Parker Lundgren (born December 28, 1986) is an American guitarist, best known for being in the
progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...
band
Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...
, which he joined in 2009 until 2021.
Career
Lundgren was born in a musical family to Julie Clouse and Scott Lundgren in
Port Townsend
Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census.
It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, where he also grew up.
He started playing acoustic guitar, but later switched to
jazz guitar
Jazz guitar may refer to either a type of electric guitar or a guitar playing style in jazz, using electric amplification to increase the volume of acoustic guitars.
In the early 1930s, jazz musicians sought to amplify their sound to be hear ...
,
taking both lessons and working through guitar books.
Since all his friends played guitar, he always was in three or four bands,
including the
Port Townsend High School Jazz Band and the rock band The Nihilists, which he co-founded and played with for six years.
He names
Django Reinhardt
Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...
as a major influence in the
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
genre, and as a fan of
Chris DeGarmo
Christopher Lee DeGarmo (born June 14, 1963) is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a rhythm and lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter in the progressive metal band Queensrÿche from their formation in 1 ...
, he was learning
Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...
songs in high school.
After graduation, Lundgren moved to
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
to build a career in music,
where he played in the
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
group
Sledgeback. In the summer of 2008, Lundgren also joined the touring band of
Geoff Tate
Geoff Tate (born Jeffrey Wayne Tate, January 14, 1959; he later changed his first name to Geoffery or Geoffrey) (Pp. 11, 48). is an American singer and songwriter. He rose to fame with the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, who had commercial ...
's solo project,
while dating Tate's stepdaughter Miranda Tate. During that time, he had already become friends with the members of Tate's band Queensrÿche.
![Parker Lundgren Sledgeback](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Parker_Lundgren_Sledgeback.jpg)
Queensrÿche
A falling out between Queensrÿche and their then-guitarist
Mike Stone opened up the position of guitarist in Queensrÿche.
Lundgren became Stone's replacement, aided by the fact that he already knew most of their material. Lundgren was tipped that the upcoming tour would consist of the albums ''
American Soldier'', ''
Rage for Order
''Rage for Order'' is the second studio album by the American progressive metal band Queensrÿche, released on June 27, 1986. The album was re-released on May 6, 2003 with four bonus tracks.
Overview
''Rage for Order'' was more progressive than ...
'' and ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'', which he learned before auditioning with Queensrÿche's lead guitarist,
Michael Wilton
Michael F. Wilton (born February 23, 1962) also known as The Whip, for how fast his fingers "whip" around the guitar fretboard, is an American musician, best known for being a guitarist and songwriter in the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, wh ...
. Wilton was surprised that Lundgren knew the whole set, and possibly also relieved he would not have to teach the new guitarist all the parts.
Because of his new appointment with Queensrÿche, Lundgren left Sledgeback in February 2009.
On July 18, he married Miranda Tate, but they divorced about six months later.
In concert, Lundgren plays the original guitar solos by Wilton and original lead guitarist
Chris DeGarmo
Christopher Lee DeGarmo (born June 14, 1963) is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a rhythm and lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter in the progressive metal band Queensrÿche from their formation in 1 ...
note for note.
It was suggested he do so by Wilton, because
Kelly Gray
Kelly Gray (born April 7, 1981 in Palo Alto, California) is a former American soccer player. He does commentary for San Jose Earthquakes games on Comcast Sports Net Bay Area
Career
College
Gray played forward and midfielder at the University ...
and Stone (his predecessors replacing DeGarmo) had their own solos, to the fans' displeasure.
Internal struggles between Tate and the other band members led to the lead vocalist being expelled from the band in June 2012. Lundgren was aware of creative differences, but did not know the full extent of the problems, explaining: "I just wanted to be there and do a good job. Whatever they had going on, it was all behind closed doors. (...) I just kinda tried to stay out of it."
He became aware of the details after the court documents became public.
Queensrÿche continued with a new vocalist,
Todd La Torre
Todd La Torre (; born February 19, 1974) is an American singer and drummer. He is the lead singer for progressive metal band Queensrÿche, and a former lead vocalist of the bands Crimson Glory and Rising West. Originally from St. Petersburg, Flor ...
, while Lundgren (not one of the founding members) was free to choose whether or not he wanted to stay in the band.
Guitarist Wilton praised Lundgren for making "a good decision" to stay.
In 2013, Lundgren was actively involved in the writing process for the album ''
Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...
'', writing the song "Where Dreams Go to Die"
and contributing a guitar solo for "Don't Look Back".
According to Wilton, the band members told him: "you're in a different situation now. In the last situation you weren't allowed to write, you were just a hired guy, you were just a player who had no say in any matter. This is completely different, you are part of the band, you are a writer, you can sing, you can do anything – we want you to just go for it. Show us what you've got."
He is cited by the band for his drive to be "ever growing as a musician" and that "he has different influences than everybody else, which makes him a unique character in the creative process."
In 2021, it was announced that Lundgren had stepped down from Queensrÿche to pursue other ventures.
Lundgren also teaches guitar to students.
Discography
Sledgeback
* ''
People's Choice'' (2004)
* ''
Perception Becomes Reality
''Perception Becomes Reality'' is Sledgeback's second full-length album. The sound of the album is general punk rock.
Originally released in 2006 by Sliver records in the United States, the Dutch label Rebellion Records released a European vers ...
'' (2006)
Queensrÿche
* ''
Dedicated to Chaos
''Dedicated to Chaos'' is the twelfth studio album by American progressive metal band Queensrÿche The album was released first in Japan on June 21, 2011, and a week later in the United States on June 28, 2011, and is the band's first album for Ro ...
'' (2011)
* ''
Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...
'' (2013)
* ''
Condition Hüman
''Condition Hüman'' is the fourteenth studio album by American heavy metal band Queensrÿche. It was released on October 2, 2015, through Century Media. It is the second studio album recorded with vocalist Todd La Torre, after Geoff Tate was fir ...
'' (2015)
* ''
The Verdict
''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, and ...
'' (2019)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lundgren, Parker
1986 births
American male guitarists
American punk rock guitarists
American rock guitarists
Living people
People from Port Townsend, Washington
Progressive metal guitarists
Queensrÿche members
Rhythm guitarists