Biographies
Bassist, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Walter Bush originally hails from Yuma Arizona. After moving to Texas with his family, where he spent his formative years, he became interested in music and took up clarinet. Returning to Yuma in his mid teens, Walter became captivated with the bass, practicing day and night to master it. At 17 he won the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award while attending Yuma High School. He went on to major in music at Mesa Community College and Arizona State University. While his main focus in college was on the bass, he also expanded his study to include classical guitar and composition where he excelled at both. Walter says “I wanted to write like Frank Zappa and play like Stanley Clark.” Among his many and varied influences, he lists Frank Zappa, Chick Corea, Led Zeppelin, Oingo Boingo, Rush, Slayer, Charles Mingus, Gustav Holst, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Steve Taylor. After playing in a number of bands in the Phoenix area, Walter relocated to the San Francisco Bay area where ARIEL was lucky enough to find him. Along with holding down the bass (and whatever else is needed) with ARIEL, you can catch Walter’s searing guitar work with his own band “Reign of Power,” or “ROP” for short, playing constantly around the Bay area. Walter endorses JJ Guitars.
JJ Jenkins
A native of Alameda California, an island in the San Francisco bay, JJ is a guitarist, keyboardist, and songwriter. Along with creating and recording new ARIEL material, JJ is able to keep busy performing with and producing records for a variety of bands. Currently he can be seen live on stage with Michael Sea and Island Fever, Priscilla and the Jazz Company, and the McGrath’s Americana Revue as well as his many solo appearances. JJ has earned a solid reputation as the “second hardest working man in show business.” JJ is also a musicologist of note specializing in compositions of the early twentieth century. Songwriting influences include (in no particular order) the Beatles, Becker and Fagen, Don Henley, Frank Loesser, the Gershwins, Duke, Dylan, Arlo, Woody, Fats (both of ‘em), Hoagy, Mozart, Nesmith, Nilsson, Newman, Smokey, Stevie, and the late great Mr. Zevon. JJ has been writing and recording songs with George Petersen for the past 20 years both for ARIEL and other artists. The duo’s most recent project is “Crazy Campsongs,” a collection of children’s songs packed with the kind of humor you’d expect from JJ and George. JJ plays from JJ Guitars (no relation, just fine handcrafted instruments from the UK) exclusively.
Chris La Rocca
Originally from the San Francisco Bay area town of Hayward, guitarist extraordinaire Chris La Rocca got his music career off to its start opening up the legendary ARIEL acoustic shows for three of its four year run. While still in high school, he put together his own band to feed his appetite for metal and as a showcase for his ever-increasing songwriting skills. He garnered a solid reputation and a rabid following playing around the bay area with the various incarnations of “Purgatory.” Chris lists among his favorite bands and influences; Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Opeth, The Haunted, Gates of Ishtar, God Dethroned, Amon Amarth, Dissection, Death, Ancient, Enthroned, Impaled, In Flames, Immolation, and Metallica. His favorite guitarists include Andy LaRocque, All Iron Maiden Guitarists, Chuck Schuldiner, Mike Wead, Mikael Akerfeldt/Peter Lindgren, Jens Van Der Valk, James Murphy, Robert Vigna, and Jon Nodtveidt. After graduating high school, Chris relocated to southern California to attend Loyola Marymount University. Before heading south, he was able to record and release the debut CD by “Purgatory's Gate.” Chris is currently well known in the Los Angeles area as the voice of metal on radio station KXLU. He can also be seen ‘round town fronting his metal band “Purgatory's Gate.” Chris endorses JJ Guitars.
George Petersen
Raised in San Francisco, George Petersen was originally trained in violin, but learned drums and guitar after his family moved to Italy, where he spent his formative years. George played with American and Italian bands, doing mostly club work, but occasionally appearing in concert, opening for acts such as The Searchers. He also performed with the Up With People Italia group Viva La Gente. George returned to America for college, turning his studies to entomology, media and science, eventually obtaining degrees in each. During that time, he also wrote dozens of bawdy songs that have shocked and delighted thousands at the Renaissance Pleasure Faires. While working on a Master’s degree in film, he began writing for various publications and in 1981 accepting an editorial position with Mix magazine, the world’s leading professional audio publication. George is widely respected for his knowledge of recording technology and over the past 20 years, has written five books, 800 articles and lectured extensively worldwide on all aspects of audio and music production. However, music remains his first love and he and co-founder JJ Jenkins have co-produced dozens of records and performed hundreds of gigs with ARIEL. The duo’s most recent project is “Crazy Campsongs,” a wacked hardback collection of children’s songs illustrated by famed MAD magazine artist Jack Davis.
