Ronnie Montrose - Voyager - Paste Magazine

I Got the Fire

Ronnie Montrose is a legend amongst guitar players. With his eponymous quartet he defined the sound of guitar-driven hard rock for a generation of players at a time when most American bands were being outpaced by the ferocious riffing of their counterparts across the pond. But while the success of Montrose garnered him great acclaim and helped to bring vocalist Sammy Hagar to the world stage, Ronnie was never content to follow one path for too long, and his career would see him continue to stretch his playing and explore many different styles as a solo performer, band member and session guitarist.

More recently, Ronnie had returned to his rock ‘n’ roll roots, touring steadily with a powerful rhythm section comprised of Steve Brown and Dan McNay (drums and bass respectively) along with vocalist Randy Scoles, who calls to mind the classic singers of ’70s hard rock like Paul Rodgers. It was this group that we were lucky to capture in a truly one-of-a-kind session, recorded just before some warm-up gigs leading up to the filming of Ronnie’s latest DVD release at the Uptown Theatre in Napa, California. During our recording, the Vault was honored to host many of the band’s family and friends in celebration of not only the session, but also the guitarist’s 64th birthday. It was a very special evening, and we are pleased to present to you the results: Ronnie Montrose, in one of his final recorded performances.

Visit the official Ronnie Montrose website.

Purchase Ronnie Montrose Live at the Uptown DVD.

Ronnie Montrose – Voyager

Wolfgang's Vault (San Francisco, CA), 11/30/2011