Ronnie Montrose

So they played all around Sacramento.

I actually worked with Ronnie Montrose and Dwayne Hitchings to like write songs together.

And when City Kid was performing, there was a Geffen A&R person that told them that their material was a little too like polished and radio ready and would consider signing them if they like, loosened up a little bit and became a little more rock and roll.

And over the years that happened, they ended up adding the original singer of Tesla, Jeff Keith, Tommy Skioch, who was in a different band, who ended up leaving the band in, I think, 06, and Troy Lakeda, who was the drummer.

I'm thinking, you know, Sammy Hagar, Montrose, like their first album with like, you know, Rock Candy and Rock the Nation and Bad Motor Scooter and those songs.

Well, it turns out, even though it said Montrose on the ticket, it was 1978, so it was during Ronnie Montrose's Open Fire album tour, which was when he turned jazz fusion.

Oh, no. There's no vocals and he's just doing jazz.

Your favorite genre.

And it's a great record.

So they come out, ACDC, this band comes out.

And my cousin, they're like, who the hell? And they just, they blow Ronnie Montrose away so hard.

Like, just no one's ever, like, during Ronnie Montrose, you just see everyone just flocking out of the, you know.

So, um, everything worked out.

At any time did you get a chance to check out Ronnie Montrose's Strat? Because his Strat and your Strat are very similar.

He had that Bill Lawrence pickup that slid up and down, but it was red, and it had an early Floyd like yours, and, uh, very similar guitar.

Well, you know what? I know what guitar you're talking about, uh, but I never...

So I was able to hit these buttons on my guitar and not be tied to a pedal board in front of me.

I could walk around to the end of the stage, and push a button, and go to my lead channel, or go to my delay, or my chorus.

So my brother designed this whole thing, and, uh, and Ronnie Montrose caught wind of it, and we found out that, you know, it didn't really work that well in my guitar, 'cause if you weren't playing and you hit the button, it would go bop, and the, my pickups would pick it up, broadcast it.

But if I was holding chords or whatever, I could switch it and go do this and do that.