YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Some 15 years after Gil Mantera’s Party Dream called it quits, the offbeat electro-rock duo will reunite for an Aug. 23 show at Penguin City Brewing.
The announcement was preceded by subtle hints on the band’s mostly dormant Facebook page last month and eventually sparked a rush for tickets. Orders came in from multiple states and a few foreign countries, with 700 snapped up within the first few days. Sales had to be halted as the brewery reexamined the logistics needed to handle such a crowd.
Tickets are again available and can be purchased HERE for $33.85 and $17.85.
Gil Mantera’s Party Dream was performance art at heart, and its members never broke character.
It consisted of Richie Bernacki, who went by Ultimate Donnie, on guitar and vocals, and Gil Mantera on keyboards.
The two wildly dressed personas were over the top and hilarious onstage, and unlike anything their fans had seen before.
Ultimate Donnie was the angry and frenetic motormouth, while Gil Mantera was the silent mastermind who sang through a mic that distorted his voice in a robotic way. Mantera likes to continue his aura of mystery offstage by using his stage name.
Musically, GMPD’s fast-paced synth tunes were infectious and danceable.
The act started when the two bandmates – who are brothers – started performing as a gag while at a party. The response was so good that they were soon playing Cedars and other local rock clubs.
Eventually, GMPD became a draw in cities throughout the eastern half of the country. It was signed to a management contract by Audio Eagle, the label owned by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, and opened shows for national acts in venues across the country.
But the stress and expense got the better of them. The act was on the verge of a commercial breakthrough but came to an abrupt halt when Mantera (whose real name is Glen Dietz) called it quits and moved to another state.
Today, Bernacki is the co-owner and chief brewer of Penguin City Brewing.
He’s planning to create and brew a batch of Gil Mantera’s Party Dream beer for taproom sales before the August concert.
A 2022 documentary by Chicago filmmakers Aaron Hagele and Tim Slowikowski sparked a renewal of interest in the band. But most fans had long since given up hope for a reunion – which made last month’s announcement a shocking but happy surprise.
The reboot, Bernacki said, is more than just a nostalgic one-off reunion concert. It will be ongoing, with possible additional shows and even new music.
The question is, why did it happen now?
The right time had finally arrived, Bernacki said. He explained how it came together.
“Maybe three or four years ago, my brother and I met at our parents’ house when they were living in Florida, and at that point we hadn’t talked in 10-plus years,” Bernacki said. “It was a good thing to just kind of reconnect, talk about all the ups and downs [of their performing days], the stress and everything that we dealt with, being in a band for a living, on the road in a small vehicle, all of that.
“And then we we considered doing a show somewhere, maybe Chicago. But it never happened. I guess we just sat on it. I didn’t think it would ever happen. I kind of forgot about it.”
Things suddenly changed about six months ago when Mantera, who doesn’t give interviews, got laid off from his job and had time to think about his music.
“He had this idea that he was going to recreate some of the old GMPD songs,” Bernacki said. “He reached out to me and said, ‘I have this insane idea that we should do a show.’”
Bernacki’s first response was to say yes. But after a few days, he began having second thoughts.
“I almost sent him a message back saying I just can’t do it for fear of a few things. Namely, would anyone even care after 15 years that these old dudes are going to reunite for a show? And, secondly, do we still have it in us? We’re so far removed chronologically from the last time we did a show.”
But they ultimately decided to go forward, and the reaction has proven that it was the right move.
The Penguin City show will put GMPD before the largest audience of its career for a performance in which it is the headliner. Sales will likely be capped at 1,000, although it could be even higher if the show is moved from the taproom to the ballroom or the parking lot.
Bernacki sensed that the fanbase never went away by the curiosity that was stirred when he changed the cover photo on the band’s Facebook page without a word of explanation.
But the rush to buy tickets shocked him.
“I thought it was either just going to be completely dead or just slammed,” Bernacki said. “But I really didn’t expect this.”
The comments after he changed the profile photo came fast, with fans speculating about what might be happening. Many fans shared the post on social media, further spreading the word.
“It’s been so many years and there were so many legendary performances, and I think people just can’t quite believe that this is happening,” he said. “They have awakened the beast that is Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, and they might be sorry for it!”
In the upcoming show, the antics of the oft-feuding Gil and Donnie will likely pick up where they left off. Mantera has already promised to “legally” change his name during the performance.
Gil Mantera’s Party Dream released five albums between 2000 and 2009, and the set list for the August concert will consist of material from them.
But new music, and more shows, might be in the future.
“We’re taking it day by day, show by show, and we’ll see how this thing goes,” Bernacki said.
In its heyday, the band was the sole source of income for him and his brother. They had to constantly travel and perform in the hope that the money would eventually flow and things would get easier.
That’s no longer the case.
“In our current situations in life, we [no longer] have that pressure,” Bernacki said. “We probably will release new music, completely new songs, at some point. It’s not set in stone, but we can now do this at our own pace.”
Pictured at top: Gil Mantera’s Party Dream during a performance in the 2000s.