Jim's Blog and Bio

It's hard to imagine I am going on 50 years old...me and Randy our bass player have known each other since the mid 1970's (Carter was president), Brent and Scott the 80's, and now Joel in 2008.  My dad taught me my first chords, G,C, and D...he was a pro steel player with Tammy Wynette, Buck Owens and Jimmy Bryant before they were famous.  I will never forget his line...learn to play it all or don't play anything at all!  I still believe that today.  Though I'm no jazz or country player, I still try...my dad was my musical mentor and will always be...I love ya pop!!

Monkey Wrench started in 1992 with Brent, Scott, me, and this skinny strange-kinda kid...our bass player named Todd Mohler (God rest his soul).  We were out to get back in the game since all of us were going through bands, work and family.  Music was in our veins, and it was time to get live music going again in and around Fresno.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be playing with three great musicians, and most of all three of my best friends.

Todd had left the band in 2000, and was killed tragically in 2003.  We have had a few replacements since then, and no matter how good the others were it still makes me stop and think about Todd.  Derrick Toy was a breath of life for us, his bass playing was beyond great...it was breath taking.  But after he and his lovely wife Angie had baby number four, it was his time for him to leave us...and for good reasons.  Chris Pierce was his replacement and again we found another great, but his busy schedule in other bands and recording just made it too hard for us to grow.  Now Randy is our bass player, just like long ago, and again we feel the fire of when we were kids.  It just feels right !!

This band MONKEY WRENCH is special to me for all the right reasons and then some.  We have played in front of huge crowds and then not so big crowds, played for bigs bucks and played for beer....but again and again this band keeps playing with great attitude, great musicianship...and best of all great friendship!! They put all they can into every performance...AND IT KICKS ASS!!

For those who want to know, I play Marshall amps, mainly Fender strats, MXR and SD-9 pedals.  Tone is 90% fingers, 5% guitar and 5% amp....

I appreciate all of those who have followed Monkey Wrench through thick and thin...this band would not be anything without its fans!!

Thank you all and will see ya soon!!

Jim Eachus