Michael Anthony LePond III is an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist of the progressive metal bandSymphony X. He is also the bass guitarist of the New York-based metal, band Dead on Arrival. The group issued an album,Alive and Kickin, on the independent Polo label in 1996. He can be heard on all Symphony X releases since the 2000 album . He was formerly a member of the New Jersey band Rattlebone, which opened for many national acts and released a six-song album in 1997.
Biography
LePond was born in Newark, New Jersey. When he was 13 years old, he attended a Kiss concert, and was inspired by the performance, especially the band's bass guitarist Gene Simmons, to begin playing music. He bought some basic equipment, namely a Univoxbass guitar and a 150 watt amplifier, and took lessons for a year. He started listening to other bass players like Geddy Lee of Rush, who influenced his style. In 1998, he met the Symphony X guitarist Michael Romeo through a mutual friend, and was invited to replace Thomas Miller, who had recently left the band. He has remained the band's bass guitarist ever since. In 2012, Lepond formed a progressive metal supergroup named Affector with the drummer Collin Leijenaar, the vocalist Ted Leonard and the guitarist Daniel Fries. The band's first album, Harmagedon, was released on May 21, 2012. The album includes guest keyboard players Jordan Rudess, Derek Sherinian, Neal Morse and Alex Argento.
Past health issues
In 2006, LePond developed Crohn's disease, forcing Symphony X to cancel all of their European tours. He underwent surgery to control the effects of the disease, and on May 31, 2006, he announced his recovery on Symphony X's website.
Solo album
On August 21, 2014, it was announced that LePond would be releasing his first solo album, Silent Assassins. The album was released on September 26, 2014, and includes guests such as the guitarist Mike Chlasciak, his Symphony X bandmate Michael Romeo and the vocalist Alan Tecchio. LePond himself plays bass and rhythm guitars on the album.
Equipment
For the Paradise Lost album, he used a Caparison Dellinger bass guitar, Madison 8x10 cabinet and a Tech 21 RBI preamp. Live, he uses a Fender Precision bass guitar and a Hamer Cruise as back up, amplified by an Ampeg 4x10 Classic cabinet and an Ampeg B2-R head. In the past he has been known to use Hamer Scarab and Musicman Sterling bass guitars.
