Mansion Maze

Patrick J. Carley was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut. At age ten he demonstrated an interest in playing drums and began to learn the art of percussion under the direction of Philip Georfvoy at Sharon Center School. At age twelve Patrick was the number one snare-drum seat and lead the percussion section in the concert and marching band throughout his high school tenure. While a high school student, he also studied music theory, orchestra and concert jazz from band director Ernest Adams; took private lessons to study the complexities of trap set; learned the Buddy Rich method; and played with the St. Peters Drum Corps. As a Corps member, he performed for then President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, and participated in competitions to establish St. Peters as one of the most recognized and revered Drum Corps in North America. He also played for a local Sharon, CT rock band known as ‘REVENGE’. Beyond his secondary education, Patrick was invited to attend West Point Academy to participate in their prestigious West Point Army Band. However, it was not to be and instead, the next four years Patrick would serve in the U.S. Navy and would volunteer time to perform with the ship’s band to entertain troops in addition to performances at various “ports of call” such as Canes, France and Naples, Italy. Upon completion of his Naval duties, Patrick relocated to Orlando, Florida where he performed in many of the local area rock, country, and jazz bands until meeting John Swarts in the late 80’s…and soon the Mansion Maze journey was begun…

Originally from Lille, France, Gilbert Dhennin has been playing professionally since 1967. He has toured extensively through Europe and the Far East. He performed in the Italian production of “Hair” in the early 1970’s, and in the New York production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in the early 1980’s. His credits range from performances for President Nixon in Guam during his trip to China to opening for Boy George & Culture Club at Madison Square Garden in 1985. Since moving to Central Florida in 1987, Gilbert has been very active with several local bands and singers in contributing his talents of Saxophone, Flute, Keyboard, and Electronic Woodwind Instruments (EWI). Additionally, Gilbert has designed an elaborate home-studio which he has used to assist in the recording, production and mastering of several area acts, including work with Jody & The Trouble Brothers, Sunset Driver, and, of course, Mansion Maze…

Midwestern landscapes paint the beginnings for John Swarts. He hails Kansas as his home state where his classical studies of piano took shape at age 5. He performed in various piano competitions throughout the Mid West regions of the U.S. while attending school. His musical pursuits also included stints with many area rock, country and jazz acts, including, Gypsy, the number one A-circuit touring band of the 5-state area in the early 1980’s. Though John has not performed for a President of the United States, he has voted for a few Republican candidates. One day while John was tickling a piano in an Orlando Mall, a musician conducting auditions for a keyboard player heard him and offered him a spot in the Dominique Head Band, a local act performing “originals only” music. The drummer of that band was Patrick J. Carley and soon John and Patrick were sharing musical ideas between sets and thus the early seeds of Mansion Maze were born…

The band’s gestation began as two members - John on keyboards and Patrick on drums. Soon, John and Patrick joined the efforts of guitarist, Jamie Winner, to re-shape his famed local act, Presence. The group hammered out several original tunes and began a 3-year period of recording and performance in the Central Florida market. But the chemistry of the Old and New Presence would not prevail and after the break-up of the band, John and Patrick would again pursue their desire to create a “concept of sound” stemming from the instrumental melodies they would share during rehearsal breaks. By a mere chance meeting (or was it?), John and Gilbert were introduced to one another at a Methodist Sunday School Bible Study gathering by the class teacher who knew of someone in production of a ‘self-help-quit-smoking’ project. Soon afterward, the two musicians began to meet each Saturday at Gilbert’s home to expand their musical knowledge and talents. Meanwhile, in addition to his musical pursuits, Patrick was also an active participant in several Radio, Film and T.V. advertisements as an Actor. He eventually landed a key role in a children’s television pilot to be broadcast on PBS. During the production of the pilot, Patrick had referred John and Gilbert as potential songwriters for the project. Upon completion of the pilot, John, Patrick and Gilbert maintained a musical dialog and continued their session efforts while cultivating a creative brainstorming environment which would eventually form the basis for today’s Mansio