Gongzilla, another branch of the Gong family tree was formed in 1994 by Ben Lozaga and Hansford Rowe. It played a similar style of jazz-rock fusion to Pierre Moerlin’s Gong. The group was formed by Ben Lozaga, guitarist, and Hansford Rowe in 1994. They were joined by Bobby Thomas Jr., vibraphonist Beniot Moerlen, and percussionist Allan Holdsworth. In 1995, they released Suffer. This album saw the band explore harder rock styles than Piere Moerlin’s Gong. Pulse ranked Suffer as the third best fusion album. Thrive was followed by guitarist David Torn and drummer Gary Husband in 1996. Rowe sung the vocals. (c) Geoff Orens (c) 2011 Rovi Corporation http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gongzilla-p168853 Journalist Bill Milkowski called GZ “simply mind-boggling”. The group is a mixture of contradictions and perfect balance. GZ is an international band (USA, Quebec and Philippines). They are known for their concise songs and transcendent jams. All of this is a result of Bon Lozaga’s fusion roots and Hansford Rowe’s participation in Gong, one of the most important idioms seminal bands. Hansford and Bon decided to experiment with Gong’s Petri dish, which led to another evolution. Gongzilla was formed by Bon and Hansford. They released several improvisational rock albums that were Mahavishnu-esque, with second guitarists like Allan Holdsworth and David Torn, as well as a variety of drummers such as Pierre Moerlen, Gary Husband, and jazz fusion legend Allan Holdsworth. Gongzilla recently included U.S. jamband icons Chuck Garvey as a guitarist and Jim Loughlin, percussionist of moe. Gongzilla also emphasizes vocals and creates songs that fuse improvisational rock and vocals. Some of the newer tunes are described as Steely Dan-ish by fans who have heard them. The new studio album features the Garvey and Jake Cinninger from Umphrey’s McGee, as well as guitarist David Fiuczynski (Screaming Headless Torsos), and bassist Kai Eckhardt from Garaj Mahal. Balance and contradictions are Rowe and Lozaga’s cool songs. They balance the hyper-precision and rockin’ mayhem that this band can produce live with their sense of balance. Gongzilla is currently working on their fourth studio album for LoLo Records. from http://www.lolorecords.com/
