Born in June 2 of 1972, Juan Pablo Montoya started to get close to guitars
since he was 4 years old. But it wasn't until the age of 14 when he made a commitment:
to be able one day to master this beautiful tone-rich instrument.
It was always that special sound of an electric guitar
which always would take his attention since he was a kid growing up.

He took advantage of one situation : moving from one city to another,
without any friends, in the middle of the teenage, isn't easy.
so he sold his motorcycle that he got just six months before
( he was not gonna need it anyway in a big and cold city, Bogota , that he didn't know ) .
So he made business with the motorcycle and he got a new Ibanez guitar ,
a Peavey amplifier, a boss distortion DS-1 pedal and a black leather jacket ....
what else can a student for rocker need ??
.... just a room, a mother who would support him and time practicing ...
a lot of lonely nights practicing afternoons after coming from school.

It was there, in GJJC school when he would meet a drummer.
With him and his brother they would form the first band in which all the dreams would start to take shape . The band : N.P.I.

They played in schools and little rock festivals
around after six months of rehearsals playing covers from Metallica, Guns and Roses,
AC DC, Bon Jovi and more.
Two different approaches there : one period with a male singer and the other with a female vocalist.
They also played a couple of their own songs, being the first song of the band,
in a jam session, written by Juan himself. He also named the band after a joke .
" It was just a joke for a name but the other guys in the band took it seriously " he remembers.

Actually, even though it sounds absurd now, that was one of the reasons for him to break up with the band
." it was kind of a monopoly of the two brothers ...
and it made me really regret about that joke with the name .
I hated that name because it sounded like a punk band , which I used to hate " , he adds.
Also in private parties being this a good beginners school for musicians.
After one year and with a not happy feeling due to personal differences
with the first band he continued playing alone for long time in his room "stage"
learning and reading guitar magazines like Guitar World and Guitar Player,
from which he learned a lot about all the modern gear:
instruments ( guitars, pedals and amplifiers , technique, other guitarists experiences, etc ) .

He started to take even more seriously his instrument
after watching Steve Vai in the movie Crossroads.
Those images and the sound of the virtuoso guitarist in that movie
gave him motivation to play even more hours and to dream about a musician career.
Not long before that, he heard a tape of Yngwie Malmsteen in a friends house. That was it .
There he was immersed totally involved with the sweet and warm sound,
the tenderness and yet strong attack of that electric extension of his body :
an electric guitar. That was all he needed to be happy.
Good records by good guitarists and the company of his best friend:
the guitar ( named Blakky, back then -
his first electric guitar was a black with purple borders Ibanez Roadstar II series ).
Nowadays he uses a black Ibanez RG550 that he calls Nikky.
He will buy two new guitars: one Epiphone Les Paul Custom Black
and one Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus .
Both of them form the Elite series made in Japan. His influences are mainly:
Gary Moore ( this being the most important to date ), Jimmy Page, John Sykes ,
Zakk Wylde, Jeff Beck , Eric Clapton and Al DiMeola.
He also admires to Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani , Steve Stevens,
Marty Friedman, Ronnie LeTekkro, Tony Palacios, Robert sweet, Oz Fox and John Norum .
Among his favorite singers are : David Coverdale, Robert plant , Elton John, Joey tempest.
Also bands like Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin ( of course ) , Whitesnake, Def Leppard,
Aerosmith, Rush and Megadeth among others.
His favorite guitars are Gibsons and Epiphone Les Paul, to play in recordings and major gigs.
And as axes for thousand battles, the Ibanez. He also likes the Fenders,
specially the Yngwie Malmsteen model.
He uses Boss and Ibanez Pedals and last generation ( with digital technology) fender twin
amplifiers.That's all the equipment that he needs to play forever.

Well, going back to our story, in Colombia even the musicians have to find a "real job " to make a living .
And due to that people need to study to have a future.
So he decided to go for it but with no intention to give up to his rocker dreams not even for one day.
After spending some time in a colombian island named San Andres,
he came back to study Publicity ( Advertising). In this university, in Bogota ,
he would meet to two other friends ( and one more, friend of one of them ) with whom he would name
another band called Xantuario. Usually he would take care of the image part a lot .
Things like the name of the band, their image and the music was always in his head
when it was time to form a band on those times. The bass player was a rich guy.
His father had a business of material for construction . They made build a rehearse place,
almost in a professional level for themselves. They used to make parties,
play for friends and even other famous bands in the area used to come to that place to play.
With this band he felt more and more the bite of music. So much that after three semesters in which,
by the way he had a Psychology class that would change his life in the future,
he decided to give it a try in a more seriously way to the music
and he entered to study music in one of the most famous universities of music in the country:
the " Universidad Javeriana de Bogota " .

A lot of wild nights went by and dreams coming and going . Gigs here and there ,
but not enough to keep the wheels going. All this in the middle of an economical crisis in the family
that lead them to move back again from Bogota to Medellin.
Back in Medellin, the capital of rock in Colombia he would enter to study music
in the " Palacio de Bellas Artes". This, while he was studying psychology in the university
to "have a real job " someday .

He would play in some ensambles and groups in the university,
winning a contest between universities in the area once.
He was offered a job playing in a well know band of musicians in a bar called Blue Rock.
It was one of the hottest places in that Bars and pubs zone in medellin called " el poblado".
Here he would play with people from the "cream" of musicians in the city.
People that played in groups like Kraken, and other.
He entered replacing a very good guitarist called Andres Canola.
One of the few ones that he admired in the area. After interest and character differences,
the band split up after not too much time . He learned there a dark side of the business that almost
make him break down. After another period of lonely practice sessions and some period even abandoning
his preferred instrument, he would come to meet another guy :
a vocalist from a well known band in those times called Jeremias.
They needed to replace their ex-guitarist after winning a battle of bands
with some of the most representative bands in the city. They've had recorded a demo tape.
More rehearse sessions but not too many gigs came.
Although he entered the band giving a good impression since the first jam,
one more the personal difference and lack of professionalism ,
which now he wasn't going to take for granted, came along once more .
they played together for almost six months. He have had a good school before between musicians and
was kind of disappointed of the music "industry" and the difficulties dealing
with partners on the different bands trough the times.
After a year living in Israel and meeting the woman of his life he's back in Colombia again ,
but trying to go back to Israel. Now there's not so many plans in music
even though some friends have called him to form a covers band.

Now it's not about big star dreams . It's all about playing the music that he likes,
with friends and just for the joy of music and songs, like old classics,
blues and some of his own. So no famous rocker dreams here anymore .........
But who knows , maybe it still can happen some day .. maybe someday .
Never is too late !!!!!