User:The Gare

Gary “The Gare” Howe was born May 08, 1967, is an American drummer best known for playing in the tributes, Just Like Priest, Tribute to Judas Priest, and Empyre, Tribute to Queesnryche, and the original project Raising Cain in the mid-ninties.

Biography
Gary was born and raised in Long Beach, CA. where he started playing drums briefly at the age of 6. At age 13, his Mother bought him his first guitar and he immediately started teaching himself to play. At 14, he met a friend in school who also played guitar and the two started playing together. After a few months his friend was progressing faster on guitar than he was and it was decided that Gary play drums since they needed a drummer and Gary had played a little when he was younger. He spent the next two weeks learning simple rhythyms to play. Gary is self-taught.

Having played in a few bands in school, after graduation he met another guitar player, Brian Olsen, and together they formed the band VX with guitar player/singer Jeff Fahnestock and bassist Rick Hentges. After a few years and gigs, Jeff left and Kevin Pittsey joined as the second guitar player. They met vocalist Dave Peet and renamed the band to NO1UNO. This project was very promising with a sound like a mix of Queensryche and Iron Maiden. Sadly, the band broke up around ’91.

In’92, Leigh Williams responded to an ad in the local paper called “The Recycler” about a guitarist looking for a band. This was an ad that Brian Olsen had put up, but he passed the contact info to Gary. Leigh and Gary immediately started jamming together and involved Jeff Fahnestock and Rick Hentges for another project called Sinistrus, which was mostly short lived, however Leigh and Gary met with Doug “Doc” Ensbury and Jeff Totten of Raising Cain, based out of Huntington Beach CA. The two pair played demos for each other and began writing together that night. Within 6 weeks, they had 5 songs and recorded a 4 track demo. A month later, they went into the studio, Angel Studios in Anaheim, CA, and recorded a 5 song EP called “Hell on Earth”. This was an instant local success and they had a CD release party at the famed Dancing Waters club in San Pedro CA. And also appearing on KNAC 105.5 radio station’s “Local Licks” program.

In late ’95, Raising Cain went in to record their second disc entitled “Crusade 96” It included new songs, plus the original 5 songs from the “Hell on Earth” EP re-mastered and bass tracks re-recorded with new bassist Jerry Bryson. This to turned out to be a local success also and a 5 month US tour was planned. They received airplay across the country and was relatively successful release with almost no airplay in their hometown.

After returning from the tour, the band took a hiatus and eventually Gary left the band. After a year off from drumming altogether, at the behest of longtime friend and guitarist/vocalist Jeff Fahnestock, Gary started playing some original material that Jeff had been working on for a few years. It was during this time that a VX re-union was discussed. After the original members were contacted they started to re-learn old songs, and wrote a number of new ones and did a few gigs. This lasted a few years and when Rick Hentges and Jeff left again, Gary, Brian and Kevin decided to do a tribute to either Iron Maiden or Queensryche. They decided on Queensryche since they had always been heavily influenced by the band. They met with Franc Casciato, and after several bass players later, over the years are now in their 9th year of doing tribute. Back in ’05, they decided to take a break from Queensryche and began doing a Judas Priest tribute called “Just like Priest”

Tribute to Queensryche - Empyre
More info to follow

Tribute to Judas Priest - Just like Priest
More info to follow

Side projects and other musical endeavours
In his time away from Just like Priest, The Gare has contributed (and still regularly does) to a number of other projects:
 * Empyre A tribute to Queensryche - This band does 1-3 shows a year througout Southern California
 * Off the Rails which regularly plays shows in the Los Angeles area, consisting of covers with members of Damage Inc., Metallica tribute and Just Say Ozzy
 * Coverland, Another covers band no longer playing


 * Drums on the movie soundtrack For "Urban Nightmare" Waterfront Entertainment
 * Drums on the movie soundtrack For "Wally Sitch, Private Dick" Waterfront Entertainment
 * Drums on the movie soundtrack For "Damnation of Souls" Waterfront Entertainment

The rest is still a work in progress….

The Gare cites Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy, Scott Rockenfield, as just a few of his influences.

Raising Cain

 * Hell on Earth EP'' (1994)
 * Crusade ‘96'' (1996)

Equipment
'''Gare plays Tama Starclassic Drums and Cymbal Boom arms exclusively. The color is a discontinued Aztec Red Fade. Paiste Signature Series Cymbals with a few 2002 and 3000 still in use. DW 9000 Double pedal and DW5000 Hi-Hat stand. Gibraltar Rack Systems and Clamps. Promark Sticks (Mike Portnoy model MP420)'''

Current tour kit (2006-Present)

 * Tama Starclassic Performer %100 Birch drums & Paiste cymbals:
 * Drums
 * 14x6.5" Tama Starclassic Performer snare (Wood, Birch)
 * 14x6.5" Tama Starclassic snare (Brass)
 * 8x7"     Tama Starclassic Performer Rack Tom
 * 10x10" Tama Starclassic Performer Rack Tom
 * 12x10" Tama Starclassic Performer Rack Tom
 * 14x14" Tama Starclassic Performer Floor Tom
 * 16x16" Tama Starclassic Performer Floor Tom
 * 22x18" Tama Starclassic Performer Bass Drum


 * Paiste Cymbals
 * 14" Signature Dark Crisp Hi-Hat
 * 15" Paiste 2002 Hi-Hat (X-Hat Remote)
 * 20" Signature Dry Heavy Ride
 * 18" Signature Power Crash
 * 18" Signature Power Crash
 * 20" Signature Thin China
 * 20" Paiste 3000 China
 * 20" Paiste 2002 Power Crash
 * 17" Signature Power Crash