SXSW 2005 Showcasing Artists
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Ronnie Montrose
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RONNIE MONTROSE Bio
The critics called them "a scorching outfit..." "incredibly impressive..." "part [Jeff] Beck, part Led Zeppelin, and three-fourths nitroglycerin.." "sheer rock and roll ecstasy." The band was Montrose, generally regarded as the first American hard rock group to challenge British supremacy in the early 70s. Despite its all-too-brief lifespan, the original Montrose is still remembered as one of the most influential bands of the era. After cutting his teeth as a session musician with the likes of Van Morrison and Edgar Winter, guitarist Ronnie Montrose decided to form his own group in 1973. The original Montrose band (Ronnie Montrose on guitar, Sammy Hagar on vocals, Bill Church on bass and Denny Carmassi on drums) remains the stuff of rock and roll legend, the ultimate power trio with vocals. The songs are equally legendary in the realm of hard rock: "Rock the Nation," "Bad Motor Scooter," "Space Station #5," "I Got the Fire" and the immortal "Rock Candy." Ever anxious to take his music to the next level, in 1979 Ronnie Montrose founded the trailblazing band Gamma, a group whose trio of ahead-of-their-time albums were an explosion of guitar and synthesizer pyrotechnics anchored by a bluesy edge. Between and beyond these band forays, Montrose the player devoted himself to exploring instrumental guitar music on landmark albums like Open Fire and The Speed of Sound. Today Ronnie is as busy as ever working on a trio of exciting projects. His most recent recording project is the forthcoming 10x10, an album of adrenalized hard rock featuring ten veteran singers contributing lyrics and vocals (final lineup of singers will be announced soon on Ronnie's new website at www.ronniemontrose.com). |
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