"Trey, Pat, Paolo and Me: Fragments from the Journey"

I remember when people in Prešov used to whisper that King Crimson might one day perform at the local amphitheater. I was thirteen, playing football with schoolmates on a housing estate. From the amphitheater, we could hear fragments of concerts—sounds that reached even us boys kicking a ball around. Back then, I had no idea what this band would one day mean to me.

It was 1996, and King Crimson were on their Thrak tour. I only truly fell in love with their music much later. I was captivated by their boldness, by the individuality of each member, by how they pushed their instruments to the edge. I was also mesmerized by “Absinthe” by KTU—a parallel universe I carried around in my head. I listened to their Japanese concerts on YouTube, took notes, kept diaries. Their music felt like a universe far beyond my reach.

And then it happened. In 2015, we did two tours as KOMARA—me, Paolo Raineri, and Pat Mastelotto. And now, ten years later, Trey Gunn has joined us. Yesterday, our second album KOMARA II was released. I still can't fully believe it. A dream came true—one I never even dared to dream.

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A Tour That Changes You

The past two weeks were like a kaleidoscope:

• A 7-hour drive to pick up Pat’s drums from a parking lot outside Vienna, where an anxious truck driver was waiting.

• Then another 7 hours back.

• A road trip to Krakow to pick up Pat, Trey, and Paolo.

• Driving with a trailer, rehearsals, humor in the car, endless post-show discussions.
  Over 3,500 km in 9 days.

Trey is a quiet observer—he can go hours without speaking, only to drop a single, razor-sharp comment. Paolo is the joker. Pat is wisdom and calm.

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From the Periphery to the Heart of the Music World

We rehearsed for three days at Stromoradie in Prešov. A city I had given up on so many times suddenly offered perfect conditions. A great venue, generous support, friends who always help. Paolo stayed at my place in Fintice; Trey and Pat stayed at the Atrium guesthouse. Everything worked beautifully.

During the Prešov concert, one audience member collapsed—we had to pause the show for twenty minutes. In Bratislava’s Pink Whale club, the atmosphere was electric. Fans came from Zvolen, from Prešov, and even from Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

After the Bratislava show, we stayed overnight at EKO Park in Piešťany, owned by my friend Marek Salka. In Trenčín, the audience remained seated, which Pat had warned me about in advance—and he was right. With our kind of music, the energy shifts completely when the audience sits.

Before the Trenčín show, Pat gave a one-hour masterclass. He spoke about his life, about Mr. Mister, and his collaborations. I moderated the session, with some input from the audience. Right after that, I gave a short talk about showcase concerts. I had only 15 minutes before our performance. I forgot to plug in my guitar. Forgot to tune it. And the concert was being recorded. It was stressful.

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Mistakes, Fatigue, and Euphoria

At the Letný Slnovrat festival in Opava, the energy was incredible, but the sound in our in-ears was terrible—we couldn’t hear the bass at all during the last three songs. We had to rely on memory. But the connection with the audience carried us through.

The next day we returned to EKO Park in Piešťany instead of paying for another hotel. That free day helped a lot. Especially for my son David Jr., who was selling merch. It was stressful for him, but he managed.

The last concert of the tour was at Palác Akropolis in Prague. I had an unpleasant run-in at reception with a worker who asked if there’s a bigger dump than Bratislava. I snapped—told him to shut the hell up. But the concert itself went great. It was our biggest audience of the tour, with fans from Brno, Opava, and Germany. I always regret having so little time in Prague. It’s a city that deserves more.

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Age Is Just a Number

Pat and Trey are nearing seventy. Their drive is unbelievable—every minute must be used wisely. After a 13-hour rehearsal in Prešov, Pat pulled out 50 posters, and the four of us started signing them. They’re always brainstorming how to improve things, save time, communicate with sound engineers, optimize monitoring, load the gear in the right order, and treat fans with care. Inside, they’re energetic young men. Being around them is inspiring and recharging.

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The Way Home

On the way back, I dropped off Pat’s drums in Nitra with Peter—Tony Levin’s driver. I returned the van to AutopožičovňaPO in Prešov and headed home.

The road from Prague is long and tiring. But each time I return with the feeling that it was all worth it. That something truly meaningful happened. I feel recharged and ready to create again. After every tour, I get a cold sore—it’s my body’s way of saying: it was a good kind of stress.

See you soon.

David

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Thank You:
Pipo, Julo Cichý, Edo Kopček, Ľuboš from Pink Whale, Emma and Petra from Trenčín, Anita Pócsová, Petr Boháč, Father, Rišo Rusnák, Andrej Balenčin, Marek Salka, Jano Sudzina, Ľubo Krajňák, Pat, Trey, Paolo, Fando, David Jr., Tomáš Mutina.

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P.S. I’m thinking about creating an English course for Slovak sound engineers. Almost none of them speak English, and it cuts my soundcheck time in half because I have to translate everything Trey, Pat, and Paolo say. Maybe a course for €99? Ha.

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