Biography
Venezuelan-born guitarist Jonathan Bates, raised in Miami and serving as lead singer of Mellowdrone, had handled the instrument since childhood yet only grasped his limitations upon enrolling at Berklee School of Music, where technical skill outpaced any deeper musical understanding. At twenty, a year shy of graduation, he abandoned Boston for Los Angeles, intent on composing and tracking original material in earnest. The pair of self-released 2003 EPs, A Demonstration of Intellectual Property and Go Get ’Em Tiger—the latter featuring Tony DeMatteo on guitar, Scott Ellis on drums, and Greg Griffith on bass—drew the notice of ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who booked Mellowdrone as an opening act for his forthcoming tour. Once that run concluded, DeMatteo returned to the fold; after an intensive stretch of dates alongside the Killers, Elbow, and Secret Machines, the band inked a deal with 3E/Columbia in 2005. Their debut full-length, Box, arrived the next year. Throughout 2006 the group toured in support while landing placements on Six Feet Under and Project Runway, in the films The Invisible and Driv3r, and in a Nissan commercial. Early 2007 brought the end of their 3E/Columbia association. Amid work on fresh songs, Bates contributed guitar to M83 and Monsters Are Waiting. Late in 2008 he reconvened with DeMatteo, welcomed drummer Brian Berg, and completed Angry Bear, issued August 25, 2009, by Coming Home Records.
Albums
