Prairie, Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA

Prairies (UK /ˈprɛər.i/ or US /ˈprɛr.i/) are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type. Temperate grassland regions include the Pampas of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay as well as the steppes of Eurasia.

Lands typically referred to as "prairie" tend to be in North America. The term encompasses the area referred to as the Interior Lowlands of the United States, Canada and Mexico, which includes all of the Great Plains as well as the wetter, somewhat hillier land to the east. In the U.S., the area is constituted by most or all of the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and sizable parts of the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and western and southern Minnesota. The Central Valley of California is also a prairie. The Canadian Prairies occupy vast areas of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

Formation[link]

Prairie grasses

The formation of the North American Prairies started with the upwelling of the Rocky Mountains. The mountains created a rain shadow that killed most of the trees.^{[citation needed]}

The parent material of most prairie soil was deposited during the last glacial advance that began about 110,000 years ago. The glaciers expanding southward scraped the landscape, picking up geologic material and leveling the terrain. As the glaciers retreated about 10,000 years ago, it deposited this material in the form of till. Wind based loess deposits also form an important parent material for prairie soils. ^[1]

Tallgrass Prairie evolved over tens of thousands of years with the disturbances of grazing and fire. Native ungulates such as bison, elk, and white-tailed deer, roamed the expansive, diverse, plentiful grassland before European colonization of the Americas.^[2] For 10,000-20,000 years native people used fire annually as a tool to assist in hunting, transportation and safety.^[3] Evidence of ignition sources of fire in the tallgrass prairie are overwhelmingly human as opposed to lightning.^[4] Humans, and grazing animals, were active participants in the process of prairie formation and the establishment of the diversity of graminoid and forbs species. Fire has the effect on prairies of removing trees, clearing dead plant matter, and changing the availability of certain nutrients in the soil from the ash produced. Fire kills the vascular tissue of trees, but not prairie, as up to 75% (depending on the species) of the total plant biomass is below the soil surface and will re-grow from its deep (up to 6 feet) roots. Without disturbance, trees will encroach on a grassland, cast shade, which suppresses the understory. Prairie and widely spaced oak trees evolved to coexist in the oak savanna ecosystem.^[5]

Fertility[link]

In spite of long recurrent droughts and occasional torrential rains, the grasslands of the Great Plains are not subject to great soil erosion. The root systems of prairie grasses firmly hold the soil in place and prevent run-off of soil. When a plant dies, the fungi, bacteria and the other slowly eat the roots and leaves, returning nutrients to the soil.

These deep roots also help prairie plants to reach water in even the driest conditions. The grass suffers much less damage from dry conditions than the farm crops that have replaced many former prairies.

Types[link]

Prairie in North America is usually split into three groups: wet, mesic, and dry.^[6] They are generally characterized by tallgrass prairie, mixed, or shortgrass prairie, depending on the quality of soil and rainfall.

Wet[link]

In wet prairie, the soil is usually very moist most of the growing season and has poor water drainage. This can possibly contain a bog or fen, since it often has plentiful stagnant water. This type of prairie has the best type of farming soil.

Mesic[link]

Mesic prairie (/ˈmiːzɪk/) has good drainage, but good soil during the growing season. This type of prairie is the most often converted for agricultural usage, consequently it is one of the more endangered types of prairie.

Dry[link]

Dry prairie has somewhat wet to very dry soil during the growing season because of good drainage in the soil. Often, this prairie can be found on uplands or slopes.

Farming[link]

Prairie Homestead, Milepost 213 on I-29, South Dakota (May 2010).

The very dense soil plagued the first settlers who were using wooden plows, which were more suitable for loose forest soil. On the prairie the plows bounced around and the soil stuck to them. This problem was solved in 1837 by an Illinois blacksmith named John Deere who developed a steel moldboard plow that was stronger and cut the roots, making the fertile soils ready for farming.

The tallgrass prairie has been converted into one of the most intensive crop producing areas in North America. Less than one tenth of one percent (<0.09%) of the original landcover of the tallgrass prairie biome remains.^[7] States formerly with landcover in native tallgrass prairie such as Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Missouri have become valued for their highly productive soils and are included in the Corn Belt. As an example of this land use intensity, Illinois and Iowa for the United States, rank 49th and 50th out of 50 states in total uncultivated land remaining.

Biofuels[link]

Research, by David Tilman, ecologist at the University of Minnesota, suggests that "biofuels made from high-diversity mixtures of prairie plants can reduce global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even when grown on infertile soils, they can provide a substantial portion of global energy needs, and leave fertile land for food production."^[8] Unlike corn and soybeans which are major food crops, prairie grasses are not used for human consumption. Prairie grasses can be grown in infertile soil, eliminating the cost of adding nutrients to the soil. Tilman and his colleagues estimate that prairie grass biofuels would yield 51 percent more energy per acre than ethanol from corn grown on fertile land.^[8] Some plants commonly used are lupine, big bluestem (turkey foot), blazing star, switchgrass, and prairie clover.

Preservation[link]

Only 1% of tallgrass prairie remains in the U.S. today.^[9]

Significant preserved areas of prairie include:

• American Prairie Foundation(American Prairie Reserve), Phillips and Blaine Counties, Montana
• Ceresco Prairie Conservancy, Ripon College, Wisconsin
• Clymer Meadow Preserve, Hunt County, Texas
• Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta and Saskatchewan
• Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan
• Hoosier Prairie, Lake County, Indiana
• Jennings Environmental Education Center, Pennsylvania
• Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, Okeechobee County, Florida
• Konza Prairie, Manhattan, Kansas
• Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, in Will County, Illinois
• Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa
• Nine-Mile Prairie, Nebraska
• Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Alachua County, Florida
• Richard Bong State Recreation Area, in Kenosha County, Wisconsin
• Tallgrass Aspen Parkland, Manitoba & Minnesota
• Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas
• Tallgrass Prairie Preserve 32,000 acres (130 km²), Oklahoma
• University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin
• Zumwalt Prairie, Wallowa County, Oregon

Virgin prairies[link]

Virgin prairie refers to prairie land that has never been plowed. Small virgin prairies exist in the American Midwestern states and in Canada.Restored prairie refers to a prairie that has been reseeded after plowing or other disturbance.

Prairie garden[link]

A prairie garden is a garden primarily consisting of plants from a prairie.

See also[link]

• Buffalo Commons
• Coastal plain
• Coastal prairie
• Field
• Flooded grasslands and savannas
• Flood-meadow
• Grassland
• Heath (habitat)
• Meadow
• North American Prairies Province - grassland floristic province
• Outback
• Pampa
• Pasture
• Plain
• Prairie madness
• Prairie restoration
• Puszta
• Rangeland
• Savanna
• Shortgrass prairie
• Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands - a terrestrial biome
• Steppe
• Switchgrass
• Tallgrass prairie
• Veld
• Water-meadow
• Wet meadow

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Prairie Enthusiasts – grassland protection and restoration in the upper Midwest
• Prairie Plains Resource Institute
• The Native Prairies Association of Texas
• Terraformers Canadian Prairie Conservation Foundation
• Importance of fire within the prairie
• Missouri Prairie Foundation

Mike Patton
Background information
Birth name	Michael Allan Patton
Born	(1968-01-27) January 27, 1968 (age 44) Eureka, California, U.S.
Genres	Various
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, actor, producer
Instruments	Vocals, various electronic instrumentation/programming, sampler, drums, percussions, bass, guitar, keyboards
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Ipecac, Tzadik, Warner Bros. Records, Slash
Associated acts	Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, Lovage, John Zorn, Kaada/Patton, Dillinger Escape Plan, Hemophiliac, Maldoror, General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners, Rahzel, Zu,

Michael Allan "Mike" Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the experimental rock/alternative metal band Faith No More. He was also the founder and lead singer of Mr. Bungle, and has played with Tomahawk, Fantômas, Lovage, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Peeping Tom.

Known for his eclectic influences and experimental projects, Patton has earned critical praise for his diverse vocalization. He has many producer or co-producer credits with artists such as John Zorn, Sepultura, Melvins, Melt-Banana, and Kool Keith. He co-founded Ipecac Recordings with Greg Werckman in 1999, and has run the label since.

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Patton was born and raised in Eureka, California, where he formed Mr. Bungle, with Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn, in 1984. During the late '80s Mr Bungle recorded the cassette-only recordings, The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny, Goddammit I Love America, Bowel of Chiley and OU818, featuring tracks that would later be included on their first Warner Brothers album.

Joining Faith No More[link]

Patton joined Faith No More in January 1989 replacing Chuck Mosley, who then played with Cement.

Faith No More's The Real Thing was released later that year. The album reached the top ten on the US charts, thanks largely to MTV's heavy rotation of the "Epic" music video, (which featured Patton in a Mr. Bungle T-shirt^[1]).

In the United States, Faith No More released three more studio albums; (Angel Dust, King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime, and Album of the Year) Faith No More officially disbanded in 1998.^{[citation needed]}

When interviewed about his lyrical content with Faith No More, Patton responded, "I think that too many people think too much about my lyrics. I am more a person who works more with the sound of a word than with its meaning. Often I just choose the words because of the rhythm, not because of the meaning".^[2]

Mr. Bungle and beyond[link]

During his time in Faith No More, Patton continued to work with Mr. Bungle. His success in mainstream rock and metal ultimately helped secure Mr. Bungle a record deal with Warner Bros.^[3] The band released a self-titled album (produced by John Zorn) in 1991, and the experimental Disco Volante^[4] in 1995. Their final album, California, was released in 1999.

Patton's other projects included two solo albums on the Composer Series of John Zorn's Tzadik label, (Adult Themes for Voice in 1996 and Pranzo Oltranzista in 1997). He is a member of Hemophiliac, in which he performs vocal effects along with John Zorn on saxophone and Ikue Mori on laptop electronics. This group is billed as "improvisational music from the outer reaches of madness".^{[citation needed]} He has also guested on Painkiller and Naked City recordings. He has also on other Tzadik releases with Zorn and others.

In 1998, Patton formed the avant-garde metal supergroup Fantômas with Buzz Osbourne (of The Melvins), Trevor Dunn (of Mr. Bungle), and Dave Lombardo of Slayer. They have released four studio albums. The band is still together as of July 2011.

There have been several projects over the years featuring Patton that have not been officially released, although some live bootlegs do circulate. These projects include House of Discipline (with Bob Ostertag and Otomo Yoshihide), Moonraker (with Agata Ichirou of Melt-Banana, Buckethead and DJ Eddie Def), Christian Fennesz and Mike Patton, and Patton & Rahzel. Patton contributed vocals to the Team Sleep song Kool-Aid Party, but the song did not make it onto the final album.^{[citation needed]}

Patton performing with Fantômas at Quart Festival, Norway on July 9, 2005.

In 2004, Patton worked with Björk and the beat boxer Rahzel on her album, Medúlla.^[5]

In 2005, Patton signed on to compose the soundtrack for the independent movie Pinion, marking his debut scoring an American feature-length film. However, this had been held up in production and may be on the shelf permanently.^[6] His other film work includes portraying two major characters in the Steve Balderson film Firecracker. He has also expressed his desire to compose for film director David Lynch.

In February 2006, Mike Patton performed an operatic piece, composed by Eyvind Kang, at Teatro di Modena in Italy. Patton sang alongside vocalist Jessika Kinney, and was accompanied by the Modern Brass Ensemble, Bologna Chamber Choir, and Alberto Capelli and Walter Zanetti on electric and acoustic guitars. Patton remarked that it was extremely challenging to project the voice without a microphone.^[7]

Patton's Peeping Tom album was released on May 30, 2006 on his own Ipecac label. The set was pieced together by swapping song files through the mail with collaborators like Norah Jones, Kool Keith and Massive Attack, Odd Nosdam, Jel, Doseone, Bebel Gilberto, Kid Koala, and Dub Trio.^{[citation needed]}

"I don't listen to the radio, but if I did, this is what I'd want it to sound like", Patton said of the project. "This is my version of pop music. In a way, this is an exercise for me: taking all these things I've learned over the years and putting them into a pop format."

—Mike Patton

In May 2007 he performed with an orchestra a few concerts in Italy, by the name of Mondo Cane, singing Italian oldies from the 50s and the 60s.

Mike also provided the voices of the monsters in the 2007 film I Am Legend starring Will Smith.

He is regarded as very hard-working. Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum remarked about Patton "caffeine is the only drug he does", in reference to the Faith No More song "Caffeine" from the album Angel Dust, which Patton wrote while in the middle of a sleep-deprivation experiment.^{[citation needed]} He also worked on the Derrick Scocchera short film "A Perfect Place" for the score/soundtrack, which is longer than the film itself.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2008 along with Melvins, Patton co-curated an edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties Nightmare Before Christmas festival.^[8] Patton chose half of the lineup and performed the album The Director's Cut in its entirety with Fantômas. Patton also appeared as Rikki Kixx in the Adult Swim show Metalocalypse in a special 2 part episode on August 24.^[9]

In 2009 Patton created the soundtrack to the movie Crank: High Voltage. He also performed vocals on the track "Lost Weekend" by The Qemists.

On May 4, 2010 Mondo Cane, where Patton worked live with a 30-piece orchestra, was released by Ipecac Recordings. The album was co-produced and arranged by Daniele Luppi.^[10]

"Recorded at a series of European performances including an outdoor concert in a Northern Italian piazza, the CD features traditional Italian pop songs as well as a rendition of Ennio Morricone's 'Deep Down'."^[11]

Video games[link]

Patton is known to be an avid video game player.^[12] In 2007, he provided the voice of the eponymous force in the video game The Darkness,^[13] working alongside Kirk Acevedo, Lauren Ambrose and Dwight Schultz. Patton reprised the role in The Darkness II in 2012.^[14]

He also had a minor role in Valve Corporation's 2007 release Portal as the voice of the Anger Sphere in the final confrontation with the insane supercomputer, GLaDOS. He has another role in the Valve title Left 4 Dead, voicing the majority of the infected zombies.^[15] He also voiced Nathan "Rad" Spencer, the main character in Capcom's 2009 video game Bionic Commando, a sequel of their classic NES title.

Faith No More reunion[link]

In February 2009, Faith No More announced that they were reforming for a tour and possibly new material, first as a footnote on a blurb for Patton's score for Crank: High Voltage and later as an official announcement on fnm.com.^[16] Their first gig on the road again was at the Brixton O2 Academy in London, where 1990's Live at the Brixton Academy was recorded, on June 10, 2009. They have played as one of three headliners at The Download Festival 2009, in Castle Donington, which was Faith No More's first time at the festival. At the festival they played "Chinese Arithmetic" while Patton humorously sang the lyrics to "Poker Face" using a beat-box effect embellishing Gaga's vocal style. Bassist Billy Gould has also stated that an American tour is "not out of the question". In June 2009 Faith No More announced that they will be headlining the NME stage at Reading & Leeds festival.^[17] On July 4, Faith No More performed a concert together at the Open'er festival in Kosakowo Airport near Gdynia, Poland.

Faith No More also played the large Roskilde Festival near the city of Roskilde, Denmark.^[18] Faith No More also performed in Portugal in Optimus Alive'10, where Mike Patton sang one song, "Evidence", completely in Portuguese. They had already played the same song completely in Italian on June 14, 2009, at the Rock in Idro Festival in Milan. 12 August 2009 was the date for FNM's first Turkish live appreance in Istanbul. On August 14, Faith no more played at the Spirit of Burgas Festival in Burgas, Bulgaria. Faith No More headlined the Australian Soundwave Festival in 2010. On the 27th of August 2009, Faith No More played in the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland and were supported by local band Adebisi Shank.

On September 1, 2009 Faith No More played at Israel Trade Fairs & Convention Center in Tel Aviv, Israel, supported by Monotonix and Dinosaur Jr. August 2009 Faith No More headlined the Radio 1/NME Stage at both Leeds & Reading Festival where they played the theme tune to popular UK Soap Eastenders as part of their setlist. On December 5, 2010, they played alongside Primus in Santiago de Chile,^[19] which was the day after their performance at the Teleton Chile.^[20] In 2011 they also performed at the Chilean Rock Concert Maquinaria^[21] on November 12 and 13, as well as at the SWU Festival on November 15.^[22]

Faith No More were to top the bill on Sunday July 8th 2012 of the Sonisphere Festival UK festival at the iconic Knebworth House venue, but On March 29, the festival was cancelled. ^[23]

Reaction to fame[link]

Patton (left) performing with Bill Laswell (bass) in a Jazz band.

Patton has garnered critical praise and has been made a heavy metal icon; however, Patton's reaction to this fame has been unconventional. He has acted irreverently towards the music industry, and expressed his distaste for the infamous lifestyles of rock stars. In a 1995 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, he stated: "It's hard to see as much as you'd like to with our schedule on the road, but it's harder to do coke and fuck whores every night. Now that's a full time job."^[24] His attitude towards popular music is also evident in his songwriting, as Allmusic critic Cammila Albertson writes: "When Patton sings 'Roll it up and smoke it again/Bottoms up and drink it again/ Fix it up and shoot it again/ I can't believe I did it again,' (Mojo by Peeping Tom) he is keenly aware of the way it sounds for such an avant-garde composer as himself to recite perfect rock & roll cliches. His lyrics mock the self-important coolness of the music industry and self parody his own place in it."^[25] His contempt for the over-the-top antics of figures in popular music is often cited as the main reason that Patton has always been so guarded about his privacy and personal life.^[24] Mike Patton has stated that he enjoyed his time in Faith No More:

"They were good years. It was a decade of my life. It was lots of ups and lots of downs, but ultimately that's where I learned my chops and learned the craft and the business."

— Mike Patton, Artisan News Service

Personal life[link]

Patton married Italian artist Titi Zuccatosta in 1994. They separated in 2001. During an appearance on the radio show, Loveline (Listen), Patton said that it was a case of two people wanting different things and hinted that his excessive work habits may have been a factor. "It's very hard. It's a daily struggle", he commented in regards to the rigors of juggling a busy music career and a marriage. "It had to happen... Even though we knew each other really well when we got married, it doesn't get easier." He later added, "We're trying this. See what happens. There's still hope." Patton used to own a home in Bologna, Italy (which he sold around the time of the break-up), and speaks fluent Italian.^[26] He was interviewed by music journalist Lucas H. Gordon and the answers were given by Patton in Italian.^{[citation needed]}

Patton's right hand is permanently numb from an on-stage incident during his third concert with Faith No More, where he accidentally cut himself on a broken bottle and severed the tendons and nerves in his hand. He can use his hand, but he has no feeling in it (despite his doctor telling him the opposite would happen).^[27]

Style and influences[link]

Patton's vocals touch on crooning, falsetto, screaming, opera, death growls, rapping, mouth music, beatboxing, and scatting, among other techniques. Critic Greg Prato of Allmusic writes, "Patton could very well be one of the most versatile and talented singers in rock music";^[28] colleague Blake Butler called him "a complete and utter musical visionary and a mind-blowing and standard-warping genius."^[29]

Discography[link]

Selected filmography[link]

• 1990 - Live at the Brixton Academy, London: You Fat Bastards by Faith No More (VHS)
• 1993 - Video Macumba - Short film compiled by Mike Patton containing abstract and extreme footage
• 1998 - Who Cares a Lot: Greatest Videos by Faith No More (VHS)
• 2002 - A Bookshelf on Top of the Sky: 12 Stories About John Zorn
• 2005 - Firecracker - Frank/David
• 2007 - Kaada/Patton Live - Live performance DVD
• 2007 - I Am Legend - Creature Vocals (voice) (credited as Michael A. Patton)[2]
• 2008 - A Perfect Place - Short film soundtrack by Patton (Released with film as CD/DVD special edition)
• 2008 - Live From London 2006 - Live DVD release of a performance by the Fantomas Melvins Big Band in London on May 1, 2006
• 2008 - Metalocalypse - Patton voices the character of reformed rocker Rikki Kixx on episodes "Snakes N Barrels II" part one and part two. This special 2 part, half hour presentation aired on The Cartoon Network August 24, 2008.
• 2009 - Crank: High Voltage - Film Score
• 2010 - Bunraku - Narrator

Video games[link]

• 2007 - The Darkness - Voice of The Darkness (Starbreeze Studios)
• 2007 - Portal - Voice of the Anger Sphere (Valve Software)
• 2008 - Left 4 Dead - Infected voices (Valve Software)
• 2009 - Bionic Commando - Voice of Nathan Spencer - the Bionic Commando (Capcom)
• 2009 - Left 4 Dead 2 - Infected voices (Valve Software)
• 2012 - The Darkness 2 - Voice of The Darkness (Digital Extremes)

References[link]

• Zorn, John, ed. (2000). Arcana: Musicians on Music. New York: Granary Books/Hips Road. ISBN 1-887123-27-X.

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mike Patton

• Ipecac Recordings
• Mike Patton on Myspace
• Peeping Tom on Myspace
• Mike Patton at the Internet Movie Database