Craig Aloysius Montoya (born September 14, 1970) is the bassist of Castella and Tri-Polar and former bassist of
Everclear.
SPIN
Magazine – Sep 1995 – v. 11, no. 6 – Page 34
Early life
Montoya was born in Spokane
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
, Washington, the son of Daniel and Marge Montoya. He has an older brother named Dave, and an older sister named Tami; their parents later divorced.
Montoya attended Mead Senior High School
Mead High School (also Mead Senior High School, MHS) is a four-year public secondary school in Spokane, Washington, United States. MHS is one of two traditional high schools in the Mead School District #354 and has an enrollment of around 1,600 ...
, where his friends included "drug-users and musicians." When he was seventeen, the local law enforcement raided his home. He was not arrested at that point, but later was for a DUI
Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...
. After spending some time in jail, Montoya knew " edidn't want to spend the rest of islife behind bars." From that point on, he has rehabbed and has successfully remained clean.
Career
From an early age, Montoya wanted to play music. Though he was originally interested in the drums, a lack of bass guitarists in the area led him to choose the instrument. He bought his first bass guitar and amp #REDIRECT Amp
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when he was sixteen, with money he earned mowing lawns. After graduating high school, Montoya joined a band named Soul Hammer and planned a move to Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
, but was dropped from the band once their demo tape was finished. He then looked for a bass position in ''The Rocket'', a Northwest newspaper, and found an ad from Art Alexakis, the former lead singer of Colorfinger. Alexakis united with him and drummer Scott Cuthbert, and together they founded Everclear. The trio recorded many b-sides
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
and performed live and local shows. In 1993, they released '' World of Noise'', which was recorded in a friend's basement studio.
In 1994, Everclear made several changes. Cuthbert was replaced by former Jollymon drummer Greg Eklund. The band also moved from Tim/Kerr Records to Capitol
A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity.
Specific capitols include:
* United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
* Numerous ...
. In 1995, the new Everclear released their U.S. debut album, '' Sparkle and Fade'' with singles " Heroin Girl," " Heartspark Dollarsign," "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore," and "Santa Monica
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...
". The album found an audience on the alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
scene, as did their 1997 follow-up, ''So Much for the Afterglow
''So Much for the Afterglow'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Everclear, released on October 7, 1997. It contained the singles "Everything to Everyone", " I Will Buy You a New Life", "Father of Mine", "So Much for t ...
''.
During a 1998 Australian tour, Montoya got into a heated backstage argument with Alexakis after a fan threw a lit explosive on stage, and the tour was cut short. Montoya did not join the band for the ensuing tour of the United Kingdom, with David LoPrinzi filling in.
In August 2003, after three more albums, Montoya left Everclear. In 2004, Montoya formed a new band called Tri-Polar with Sweaty Nipples members Scotty Heard on guitar and Brian Lehfeldt on drums. The band began to record in late 2004, but weeks before its self-titled release on May 27, 2005, Heard left the band for personal reasons. Looking for a replacement, Montoya turned to Kevin Hahn of Red Sector, his bandmate from The Strain
''The Strain'' is a 2009 vampire horror novel by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It is the first installment in ''The Strain Trilogy'', and was followed by '' The Fall'' (2010) and ''The Night Eternal'' (2011).
Plot synopsis
A Boeing 77 ...
. Tri-Polar is still active and plays many cities along the West Coast, including the group members' hometown of Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
.
In 2006, Montoya helped formed Castella with Hahn and frontman Ryan Andew of Sidestar. They worked with producer Joe Chiccarelli
Joe or JOE may refer to:
Arts
Film and television
* ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle
* ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage
* ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971
* ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...
to record ''How Did We Get Here'' during 2007. The record received praise from the critics for its songwriting and production, and several songs from the record found their way onto TV series and movie soundtracks.
Craig is also currently performing with Tacos In Hell in the Portland, OR. area. The band was founded during the pandemic in a garage. Band members include Dan Bates, Rudy Hedges, Kevin Staley, and Montoya.
References
External links
Tri-Polar
on Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montoya, Craig
1970 births
Living people
American rock bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
Everclear (band) members
Guitarists from Oregon
Musicians from Spokane, Washington
American male guitarists
21st-century American bass guitarists