Kenneth E. "Boom" Gaspar (born February 3, 1953) is an American musician. He has performed as a keyboardist with American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

since 2002.

Biography

Early life

Boom Gaspar grew up in Waimānalo,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. He started playing music when he was eleven years old.Burlingame, Burl
"Way to go Boom!"
''

Honolulu Star-Bulletin The ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii (after the ''Honolulu Advertiser''). ...

''. April 20, 2007. After graduating from Kailua High School, Gaspar spent the next thirty years doing local shows throughout Hawaii with acts such as the

Mackey Feary Mackey Feary (August 13, 1955 – February 20, 1999) was an American musician. He was a member of the Hawaiian music pop/rock/folk band Kalapana. Early life Bryant Mackey Feary Jr. was born August 13, 1955, to Bryant Mackey Feary Sr. and Regina ...

Band, Harmony, Simplisity, and played in Seattle with first billing with the famous

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

Albert Collins Albert Gene Drewery, known as Albert Collins and the Ice Man (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993),Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. ...

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam frontman

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

first met Gaspar while in Hawaii. Gaspar was introduced to Vedder through

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

bassist C. J. Ramone. Gaspar has appeared on the Pearl Jam albums ''

Riot Act The Riot Act (1 Geo.1 St.2 c.5), sometimes called the Riot Act 1714 or the Riot Act 1715, was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of 12 or more people to be unlawfully assembled and o ...

'' (2002), ''

'' (2006) and '' Lightning Bolt'' (2013). He has a songwriting credit for the song "

Love Boat Captain "Love Boat Captain" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by Vedder and keyboardist Boom Gaspar, "Love Boat Captain" was released on February 24, 2003, as a single ...

" which is on ''Riot Act''. According to Gaspar, the song initially developed out of a

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without exte ...

he had with Vedder shortly after the two first met. When they were done, Vedder asked Gaspar if he was "ready to go to Seattle." He has become known for his long solos during "Crazy Mary", a song originally written by

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multi ...

, which has become a fan favorite during live Pearl Jam shows. This often culminates in a guitar/organ duel between Gaspar and guitarist

Mike McCready Michael David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. McCready wa ...

. Gaspar told ''

Keyboard Magazine ''Keyboard'' is a magazine that originally covered electronic keyboard instruments and keyboardists, though with the advent of computer-based recording and audio technology, they have added digital music technology to their regular coverage, inc ...

'' that his biggest challenge playing with the band was "learning what Pearl Jam is, and learning each of the band members’ different styles. It’s such an education for me. Every night is different and playing with them is amazing. I love challenges. They make you a better player and challenges are what music is all about."

Discography

Pearl Jam discography

Po & the 4Fathers discography

References

External links

* * 1953 births Living people American male organists American rock pianists American rock keyboardists Pearl Jam members People from Honolulu County, Hawaii Musicians from Hawaii American blues pianists American male pianists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century organists American organists {{US-pianist-stub