| John Montagna - Bass & Vocals with The Alan Parsons Project, Todd Rundgren, Denny Laine |
John Montagna: Bio
John Montagna was born on April 18, 1972 in Astoria, New York. He began playing the bass guitar at age 12
under the influence of classic British rock, and melodic bassists such as Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, John
Paul Jones and Jack Bruce. He attended New York's "Famed" LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, and the
Berklee College of Music in Boston. He also studied briefly with bass guitar virtuoso Anthony Jackson, who
provided him with insights into the instrument that remain with him to this day.
John's captivating stage presence and natural gift for bold, melodic bass lines have made him one of New York
City's most sought-after bassists and vocalists. He has performed and recorded with dozens of Big Apple-based
artists such as Francis Dunnery, Amel Larrieux, Chris Orbach, and The Maxes. Additionally, he has logged
thousands of road miles touring the world and elsewhere with legendary rockers such as Alan Parsons, Todd
Rundgren, and former Wings guitarist Denny Laine.
John has also released four independent solo CDs, showcasing his extraordinary talents as a composer,
multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. His genre-defying music serves as an ideal context for his fiery
bass guitar playing. Onstage, John performs his own music solo, accompanying himself with a 4-string bass
guitar.
John lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Jill, and their daughter, Francesca. He is a member of the
American Federation of Musicians, Local 802. He plays Spector bass guitars strung with Rotosound SwingBass
66 Strings (medium gauge, .40 thru .95), and his amplifiers of choice are the Cicognani
(CHEE-cohn-YAN-ni), Indy Series 800H Bass Amp Head with the INDY Series 210 & 115 Bass Guitar
cabs, and for club gigs the Cicognani Indy Series 420 Bass Combo Amp. He prefers heavy gauge
(1.0mm) plectrums, a sold-out small venue versus a half-empty large one, and Pellegrino sparkling water with a
piece of lime and no ice.
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY - (as bassist/vocalist)
1997 Daniel Cartier - Avenue A
1998 Francis Dunnery - Let's Go Do What Happens
1998 Leomoon
1999 Amel Larrieux - Infinite Possibilities
2000 Amanda Homi - Drumgirls
2000 Mbalafunk
2000 A Girl Called Eddy - Tears All Over Town EP
2001 Alison Breitman - The Good Person's Angel (co-producer)
2004 Chris Orbach - Safely Through The Night
2004 Alan Parsons Live Project - Live In Madrid (DVD)
2005 Michael Leonhart - The Suzy Lattimore EP
2005 David Newman - Lotus Feet: A Kirtan Revolution
2006 Denny Laine - Live At The Cotton Club, Tokyo
2006 Michael Leonhart - The Ballad Of Minton Quigley
2007 Eren Cannata - Blame It On The City
2007 Godfrey Townsend - Easy Journey to Other Planets
Discography - (as a leader)
1998 JOHN PAUL MONTAGNA - Enjoy Your Dessert
1999 FOUR EIGHTEEN - Yellow (EP)
2006 FOUR EIGHTEEN - Pleasant Tension
2007 JOHN MONTAGNA - Senza (EP)
John Montagna was born on April 18, 1972 in Astoria, New York. He began playing the bass guitar at age 12
under the influence of classic British rock, and melodic bassists such as Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, John
Paul Jones and Jack Bruce. He attended New York's "Famed" LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, and the
Berklee College of Music in Boston. He also studied briefly with bass guitar virtuoso Anthony Jackson, who
provided him with insights into the instrument that remain with him to this day.
John's captivating stage presence and natural gift for bold, melodic bass lines have made him one of New York
City's most sought-after bassists and vocalists. He has performed and recorded with dozens of Big Apple-based
artists such as Francis Dunnery, Amel Larrieux, Chris Orbach, and The Maxes. Additionally, he has logged
thousands of road miles touring the world and elsewhere with legendary rockers such as Alan Parsons, Todd
Rundgren, and former Wings guitarist Denny Laine.
John has also released four independent solo CDs, showcasing his extraordinary talents as a composer,
multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. His genre-defying music serves as an ideal context for his fiery
bass guitar playing. Onstage, John performs his own music solo, accompanying himself with a 4-string bass
guitar.
John lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Jill, and their daughter, Francesca. He is a member of the
American Federation of Musicians, Local 802. He plays Spector bass guitars strung with Rotosound SwingBass
66 Strings (medium gauge, .40 thru .95), and his amplifiers of choice are the Cicognani
(CHEE-cohn-YAN-ni), Indy Series 800H Bass Amp Head with the INDY Series 210 & 115 Bass Guitar
cabs, and for club gigs the Cicognani Indy Series 420 Bass Combo Amp. He prefers heavy gauge
(1.0mm) plectrums, a sold-out small venue versus a half-empty large one, and Pellegrino sparkling water with a
piece of lime and no ice.
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY - (as bassist/vocalist)
1997 Daniel Cartier - Avenue A
1998 Francis Dunnery - Let's Go Do What Happens
1998 Leomoon
1999 Amel Larrieux - Infinite Possibilities
2000 Amanda Homi - Drumgirls
2000 Mbalafunk
2000 A Girl Called Eddy - Tears All Over Town EP
2001 Alison Breitman - The Good Person's Angel (co-producer)
2004 Chris Orbach - Safely Through The Night
2004 Alan Parsons Live Project - Live In Madrid (DVD)
2005 Michael Leonhart - The Suzy Lattimore EP
2005 David Newman - Lotus Feet: A Kirtan Revolution
2006 Denny Laine - Live At The Cotton Club, Tokyo
2006 Michael Leonhart - The Ballad Of Minton Quigley
2007 Eren Cannata - Blame It On The City
2007 Godfrey Townsend - Easy Journey to Other Planets
Discography - (as a leader)
1998 JOHN PAUL MONTAGNA - Enjoy Your Dessert
1999 FOUR EIGHTEEN - Yellow (EP)
2006 FOUR EIGHTEEN - Pleasant Tension
2007 JOHN MONTAGNA - Senza (EP)
| John playing thru the Cicognani Indy Series 800 H Bass Amp & Indy Series 210 & 115 Bass Cabs |
John's comments on the Cicognani Indy 800H head and Indy Series Bass Cabs:
"The Indy amps deliver a sweet palette of tones, and plenty power without unwanted distortion.
The 2 switchable channels allow me to dial in 2 different distinct sounds and or combine the 2
channels together. The midi programmability feature allows me to save the sounds I created
and recall them with the Cicognani MF-24 midi foot pedal, and that's a luxury. All in all the
Cicognani Indy Amps deliver exactly what I want in a bass rig. A+ amps!"
Visit http://www.johnmontagna.com/ for more info, tour dates, videos, purchase CD's and more.
"The Indy amps deliver a sweet palette of tones, and plenty power without unwanted distortion.
The 2 switchable channels allow me to dial in 2 different distinct sounds and or combine the 2
channels together. The midi programmability feature allows me to save the sounds I created
and recall them with the Cicognani MF-24 midi foot pedal, and that's a luxury. All in all the
Cicognani Indy Amps deliver exactly what I want in a bass rig. A+ amps!"
Visit http://www.johnmontagna.com/ for more info, tour dates, videos, purchase CD's and more.