John Pena

www.allmusic.com is a good resource. I remember John doing some nice work on a Brandon Fields' solo CD.

 

I remember John Pena from a show my kids used to watch on Nickelodean a number of years ago called "RoundHouse". Killer house band!!! John was the bassist. He also did a stint with Steve Lukather/Simon Phillips in a band called "Los Lobotomys".

Peace,

- Frank.

 

WOW! A John Pena sighting here @TalkBass!

I like Pena, too...I think Bass Player did a feature on him a few years ago(if interested, I'll dig it out; if you happen to know the month, that would help me in locating the magazine faster!).

Anyway, this is funny...
You mention Simon Phillips' Symbiosis-
...the Symbiosis album I have(a LIVE one) has Anthony Jackson on bass.
You mention Karizma-
Both Karizma discs I have feature Abe Laboriel & Neil Stubenhaus.

...& I think the 'original' Los Lobotomys' bassist was Will Lee(?).

 

JimK wrote:

First I heard of that... I have their first (and perhaps only??) CD (some of the cuts: "Hero with a thousand eyes", "Never Walk Alone" & "Party in Simon's Pants"), and John is in the credits for all the bass parts.

- Frank

 

I'm not sure; a friend of mine has a LL album from way back(late '80s?). It's an import & he bought it ONLY 'cause Vinnie Colaiuta plays on it...I recall a cover of Miles' "All Blues". I thought Will Lee was playing on that cd(?). You're probably right.
Is that one of the cds you have?

***PUNCHING IN***
I just did a search @www.allmusic.com
Two albums listed, Candyman & Los Lobotomys...the latter disc is the one I'm talking about. It's sez released in 2000...actually that's a re-issue date.
Oh, yeah, Will Lee is listed as the bassist...no Pena.

 

Will Lee played on the original "Los Lobotomys" CD. It was a live disc from 1989....

John Pena played on the 2nd Los Lobotomys CD called Candyman (It was also released as "Steve Lukather's Candyman").

Other than Steve Lukather and David Garfield being in the band, there is nothing else similar between the 2 albums. The 1st is all instrumental, the 2nd is a hard-rock w/ vocals recording.

 

Thanks berklee46 and JimK for clearing that up!

The CD I was refering to WAS "Candyman". I didn't realize that this one was actually the 2nd CD by Los Lobotomys.

- Frank.

 

John Pena is a beast!!! He was in the house band for the former Nickleodeon show Roundhouse. That band was killer!



He's on many You Tube videos.

 

Probably most people know John from this song by Tania Maria:



He also made a CD called "Call it Grace" (2008).

 

Yeah, I remember that Tania Maria project! I might even have that one! Here is a good interview with John:

Interview - John Pena - For Bass Players Only

His Call It Grace CD is very nice! Thanks for the Allmusic link. I had no idea how extensive John's discography is! It's not a shock-he is very versatile!

 

The first time I ever heard, and heard of, John was this song when I bought the The Real Tania Maria: Wild! CD out of the blue, back in 1985.

 

He's been one of my favorite guys forever.

 

When I met Brandon I told him how much I dug Pena's playing on his albums.

 

In the 80s I used to play in a Jazz Cafe in downtown Santa Cruz. In the afternoon 5 days a week. One day when Tanya Maria was playing in town, John Pena and Walfredo Reyes, the drummer stopped by. Our band was playing pretty hip stuff, some steps ahead, weather report, some lorber, spyro gyra... so they hung out and John ended up sitting in on Tune 88. That was so educational, I thought I was playing some OK stuff on that tune but he was so beyond me, not even funny.. I was playing a Sabre bass at the time and I never heard that bass sound so good. He's been one of my favorite bassists ever since.