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After successful European and American tours, WATCHTOWER's ascent came to a grinding halt when Ron had to undergo four consecutive hand surgeries, which took the better part of two years to fully heal. 1993 saw the inception of Jarzombek's madcap trio SPASTIC INK (as in "crazy, written-out music"), featuring brother/drummer Bobby Jarzombek (Halford, Sebastian Bach, Fates Warning, Riot) and bassist Pete Perez (Riot, Leatherwolf). The resulting collaboration, 'Ink Complete', was released on the German Dream Circle label in early 1997 and re-issued in 2000 via the band's own EclecticElectric imprint. Running the gamut from gravity-defying stop-n-go workouts to lush cartoon-inspired soundscapes, most notably the 8-minute tour-de-force 'Mosquito Brain Surgery', and 'A Wild Hare', a partial musical adaptation of Disney's 1942 animation classic, 'Bambi', the album underscored Jarzombek's status as one of today's premier composers and instrumentalists in the world of progressive music.

1998 saw Jarzombek tackle 'Celebration on the Planet Mars' by 1930's cartoon music pioneer, Raymond Scott, for 'Happy Hour for a Pack of Screaming Monkeys', a tribute album put together by Oklahoma musician DAVID BAGSBY as well as contributing lead guitars on the self-titled GORDIAN KNOT CD, a newly formed prog supergroup led by bassist/stick player, Sean Malone, and featuring members of Cynic, King Crimson, and Dream Theater.

On the homefront, Ron started work on a second SPASTIC INK record, 'Ink Compatible', which, in addition to returning core members, Bobby Jarzombek and Pete Perez, featured an all-star supporting cast consisting of bassists Michael Manring (Michael Hedges, Attention Deficit), Sean Malone (Gordian Knot, Cynic), and Ray Riendeau (Halford, Machines Of Loving Grace), drummers Dave Penna (Static, Sys-X), and Jeff Eber (Dysrhythmia), keyboardists Jens Johansson (Stratovarius, Yngwie Malmsteen), Jimmy Pitts (Scholomance, The Fractured Dimension), and David Bagsby (Xen, Patrick Moraz), Swedish vocalist Daniel Gildenlow (Pain Of Salvation), as well as former WatchTower band mates Doug Keyser (bass) and Jason McMaster (vocals).

Jarzombek also reunited with WATCHTOWER for a handful of sold-out Texas shows, two of them opening for NYC prog kings Dream Theater in Dallas and Houston by special invitation, and a much talked about appearance at Germany's prestigious 'Bang Your Head!!!' festival in 2000. The band also commenced work on their long awaited third album, 'Mathematics', and released 'Demonstrations In Chaos', a compilation of rare recordings, including the first couple of demos with Jarzombek from 1987 that secured WatchTower's deal with Noise Records International.

Partly out of frustration over lack of finding capable musicians to finish recording basic tracks for 'Ink Compatible', Jarzombek decided to put his energies into a solo album that would be written and recorded without any outside help. A mind bending 45-part sonic journey, with songs ranging in length from four seconds to just a tad over 2:40, 'Solitarily Speaking Of Theoretical Confinement' bears all the trademarks that have made RON JARZOMBEK one of the most instantly recognizable guitarists around. Part math, part humor, and 100% ingenuity while touching on various musical styles and flavors, 'Solitarily Speaking...' is anything but your typical shredfest. Admirers included luminaries such as legendary producer/engineer, Neil Kernon (Queen, Kansas, Judas Priest), who proclaimed: "This album is nothing short of astonishing. Ron's virtuosity really shines through here, and the music, while rather technical at times, is presented very warmly with great feel and expression. I have to hand it to him - this is really something."

In the summer of 2003, Jarzombek, newly crowned 'Best Guitarist' by the readers of San Antonio's The Edge Magazine, crossed paths with acclaimed fellow guitarist MARTY FRIEDMAN of Megadeth and Cacophony fame. Friedman was seeking players for his 'Music For Speeding' touring band and after auditioning via the internet, Ron was offered the gig. In September, Friedman and Jarzombek, along with drummer Jimmy DiGrasso and bassist Chris Catero, set out on the 'Guitarevolution' tour with openers the Alex Skolnick Trio and Chris Poland's Ohm and completed a successful run throughout the US Southwest.

After numerous delays, SPASTIC INK's sophomore disc, 'Ink Compatible', was finally released to great fanfare in early 2004, including a thumbs up from Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy who raved: "I've known these guys for a long time and they never cease to completely blow my mind!!!" On the live front, WATCHTOWER returned to Europe after a 4-year absence to headline Holland's 'Headway Festival', a 2-day progressive metal gathering, while the Jarzombek/Friedman alliance reconvened later that summer with a one-off at 'The First World Guitar Congress' in Baltimore, MD, where the virtuoso tandem had the privilege of closing out the festivities alongside one of Ron's all-time musical heroes, Allan Holdsworth. 'Time Ace', the animated 15-minute space epic produced by Georgia-based Morley Arts Productions and featuring two of Jarzombek's compositions, is awarded 'Best Animation' by a jury of film industry professionals in clickflick.tv's online film festival.

In 2005, Ron initiated BLOTTED SCIENCE, an all-instrumental extreme metal project with bassist Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse) and late addition Charlie Zeleny (Behold.....The Arctopus, Jordan Rudess) on drums who joined the fold in place of original skinsman Chris Adler (Lamb Of God) and Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal, Nile), respectively. The trio's debut album, 'The Machinations of Dementia', was released in the fall of 2007 garnering some of the best reviews of Ron's career. Ron also completed a whirlwind spring ’07 tour with MARTY FRIEDMAN's band culminating in a high profile Tokyo, Japan show, documented on the ‘Exhibit B – Live In Japan’ DVD, issued along with the ‘Exhibit A - Live In Europe’ CD. Further adding to his resume, Ron was a featured guest player on several other albums, most notably trading licks with Nevermore's JEFF LOOMIS on 'Jato Unit' off his 2008 solo debut, 'Zero Order Phase'.

Ron is currently working on his first ever instructional guitar DVD, scheduled for release in early 2009, which is set to include playing examples, theoretical concepts, and animated explanations, featuring songs and excerpts from both SPASTIC INK CDs, his two solo albums, as well as 'The Machinations of Dementia'.

Buy RON JARZOMBEK, SPASTIC INK & BLOTTED SCIENCE CD's from any one of the following vendors:

RonJarzombek.com (click on CD cover icons!):

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