Jesse's Bio
Lead Guitarist and Lead Vocalist for BRAND ZERO
Vital Stats
Age:19
Instruments: Guitar, Bass, Keys, Drums, and Vocals
Band History: Before starting Brand Zero in April of 2000, I was in several bands. Burnt Projections, my very first band, all we did was covers and one or two original songs. Flynn was a punk band that I recorded a CD demo with. There's another punk band that I occasionaly drum for. I think that's all the bands that I've been in.
Playing History: Hmm...well, I had to take piano lessons (who hasn't?) I started playing guitar by accident actually. There was a class in junior high that I wanted to get into, but it was filled, so I took guitar as a second option. I'd been playing air guitar for years before that, and it was time to upgrade to the real thing. So, plunking out great tunes like "Greensleeves" and "Scarborough Fair" on a Yamaha Eterna Acoustic guitar. My first electric guitar was a Harmony. That thing would go out of tune every time I did a dive bomb on the tremolo. I thought I rocked when I could finally play "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Enter Sandman!" Lessons and lessons and lessons later, I started to get a need for a better guitar. That's when I got my first Hamer. Those guitars rock. More lessons, more practice, then I decided to form my first band. A little while after that, I got my dream guitar for graduation. An Epiphone Explorer. It was like James Hetfield's. Even though it was the Korina style, it was much more cooler looking that plain black (what I originally wanted, to be like James.) So, more band playing, more practice. And as I started taking over the role as lead guitarist, I needed a guitar that would allow me to do more soloing. So, enter another Hamer with a Floyd-Rose tremolo. That's my favorite guitar, though my family leaves the house whenever I change the strings and set it up. (@#$!%*) BUT, my most favorite guitar is one that my Dad and I built. It's this crazy looking Red Dragon guitar that is out of this world!!!
Influences: Steve Via and Kirk Hammet are lead guitar gods!!! James Hetfield is probably the reason I got into heavy metal. Billy Corigan, Niel ZaZa, Randy Rhodes, Jimi Hendrix. Gosh, too many to name!!!
Top 10 CD's:
1. Metallica - Black Album, all others
2. Kiss - Psycho Circus, all others
3. Pink Floyd - all
4. Smashing Pumpkins - Melancholy and the...
5. Queen - all
6. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
7. Steve Vai - Passion and Warfare
8. Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies
9. Michael Hedges - all
10. Led Zepplin - all