Jon Bare

Guitarist Jon Bare channels a wide range of sources into his blues-rock approach, among them early rock & roll, pop, soul, jazz-rock, electronic music, and occasional touches of Hawaiian, Indian, and Latin styles. Having spent his formative years in Los Angeles, Bare acquired his blues guitar technique during a period as a computer technician in Holland, where he joined after-hours sessions with local Dutch players who shared his affinity for the blues. Once back in the United States he began composing and tracking original material, assembling the Killer Whales as his support unit; the first edition of the group included bassist Tim Bogert, formerly of Vanilla Fudge, and drummer Chet McCracken, previously with the Doobie Brothers. The band’s debut album, Killer Whales, appeared in 1993 and reached national distribution in 2000. Bare and McCracken next became members of the Hula Monsters, a Hawaiian-tinged rock ensemble that issued Party Platter in 1996. Bare later revived the Killer Whales, recruiting Hula Monsters colleague James LoMenzo—onetime bassist for White Lion—alongside rhythm and slide guitarist Rich Harper. This configuration delivered Shredzilla in 1997, the same year Bare had become a regular contributor to Recording magazine. For his subsequent undertaking Bare formed a twelve-piece ensemble that again featured LoMenzo and McCracken. The group tracked Orcastra, issued on Bare’s own Mega Truth label in early 2001 at roughly the same moment his book Recording the Electric Guitar reached stores.