Mona makes her home in Willits, CA, along the rugged northern coast, and maybe some of the region's hardy spirit rubbed off on her. That's because she's gone on to be one of the best rock bassists in a world notoriously dominated by men. She started out playing guitar in high school, later taking up the bass viloin before switching to Fender bass. Mona played with the Mendocino College jazz band and other local cover bands, before joining Tommy Tutone("867-5309/Jenny"), with whom she stayed for 4 years.

Mona then began working with a variety of artists, including Gene Parsons (Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers) and cult favorite Wayne Perkins, through whom she met David Lauser. The drummer told her that Sammy Hagar had been looking for a bassist.

Within minutes of her audition, Mona landed the job, and soon was off on Sammy's Marching to Mars tour of 1997. Throughout her career, Mona has earned respect and admiration for her playing, rarely finding her gender an obstacle, "Most people I've worked with have been really encouraging and accepting," she says. "Everyone thinks of Sammy as the testosterone rush, but his fans have been great, totally into having me on board. I've always been an aggressive player, and I think people respond to that."

As for Sammy's upcoming MCA album Red Voodoo, Mona offers this preview. "The new album is totally killer," she says. "The fans will dig it, and we'll attract a lot of new fans with it as well."

More information about Mona can be found on her website at http://www.pinkvoodoo.com/