MAURO

Mauro is the somewhat self-explaining name of the band Mauro Pawlowski assembled after the wild & famous Evil Superstars had chucked it in 'round & about 1998.

After this much-discussed split, Mauro started working at first on a number of smaller projects, such as the film-music to "Rosie", the debut-film of Flemish director Patrice Toye, written in part by PJ Harvey's lieutenant John Parrish. He also made the sounds for "Zippo", of the children's theater group Froe-Froe, in which he let children scratch records to a story written by Daan Stuyven.
Furthermore, he delivered a new Mitsoobishy Jacson CD "Boys Together Out Rageously" with Peter Houben, Pascal Deweze and Guy van Nueten, and gave a little bit of insight into his love for glamrock with his contribution to the cd "Glittering 2000" (he did a version of Mud's "Dynamite").

At the same time, however, it already became clear that Mauro was also preparing a solo-project. A first time he appeared - solo with guitar - at "de Nachten", but then he started looking for a band to back him up. Mauro about this "Had I made an album immediately after the Superstars, it probably would've become a lo-fi acoustic ballad album. And maybe that abrupt changeover would've been somewhat too hysterical." The name of this new band didn'( become "The Golden Ass Rangers", neither "Mauro & The Inferno's", because in the end it was decided to let the band go through life as just "Mauro". Members of his band were Herman Houbrechts (who left the drums in the band Dead Man Ray behind), Jan Wygers (Agathocles) and Anton Janssens (earlier with Noordkaap). Later also Anton's brother Steven Janssens (Revelaires, Whim Punk, Whodads) came into the mix as the 2nd guitar-player on stage.

A deal was signed with PIAS, and they provided a budget to let the band go to New York and record with David Sardy (Barkmarket, producer of - amont others - the 2nd Evil Superstars CD, Helmet, Soulwax, Slayer, Rage Against The Machine ...). The flipside to this medal was that the project was set back several months because of this, as Sardy had to first finish a Marilyn Manson CD. Thus a first single "A Faint Smile" was issued in June 2000, but it wasn't until March 2001 until the full-CD got released, preceded a few weeks before by the 2nd single "Let Me Know".

The resulting album "Songs from a Bad hat" did have two parts: on the one hand rocking, stomping seventies songs such as "Let Me Know", "Finish it all off" or"A Faint Smile", on the other hand fine and moving (but equally 70's-ish) tracks such as "Love once Again", "Everybody's friend" (with guest Caroll van Dyck of Bettie Serveert and a few Anarchists) or "Ballad with one arm". Mauro about this to Mao : "It turned out to be more or less the album I had planned it to be. The selection of songs was perhaps different. I had a more acoustic album in mind. But in hindsight I'm very glad that it didn't become that. For I really urge to play with a rockband around me. That's why I'm very glad that a number of tough rocking songs have made the album."

The critics from the Belgian press almost unanimously liked "Songs from a Bad hat" very much. Mao magazine - which did a special about this release, with an interview in the form of a cd-booklet accompanying their first issue on paper - wrote the consensus opinion : "The energy, the drive and the slightly tempestuous attitude of before have remained, but on top of this the album has everything we missed in the Evil Superstars: control, simplicity, purpose and a powerful, crystal-clear and functional sound and - mainly - a refreshing penchant for the seventies and everything that period represented music- and mentality-wise." Fans of the former Evil Superstars turned out the be less enthusiastic in their comments, missing the impetuousness and crazyness the man had shown in his previous band.

The concert organisers of this country certainly liked the CD, as Mauro was about omnipresent at the summer festivals of 2001 : Werchter, Cactusfestival, Dour, Marktrock, Pukkelpop ... In the summer, he also released a third single from the album "Finish it all off (with love)", and in October it was time for the more melancholic song "Everybody's Friend" to be released as a single (the female vocals on this one are done by Bettie Serveert singer Carol Van Dyk, who can also be heard on the Belgian country-America band Chitlin' Fooks)

Members :
- Mauro Pawlowski (guitar, vocals)
- Herman Houbrechts (drums)
- Jan Wygers (bass)
- Anton Janssens (keyboards)
- Steven Janssens (guitar)

Buy CD's of this band at

Albums :
- Songs From A Bad Hat (PIAS, 2001)
Singles :
- A Faint Smile (PIAS, 2000)
- Let Me Know (PIAS, 2001)
- Finish it all off (with love) (PIAS, 2001)
- Everybody's Friend (PIAS, 2001)

Websites :
- Mauro at Pias records
- Interview in streaming video at Canal Plus
- Big 7-part interview with Mvs for Mao-Magazine
- The lyrics to the "Songs from a Bad hat"
- Dick's review at Fun2Go
- Mauro-site in-the-making by Karlien
- Mauro & Carol van Dyck live and in streaming video during Club Lek
- Mijn bespreking van "Songs from a Bad Hat"

Forum :
- Read the messages about Mauro
- Add your message, question, cd- or concertreview ... about Mauro in the Forum