Shows blurb
Additional Greendale Show coverage
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