Mest

History

Cousins Matt Lovato and Tony Lovato formed the band together in October of 1995. The band's last guitarist, Jeremiah Rangel, joined the band in 1998. Their previous guitarist was Steve Lovato, Tony Lovato's brother. He left the band due to creative differences. Nick Gigler played drums for Mest from 1997.

In 1998, the band self-released Mo' Money, Mo' 40z. Their debut album on Maverick Records, Wasting Time, was released in July 2000 and Destination Unknown in 2001. They toured as an opening band for Goldfinger on July 20, 2002 in Las Vegas and then a few months later, released a DVD called The Show Must Go Off! in January 2003. Later, that same year, the band released their self-titled album, which featured the single Jaded (These Years) which featured Benji Madden of Good Charlotte. Some saw Jaded as an attempt to cash-in on Good Charlotte's popularity, because they had been one of the biggest selling bands of 2003. However, Tony Lovato defended this by saying, "The song was going to happen, whether GC had become famous or not."

In 2005, a tour with Social Distortion was cut short when drummer Nick Gigler required medical attention. The band's last album, Photographs, was released October 18th, 2005. Two singles released on the internet from the disc, "Take Me Away (Cried Out to Heaven)" and "Kiss Me, Kill Me", which can be found at MySpace, along with the video for the lead single, "Take Me Away (Cried Out to Heaven)". "Kiss Me, Kill Me" is notable for being the only single to be released that featured Rangel as the lead vocalist; something fans on Mest's message board had been demanding for some time.

Break up

In 2006, the band announced on their MySpace blog: that they had decided to cease performing together.

Their vocalist Tony Lovato released this statement:

Friday, January 13, 2006

someday ill explain xoxo, sorry to say this is not some sort of joke or something to do with Friday the 13th weird though i didn't even realise it. well when i typed it, it was the 14th. Im in Japan.. we are not turning our backs on our fans.. come on. someday ill explain the reason/reasons. i debated telling everyone but figured its better to be honest and to let the people know that want to see us one last time.. its been 10 years, 5 records and I've seen the world. its been my life. trust me this is harder on me than ANY of you. i wouldn't have changed a thing. I've done and seen more in the past 10 yrs than most people will experience in there entire life. and its because of you guys so thank you. thank you to the people that I've affected with my music and thank you to the people that have affected me through my music. weve had a great run.. i love you all.....Tony

Post-breakup

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Fatal stabbing

In 2007 Tony Lovato was jailed on suspicion of murder in Los Angeles Sunday after police said he confessed to stabbing his current girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. He was held on $1 million bail after telling police that he was assaulted earlier in the day by Wayne Hughes, 25, in the underground parking lot of an apartment building in the suburb of Studio City.

"At some point, Mr. Lovato produced a knife and the victim was stabbed," said Lt. Andrew Neiman of the Los Angeles Police Dept. "He has been booked for criminal homicide."

Neiman said police had been called to the apartment the night before, following an altercation between the two, but no arrests were made.

On Tuesday March 27th, 2007, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office dropped the murder charges, ruling that Lovato had acted in self-defense. [1]

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The Get Go

A side project to spawn from the former Mest band is Chicago-based The Get Go, featuring Nick Gigler on the drums. The band was formed in January 2007, and also features members such as Allister's Scott Murphy on bass & vocals and Kyle Lewis on guitar & vocals, Showoff's Chris Messer on vocals, and Home Grown's Dan Hammond on guitar & vocals. The group has posted 3 songs on their myspace and have stated that they may or may not be on the upcoming full length,and that they are available for digital purchase via Snocap.The 4 songs posted so far (in order) are: "Face In The Dirt", "You Vs Me", a personal favorite of the band's, "Tonight", and "Hello Again". The Get Go can be heard at www.myspace.com/thegetgorock

Line-up
Tony Lovato - Vocals, Guitar
Jeremiah Rangel - Guitar, Vocals
Matt Lovato - Bass
Nick Gigler - Drums

Discography
Mo' Money, Mo' 40z (1998, self-released)
Wasting Time (2000, Maverick Records)
Destination Unknown (2001, Maverick Records)
Mest (2003, Maverick Records)
Photographs (2005, Maverick Records)

Singles
What's the Dillio?
Drawing Board
Hotel Room
Cadillac
Jaded (These Years)
Take Me Away (Cried Out to Heaven)
Kiss Me, Kill Me

Videography
Mest: Live at the House of Blues (2002) DVD
The Show Must Go Off! (2003) DVD
7 Deadly Sins (2005) DVD (bonus with the first pressing of "Photographs"; formerly titled "Beating A Dead Horse")

Fun fact
Mest's name is derived from a cheep beer known as Milwaukee's Best. Don't let the name decieve you it's a cheep rancid beer but a fine alternative to an Ice House 30 pack.