Scott Metzger And Ben Combe Named Guitarists For Particle

Particle unveiled its new five-piece outfit on February 24 at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. The band now boasts Scott Metzger and Ben Combe on guitar and vocals, in addition to original members Eric Gould (bass), Steve Molitz (keys) and Darren Pujalet (drums). The group plans to unleash more new material throughout its forty city cross-country Spring tour, which begins with an appearance at South by Southwest in mid-March. The newly formed quintet will also make appearances at Jazzfest in New Orleans and The Green Apple Music Festival in New York City.

Scott Metzger is a New York City native who has played in numerous projects including Amfibian and Rana. He has collaborated with Gov’t Mule, Ween, The Duo and Mike Gordon, and Galactic amongst others. Metzger first met Particle while abroad the Xingolati cruise last year and struck up a conversation with bass player Eric Gould after a chance jam session with DJ Logic &Friends.

Ben Combe is a Massachusetts native who relocated to Arizona after his tenure at the Berklee School of Music. He has written and produced music for his former Arizona based project Badshoe. Combe was urged by a friend to send his CD to Particle for an audition and the band was so impressed they called him immediately. Metzger and Combe met for the first time at the band’s initial rehearsal and the new combination is yielding excellent results.

Gould, Molitz, and Pujalet have been preparing for this new phase in their evolution, writing new material and sitting in and recording with other acts including Blues Traveler, G-Love, and Umphrey’s McGee.

This past week, the band shot a DVD at The Fonda in Hollywood for release this summer via Shout! Factory, alongside special guests Joe Satriani, Robby Krieger, Blackalicious, and DJ Logic. Particle also debuted fresh songs including “Give,” which opened the show and reinvented Particle originals such as “Triple Threat” and “Simulator.” They also dove into each of the respective new guitar player’s catalogues and debuted Combe’s “The Sweeper” and “Losing It,” as well as Metzger’s “Smile” and “It’s So Hard (Believe Me).” The show also featured a stunning encore of Metzger and Combe reinterpreting The Verve’s “Lucky Man” before finishing off with an all-star laden version of “Superstition.”

Particle’s Spring tour kicks off with an appearance at SXSW with Brazilian Girls. After a short Texas run, the band heads West and will hit Phoenix and San Diego. The band returns to Boulder’s Fox Theatre and Denver’s Gothic Theatre before heading to Lawrence for an evening at the Granada Theatre. Midwest stops include Minneapolis, Madison, Chicago, and Detroit. The East Coast is highlighted with appearances at the Paradise in Boston, the Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and the Trocadero in Philadelphia. The Spring tour wraps up in the South East including return stops to Charlotte, Asheville’s Orange Peel, and the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta.