| Clinton McKinnon | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clinton McKinnon |
| Also known as | Bär |
| Born | December 24, 1969 |
| Genres | Experimental, experimental rock, avant-garde, pop, roll |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Saxophone, keyboards, various woodwind instruments and vocals |
| Years active | 1989–2000 |
| Labels | Amphead (Distribution) |
| Associated acts | Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3, Eyvind Kang, Barefoot Hockey Goalie, Umläut |
| Website | Umläut MySpace McKinnon MySpace |
Clinton "Bär" McKinnon (born December 24, 1969) is an American musician, perhaps best known playing saxophone in seminal San Francisco based band Mr. Bungle.
Bär, pronounced 'bear', is a childhood nickname, given to him by his older sisters. In 1989 Bär joined Mr. Bungle and studied music at Humboldt State University. His primary instrument is the saxophone, but he plays a number of other instruments including flute, keyboards, guitar, drums, percussion, bass and other assorted woodwinds.
He was a member of Mr. Bungle from 1989 to their disbandment in 2000, and has written and performed with Secret Chiefs 3, Dieselhed and Humboldt County hip hop/reggae/rock fusion band Lakota. He has also appeared on the Melt-Banana album Charlie, on the Carl Hancock Rux album Rux Revue, on the Ray's Vast Basement album On the Banks of the Time, on the Eyvind Kang's album The Story of Iceland and on the Barefoot Hockey Goalie album One Part Thomas Edison. Bär McKinnon is currently gigging around Melbourne with a band called Umläut.
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Bär grew up in Crescent City, Northern California and was the middle child in a family of nine. In 1989, Bär joined seminal San Francisco based band Mr. Bungle and studied music and Humboldt State University. He was a member of Mr. Bungle from 1989 to their disbandment in 2000. Towards the end of the '80s, Bär appeared on Mr. Bungle's cassette-only demo OU818 (featuring tracks that would appear on their first Warner Brothers album), and as a result, the band earned a small local following.
Bungle's lead singer Mike Patton had by the start of the '90s achieved success in mainstream rock and metal with his other band Faith No More, which ultimately helped secure Mr. Bungle a record deal with Warner Bros. The band released a self-titled album (produced by John Zorn) in 1991, followed by the highly surreal Disco Volante in 1995. Their final album was California. As a multi-instrumentalist, Bär provided a distinct style both as a player and songwriter, most notably on Mr. Bungle's final album, California. The album takes inspiration from Burt Bacharach and The Beach Boys, influences close to Bär's heart. The album allowed more freedom for all members of Bungle in the songwriting process. California blended lounge, pop, jazz, funk, thrash metal, Hawaiian, Middle Eastern, kecak and avant-garde music.[1] The band did 5 tours to support this record. For the most part, perhaps with the exception of the Sno-Core 2000 tour where they were often booed, the band did have success attracting an audience.[2][3]
Clinton's brainchild Umläut are currently recording an album slated for release in February 2009. Mike Patton has contributed vocals to one of the tracks entitled "Atlas Face". Umläut is the culmination of years of work for McKinnon, after moving to Melbourne, Australia. The current lineup includes vibraphone and keyboards as well as Bär on saxophone and flute.
They have been heavily cited as a rock and roll band without the rock.
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