A year ago this week, Ronnie Montrose took his own life after a lengthy battle with cancer.
What better tribute could there be to the legacy he left behind than new music from his namesake band?
It could by happening: Original frontman Sammy Hagar says he, Denny Carmassi and Bill Church are back in the studio, and Hagar even posted a photograph of the former Montrose band mates goofing around.
[SOMETHING ELSE! REWIND: Guitarist Marc Bonilla and drummer Steve Smith, both ex-Ronnie Montrose sidemen, remember him as a musical inspiration – and a friend.]
The trio, who helped launch the Montrose brand with its influential eponymous 1973 debut, reconnected at a tribute show for Montrose held last April. Joe Satriani, from Hagar’s current outfit Chickenfoot, filled in for the late guitarist then, though it’s unclear who if anyone will join them for this new recording.
Montrose, which included radio classics like “Rock Candy” and “Bad Motor Scooter,” wasn’t a huge success right away — climbing to just No. 133 on the Billboard charts. But, over time, it came to be thought of as a classic, playing a particularly influential role on the early recordings by Van Halen.
The Montrose debut would eventually sell more than 1 million copies, and the band would ultimately issue five long-players through 1987 — though by then Hagar was, in an ironic twist, singing for Van Halen.
If the long-awaited reunion was bittersweet, you can’t tell from the photo or from Hagar’s message.
“We recorded some new music,” Hagar confirms via Facebook. “It was amazing. We still have that Montrose chemistry. Keep ya all posted.”
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