Jimmy Caterine has been an independent musician since he started in 1980 with progressive metal band from Hawaii, Sacred Rite. Influenced heavily by European guitarists like David Gilmour, Michael Schenker and Ritchie Blackmore, his playing took on an emotional style. Caterine was also influenced by classical composers Bach, Mahler and Listz.

Born on July 27,1964 in Dallas, Texas, James Dallas Caterine was drawn to music from his earliest days of childhood. His father, nightclub owner Tony Caterine, managed many regional acts and young Jimmy was constantly surrounded by performers like Paul Revere, the Coasters, Alvin Lee and many others who were often guests in the Caterine home. While this was exciting, Jimmy's personal highlights were his summer vacations in Washington. where he spent hours listening to his uncle play the piano. The man's amazing ability to poor his deepest emotions into the instrument inspired the young Caterine.

In 1971 and '72 Jimmy fell ill several times with pneumonia and major ear infections which caused permanent damage to his left ear. Then during the fall of 1972, his family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. Jimmy spent the rest of his childhood there with his mother and two younger sisters. At the age of eleven, Caterine got his first guitar and began classical training. It wasn't long before he discovered heavy metal and bought himself a Flying V and a Marshall. From that point on Caterine has been obsessed with sound. Even the tonal damage he suffered five years earlier couldn't keep him from it.

At the beginning of 1980, Jimmy met drummer Kevin Lum. They shared the same interests in music. Up until that point, he had never met anyone else who's musical taste was quite as diverse. It wouldn't be unusual for these two guys to listen to Judas Priest's 'Stained Class, Journey's 'Departure', and something obscure like UK's 'Danger Money' back to back and all the way through on top of it. What a concept! The two started jamming together and after a few months started looking to recruit other players. With the addition of Mark Kaleiwahea and Peter Crane in 1981 their vision had started to take shape.

The group was progressive metal icon Sacred Rite

Over the next eight years, Caterine and Sacred Rite independently released 3 albums and between 1985 and 1987 sold somewhere between 22,000-30,000 records. Unfortunately, foul play by various sources left a mess of loose ends and any attempt to get an accurate number has ended in failure. This was DIY (do it yourself) at it's finest, especially considering that it was done from an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a low budget and the internet was still science fiction. The word of mouth reached as far as France and the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the tour support needed to send the group to Europe never came through which was a shame. They recorded one more demo for Polygram Records at the end of '88 but the right deal was never offered. Sacred Rite split by the end of 1989. After Kaleiwahea's departure, the remaining members, Caterine, Crane, and current drummer Scott Dickerson picked up a young singer who's controversial antics sent the band into limbo, forcing them to resort to a 3 piece by '91. By mid summer it was obvious a much needed break from each other was the only option.

Caterine picked up another guitarist (Mark 'Rat' Folta) and singer (Tim Hewitt) and with the return of Peter Crane on bass and Scott Dickerson on drums formed Tragic Nancy. Tragic Nancy could best be described as Ozzy Osbourne's band with Journey-like vocals. With grunge on the rise it was hard for this groove metal band to get a foothold. After recording 3 albums worth of material and a side project with Kev-E-D and James Love which they called Bastard Stepchild, the group split. In 1994 Jimmy Caterine and Peter Crane backed up vocalist Sami Jo Cole in her triumph over cancer. They also took some time out to record some of Cranes best work entitled Peter Crane & Jimmy Dee -'Lovers & Friends'.

Las Vegas, Nevada would be the next stop on the agenda. Caterine formed Time Machine, a classic rock tribute band, in 1997and in 1998/99 did some recording with metal band Gathering of Deities aka G.O.D. Towards the end of 1999 he started work on his first solo project, 'Cognition'. After a long chain of unfortunate events and a move to Phoenix, Arizona, Cognition was finally released in 2003.

Guitar virtuosos may finally be wising up. Any hack with a six-string can masturbate all over a CD filled with faster-than-thou fretwork that lacks imagination and demands a strong-willed listener. But it takes real talent to craft an instrumental guitar album that treats each song with the respect it deserves. Enter 39-year-old James Dallas Caterine – veteran of such rock and metal bands as Sacred Rite, Tragic Nancy and Time Machine, and a guitarist who’s also adept at playing bass, drums and piano.

Cognition, embrace lush orchestral arrangements, defer to acoustic delicacy and revel in melodic nirvana. When you don’t even notice that music has no lyrics, you know you’re spinning an exceptional instrumental album, and Cognition is a perfect example. Divided into three sections – Rebirth, Soul Discovery and Cognition – the album seems to follow some sort of concept, perhaps a personal theme that chronicles Caterine’s own life.
Reviewer: Michael Popke

cognition: kag-'ni-shen n. [come to know] (15 cen.) - the act or process of knowing, including both awareness and judgment.

Cognition's design and concept were formulated at its beginning stages in 1999. Its journey is one of life and the visions or premonitions that we touch on for mere moments; the moments that turn into our future. It's about the bonds that we share on this journey. Some that are so strong you share the same pain even though you are miles away and haven't had contact for months or even years.

This excellent collection of ten rock instrumentals include guitar that must not be missed. Ranging from soft and introspective to wild and passion-driven, "Fear - Pain - Love" will take the listener through a myriad of emotions as the music molds the inner mind with it's mini-symphonies of fear, pain and love.
The perfect follow-up to Cognition.