Tri-polar by Tri-polar

Along with Portland native Kevin Hahn (The Red Sector), the trio developed a sound described by one critic as "Deja-new", a cross between "old school" AC/DC and Aerosmith combined with the more modern sounds of Queens of the Stone Age.

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PRESS:

(taken from the Portland Tribune)

Montoya is ever clear of the past with new band Tri-Polar

Hunched over a beer in Sabala?s Mt. Tabor lounge, former Everclear bassist Craig Montoya doesn?t seem like a man who once performed nightly for thousands of screaming fans and played at the Woodstock music festival in 1999.

Laid-back, friendly and unpretentious, Montoya seems genuinely happy fronting a fairly obscure rock band that is just about to release its first CD on its own dime.

?Tri-Polar is a democracy,? Montoya says. ?Unlike Everclear, there is no one person who is in charge, or a control freak. We all work together and have input on the music. It?s been a long journey to get to this place.?

Montoya?s journey has been an interesting one, and the road has not always been smooth. Growing up in Spokane, Wash., a town he describes as ?dismal,? he reveled in the musical influences of his father and brother. He picked up the bass by process of elimination: ?I wanted to play the drums, but a drum set was too expensive. It was the ?80s, and everyone and his dog was playing the guitar. I didn?t want to be like everyone else, so I picked up the bass.?

He brought his bass to Portland a week before his 21st birthday and began playing with a band called Soulhammer, living the consummate Portland lifestyle by sharing a house with his bandmates and working a variety of day jobs to support his art. He left Soulhammer after a short time, and in 1992 he answered an ad in The Rocket that would change his life.

?I met Art (Alexakis, Everclear?s frontman) through that ad, and we started recording ?World of Noise? pretty quickly,? he says. ?Tim/Kerr Records released it, and it was picked up by Capitol Records. We got the advance, and I quit my job to go into the studio. When I was able to walk away from the daily grind, that was when I knew I?d made it.?

?Making it,? however, turned out to be a double-edged sword. ?1996 was really a blur,? Montoya says. ?At first, I was excited and happy; I was living out a dream.?

Things quickly turned sour. ?The backlash started pretty quickly. Art was a very controlling person. I felt like I had been given a good opportunity, but the reality was that the situation was very difficult.?

The difficulties continued for the next few years, with Everclear becoming increasingly fractured. Montoya spent most of his time with touring musician and former Sweaty Nipples drummer and vocalist Brian Lehfeldt. The two became close friends and shared their frustrations about what was becoming an increasingly volatile situation.

Despite the fact that much of his time in Everclear was marked by discord, Montoya describes it as ?a learning experience. It was part of my life, but it?s not who I am.? He is trying to break out of the shadow of being ?that Everclear guy,? and follow his passion for music. When he talks about his time in Everclear, he looks down and is circumspect; when asked about Tri-Polar, his face lights up.

?I?m really passionate about Tri-Polar,? he says with a grin. ?I?m not the greatest lyricist on Earth, but I?ve put my heart and soul into this band. The new record reflects all my emotions, but it?s essentially a really fun album.? The playful spirit extends to the story behind the band?s name. ?We had a big list of possible band names, and we went online to see which domains were taken. Tripolarmusic.com was available, and that was that. It was a very modern way to pick a band name.?

While the band?s method for picking its name might be cutting edge, the album is a fantastically old-school homage to its earliest and most important influences: Motörhead, AC/DC, the Ramones and the Sex Pistols. ?We?re not trying to be anything we?re not,? says Lehfeldt, who kept in touch with Montoya after he left the Everclear tour and now plays drums in Tri-Polar. ?We?re a really rocking band, with a lot of enthusiasm for what we do. We celebrate hedonism and the spirit of rock and punk. We want to be dirty and dangerous and sexy. We?re totally unapologetic about believing rock ?n? roll should be about having fun and feeling good.?

Tri-Polar?s first record is certainly fun to listen to, and a celebratory vibe runs throughout. The 11 songs are short and sweet, with throbbing bass lines, pounding drums and howling vocals. The CD also features striking guitars courtesy of Scotty Heard, who has since left the band and been replaced by Kevin Hahn. There?s a theme of newfound freedom. When it?s jokingly suggested that the band play off the name of Mariah Carey?s latest album and call its new record ?The Emancipation of Craig,? Montoya just looks thoughtful.

?Maybe,? he says, ?maybe.?

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