10 Things You Didn’t Know about James LoMenzo
James LoMenzo is an American musician associated with metal as well as a number of related genres. Over the course of his career, he has played with a number of bands. To name a recent example, it has been announced that he will be playing with Megadeth on their upcoming tour.
1. Born in Brooklyn, NY
LoMenzo was born in Brooklyn, which is one of the five boroughs that make up New York City. The place’s name comes from a Dutch town called Breuckelen. In turn, the earliest form of the town’s name is believed to have been Broecklede, a combination of the two words broeck and lede. The first means either a bog or marshland. Meanwhile, the second means a small water stream that has been dug in a peated area. Both places have seen their names spelled in a wide range of ways. Something that has produced a fair amount of confusion over time.
2. Became Familiar with Music Because of Both His Father and His Uncle
Like a lot of musicians, LoMenzo was introduced to music by his family. In his case, this means his father as well as his uncle. First, his father was a big music fan, which is why LoMenzo and his siblings spent a lot of time listening to their father’s record collection. Second, his uncle worked for Billboard magazine, with the result that he and his siblings were introduced to a lot of singles because of said individual.
3. Listened to a Lot of AM Radio
When he was still young, LoMenzo spent a lot of time listening to AM radio. This isn’t particularly surprising, seeing as how he grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. For context, FM broadcasting was invented in 1933. However, it took some time for it to take off, with the result that it didn’t overtake its AM counterpart until 1978 in North America. Still, FM broadcasting did overtake AM broadcasting in the end, with the result that it has turned the latter into the alternative band that it once was. Having said that, both FM and AM broadcasting have been hit hard in recent years, so it will be interesting to see what will happen to them in the times to come.
4. Listened to the Rolling Stones
Some of LoMenzo’s listening choices were unsurprising. For instance, he listened to a lot of Rolling Stones, which makes sense because said band would have been at the height of their fame when he was growing up. Furthermore, the Rolling Stones are considered to be pioneers of hard rock, which has a strong connection with metal as well as a number of other related genres.
5. Listened to a Wide Range of Non-Rock Music
Having said that, LoMenzo didn’t stick to a single genre or even a small number of related genres. Instead, he consumed a wide range of music from a wide range of musicians, which is perhaps unsurprising considering his preferred method for listening to music. To name an example, LoMenzo listened to a fair amount of Frank Sinatra. Similarly, he listened to a lot of Motown as well.
6. Believed that He Would Become a Musician from a Young Age
There are some musicians who started believing that they will embark on a musical career from a very young age. LoMenzo is a good example, seeing as how he became convinced of such when he was still at the age of 5. In this, he received a lot of support from his family. For example, LoMenzo got his first electric guitar from his parents at the age of 10, which was followed by guitar lessons. Similarly, his uncle bought him both music books and sheet music, which was how he winded up becoming interested in singing.
7. His First Band Was Named for a Beagle
By the age of 11, LoMenzo had started performing at local talent shows, which was where he met Steve Augeri, who tends to be best-known as the frontman for Journey. The two went to the same music class with the result that they formed a band called Sir Donicus. For those who are curious, the name of the band came from their friends’ deceased beagle.
8. Became Interested in the Bass Guitar Because of Summer Camp
LoMenzo is known for playing the bass guitar. He became interested in the musical instrument when he went to summer camp. There, LoMenzo met another camper named Gene, who let LoMenzo experiment with his Gibson EB-3. As a result, LoMenzo became enamored with bass guitars, so much so that he started saving up to buy one of his own. In the meantime, he improvised by pulling both the E and the B strings from his guitar before turning up the bass tone knob on his amp.
9. Played the French Horn
In high school, LoMenzo played not just the bass guitar but also the French horn. Confusingly, French horns are often called just horns in professional circles, not least because they are German rather than French in origin. It isn’t clear how French horns winded up being called French horns in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. One line of speculation says that it could be because the German instruments were derived from a French ancestor. Another line of speculation says that the size of French horns caused the British to think of the bigger-sized hunting horns used in France rather than the smaller-sized hunting horns using in Great Britain. It is even possible that French horns winded up being called French horns because the French made the best examples of the musical instrument in the late 17th century.
10. Not the First Time that He Has Played with Megadeth
The upcoming tour wouldn’t be the first time that LoMenzo has played with Megadeth. After all, he was the band’s bassist for a time from 2006 to 2010. It will be interesting to see whether LoMenzo will stay on with Megadeth beyond the upcoming tour, seeing as how the previous bassist David Ellefson has parted ways with the band.
