Eric Bass (born William Frederic Bass Jr., October 23, 1974) is an American musician and record producer. He has been the bassist of the rock band Shinedown since 2008.
Eric Bass | |
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.jpg) Bass performing with Shinedown in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Frederic Bass Jr. |
| Born | October 23, 1974 |
| Origin | Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Member of | Shinedown |
| Formerly of | Deepfield |
Personal life
editBass was born into a conservative,[1] and very musical family, and was encouraged to sing and play piano from an early age. At 13 he received a trombone, before moving onto guitar the following Christmas.[2] In highschool he played drums in the marching band, which he recalls as being rhythmically invaluable to me throughout my music career.[3]
Bass currently lives in Charleston, SC with his wife and their two dogs. He owned a recording studio called Ocean Industries Studios (www.32tracks.com),[4] which was his second studio,[5] and now owns a studio called "Big Animal Studio", in which he recorded and produced Planet Zero.[6]
Bass is known to suffer from depression, which influenced his work, especially in Shinedown's sixth album, Attention Attention, which was influenced by Bass' condition along with frontman Brent Smith's addiction.[7][8][9][10][11][12][1]
In September 2021, it was reported that Bass tested positive for COVID-19, and would miss a few shows during the band's tour.[13][14]
Career
editDeepfield
editIn 2002 Eric formed Deepfield with Baxter Teal. By 2003 they were signed to In De Goot records/McGathy Promotions, and began to produce their first record. However, Eric soon left the band after becoming more and more drawn by the producing, recording and studio process.[3]
Shinedown
editBass joined Shinedown in 2008, before the release of The Sound of Madness, as a permanent replacement for Brad Stewart. He did not record the album with the band (the album's bass parts were contributed by noted session bassist Chris Chaney), but is now touring with them. In addition to his bass duties, he also plays the keyboard in concert and contributes backing vocals.[15]
Bass soon became a prominent member in Shinedown, and wrote many of their songs, starting in Amaryllis.[8] After producing a few singles for the band, such as "Diamond Eyes" and Cut the Cord,[16] in 2018 he produced Shinedown's sixth album, Attention Attention,[17][2] and in 2022 he produced their seventh album, Planet Zero in his new studio, "Big Animal Studio".[6]
Solo career
editIn November 2024 Bass announced a solo project. The first single, "Mind Control", was released on November 13, 2024 as the first single from his solo album titled I Had a Name set for release on February 28, 2025.[18] then on december 13, 2024 he released azilia
Influences
editBass never learned to play a guitar (or a bass guitar), and is self taught.[2]
He was influenced by bass players Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots), Chris Wolstenholme (Muse), Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine), and producers Rich Costey, Brendan O'Brien, Howard Benson, Andy Wallace, Chris Lord-Alge.
Producer
edit- Framing Hanley - The Sum of Who We Are (2014)
- Sleeper Agent - About Last Night (2014)
- Cold Kingdom - Cold Kingdom (2017)[19]
- Shinedown - Attention Attention (2018)
- Shinedown - Planet Zero (2022)
Equipment
edit- 2008-2012 - Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling Bass[20]
- 2012-2019 - Dean Eric Bass Hillsboro Bass[21]
- 2019–Present - Prestige Eric Bass Signature Bass[22][23]
Solo Album
edit- I Had a Name (2025)
References
edit- ^ a b Dave, Interview: Eric Bass - Shinedown, Devils Gate Music
- ^ a b c Raul Amador, Interview with Bassist Eric Bass, May 14, 2018, Bass Musician
- ^ a b Eric Bass Profile
- ^ Eric's MySpace
- ^ Devin Grant, Ocean Industries, November 2011, Charleston City Magazine
- ^ a b Gary Graff, Shinedown on Dystopian 'Planet Zero' Album: 'This One Tried to Kill Me a Couple Times', January 26, 2022, Billboard
- ^ SHINEDOWN Bassist: 'Our Band Gets Closer And Closer Every Day; We Genuinely Love Each Other', December 20, 2018, Blabbermouth
- ^ a b Henry Northmore, Eric Bass: 'It's a story about not being afraid to fail. Failure is after all the greatest teacher', September 5, 2018, The List
- ^ Bianca Rae, Shinedown Highlights Mental Health Stigmas in Newest Album, August 26, 2019, Spectrum News 1
- ^ Rachel Leah, Rock band Shinedown removes the stigma around mental health and addiction in "Attention Attention", September 16, 2018, Salon
- ^ Exclusive Premiere & Interview: Shinedown Want You to 'Get Up', August 27, 2018, PARADE Magazine
- ^ Steve Baltin, How Shinedown Got Real On 'Attention Attention' | Mental Health Awareness Month, May 31, 2018, Grammy Awards
- ^ Joe DiVita, Shinedown Playing Shows as Three-Piece After Eric Bass Tests Positive for COVID-19, September 27, 2021, Loudwire
- ^ SHINEDOWN Bassist ERIC BASS Tests Positive For COVID-19; Band To Play Next Two Shows As A Three-Piece, September 25, 2021, Blabbermouth
- ^ T. Ballard Lesemann, Shinedown's Eric Bass enjoys a homecoming, November 3, 2010, Charleston City Paper
- ^ Scott Colothan, Eric Bass on self-producing Shinedown: 'I don't rule through fear', June 10, 2018, Planet Radio
- ^ Rob Putnam, Producer Crosstalk: Eric Bass, Mulitiplatinum Act Shinedown, July 3, 2018, Music Connection
- ^ Shinedown’s Eric Bass launching new solo project with “Mind Control” song, November 6, 2024, 105.7 The Point
- ^ Exclusive Premiere: COLD KINGDOM's New Music Video "Criminal" Featuring Danny Case of From Ashes to New, February 23, 2022, Outburn Online
- ^ Eric Bass on Equipboard
- ^ Eric Bass of Shinedown - Dean Guitars
- ^ Eric Bass Signature Bass Guitar
- ^ Kevin Johnson, Prestige Guitars Unveils the Eric Bass Signature Bass, March 14, 2019, No Treble
External links
edit- Media related to Eric Bass at Wikimedia Commons
- Shinedown.com
