Dedicated, passionate and innovative are three words that perfectly describe Mario Pagliarulo. Born and raised in Naples, Italy, Mario has spent the last 30 years building a name for himself, with a career that spans the Atlantic and touches on almost every musical genre and style.

 

Cutting his teeth touring with such well-known Italian artists and groups as Gianni Fiorellino and Chao Shi firmly established Mario in his native country. Mario moved to Los Angeles in 2001, and quickly became one of the most sought-after session players in the city. After building his reputation by gigging, touring and recording with some of the hottest independent artists in L.A., Mario caught the attention of Serj Tankian, lead singer for the Grammy-winning, multi-platinum band, System Of A Down. Serj took Mario on board as the bassist for his backing band the FCC, and they spent 2008-09 touring the U.S., Europe, and Australia in support of Serj’s highly-acclaimed solo album, Elect the Dead (Serjical Strike Records/(Reprise Records, 2007). In 2010 he recorded bass tracks for the album Imperfect Harmonies, and rejoined the Serj and the FCC for a support tour.

 

Mario also lent his singular sound to Trevor Hall (Vanguard Records), one of the most exciting young artists on the scene today, and together they toured the U.S., playing more than 500 live shows from 2009 – 2010. A live album was released in 2010 (Chasing the Flame, Vanguard Records).

 

In 2012. Mario moved to Denver, Colorado and quickly established himself as one of the most in-demand session and live bassists in town, performing and recording with Rob Drabkin, Eric Martinez, John Fishell, and many others. Truly, he became a fundamental part of the vibrant and thriving Denver live music scene. 

 

Since 2023, Mario has been living in Rome, Italy, and is currently working and collaborating with projects including SenzaTerra, Dunia Molina and many more. He continues to divide his time surfing the diverse music scenes of Denver, LA, Roma, and Napoli. 

 

Studio recording credits include:

Imperfect Harmonies, Serj Tankian (Reprise Records, 2010), Harakiri, Serj Tankian (Reprise Records, 2012), Chasing the Flame, Trevor Hall (Vanguard Records, 2010), Blake Turner, Blake Turner (2021), Caldera, Eric Martinez (ColorRed, 2022), Foundation, Serj Tankian (Gibson Records, 2024) and more...

Some more here: https://www.discogs.com/artist/1947962-Mario-Pagliarulo)

 

TV Appearances include: 

The Tonight Show (2008 & 2012), Jimmy Kimmel Live (2008), Last Call With Carson Daly (2008) and many more...

 

Collaborations of special interest include: 

Tom Morello, Larry LaLonde, Thomas Lang, John Dolmayan, Bill McKay, Eddie Kramer and many others.