For Love of the Bass and Geezer: A Red Carpet Round-Up

Article by Keith Valcourt

Photos by Kimberly Annette ©2013

Before the show, I caught up with a Who’s Who of legendary bass players (plus one guitarist and a drummer) to find out what drew them to the bass and how Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath) changed their lives.

ROCK RAG: What made you want to become a bass player?

John DeServio (Black Label Society):  I was a kid and had older brothers. I always loved music. I loved Jethro Tull growing up. When I was in third grade, my buddy asked me who my favorite band was. I said, ‘Jethro Tull. Who is your favorite?’ He said, ‘Kiss.’ I said ‘Kiss? Who the hell are they?’ He showed me the picture of them on the Empire State Building, and I said, ‘What does this guy do?’  He said, ‘That’s Gene Simmons. He plays bass.’ I said, ‘That’s what I wanna do!’ Ever since then, I’ve been trying to be Gene Simmons. I still am.

DUg Pinnick (Kings X): I love the bass. When I was about four years old, I was at my cousin’s house and he put this record on from 1954 or ’55 called “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” by Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers. I never forgot that bass lick. From that moment on, I always listened to the bass. I don’t even know or notice there are other instruments in music sometimes. Now I’ll pull out some old Motown stuff and think, “I didn’t know these songs had a guitar part.” All I listened to was bass. Ty (Tabor), our guitar player, will tell you that when he comes to my house all you hear is bass coming out of the stereo. I didn’t really start playing till I was 23. So I always tell people it is never too late to learn to play. I love the bass more than singing.  I never wanted to be a singer. You put me in a corner with my bass and leave me alone, I’m happy.

Billy Sheehan (Winery Dogs/David Lee Roth): I think the first instrument I ever picked up was the sticks of a drum. Then my sister got an acoustic guitar. I would sneak in her room and play it. Eventually, she gave up on it. The coolest guy in my neighborhood was Joe Hussey, who was a bass player. My grandmother said, “As long as I’m alive, there will never be an electric guitar in this house.” She died. And with the insurance money, I got my first bass. That’s the truth. She died of natural causes, I swear, Your Honor.

Rex Brown (Kill Devil Hill/Pantera):  I got too many guitar players. I played guitar before. I was playing in lab bands and every downbeat, they wanted to play another Chet Atkins chord. I was like, “Nah!”  I love the bass clef, so I did it that way.

Frank Bello (Anthrax):  We jammed a lot when we were younger, and I was playing the bass parts on guitar. I had my ear wedged to the bass. It was an easy switch. Felt as natural as could be once I went there. I just heard it that way. I thank God for it because I love the bass. I love it more today than ever.

David Ellefson (Megadeth): I don’t know. Bands that did were certainly Bachman Turner Overdrive, Gene Simmons of Kiss. There was something about the bass. It was big. It was long. It was heavy. A dominant instrument. As much as I love guitar, I also played guitar. There is something about the bass when I’m onstage. You know you’re in the room when you’re playing the bass.

When did you discover Geezer Butler, and what does his music mean to you?

DeServio:  Shortly  after that. My older brothers had Black Sabbath records, so I heard them when I was in the third or fourth grade. And I loved it. My brothers turned me on to the good shit. Gene Simmons is the reason I started playing bass. Growing up, there was Geezer and Steve Harris. Then Al Di Meola. I love that kind of stuff. Later on, I went to Berklee College of Music and I discovered jazz and funk. That blew my influences wide as hell. Geezer still sounds fucking awesome!

Pinnick: I discovered Black Sabbath on the first record. I remember seeing the record and was scared to death of it. Black Sabbath? In the puritanical 1970s’ United States? That was really scary. I bought the record and thought I was bringing the devil home with me. It was really scary. I was a bit scared when I played it because of the rumors that went around at the time. What I loved about Geezer’s bass playing is he reminded me of James Jamerson from Motown. He never played along with Tony (Iommi) very much. Most of the time, he did his own thing. To me, that made them a more blues-based band. Even though they are the godfathers of metal, I always think of them as a blues band.

Ellefson: Black Sabbath was not the first band that introduced me to rock and roll. But when I did hear them, which for me was the Heaven and Hell album…[it] really had a big impact on me. Probably because the production was so good. The songs went to a another level. I was already familiar with Ronnie James Dio, and I think him coming into the band all of sudden peaked my interest in them.

Sheehan: I was in my last couple of years of high school and just doing a hang with my buds. Someone put Black Sabbath on. And I remember how dark, deep and spooky it was. And how much we loved that. It’s so great to be here to honor Geezer, because he really is one of the founding fathers. One of my influences. When he came about, he created a whole new thing, and I’m glad he did.

Charlie Benante: (Anthrax): It was dark. When I was younger, I bought a Sabbath shirt. It was the cover of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and said “666.” My mom made me return it to the store.

Bello: We grew up together, so I listened to a lot of the stuff that Charlie listened to. It was through him that I got to hear. Back in those days, there wasn’t a shitload of bands that did hard rock. You had Queen, Zeppelin and Sabbath. And Sabbath always had such a different and distinct sound because they tuned down, and some of the stuff that they wrote about was occult.

Laura Wilde: When I was about eight, I was watching a movie called Detroit Rock City, and “Iron Man’ is in that movie in a scene where this guy beats someone up. I was mesmerized by that amazing guitar riff. Checked it out: Black Sabbath. I’ve been hooked ever since. Such an honor to be here tonight and pay tribute to Geezer Butler.

Brown:  I was always aware of him. I lived in a small town, and I remember having an 8-track of Vol. 4 —just playing that everywhere we possibly could. Without Geezer? He is a pioneer of what my genre is. The genre that he created through the 70s. He influenced us. We influenced other people. It’s just an honor to be here and play his songs.

Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne):  I’m a child of the late 60s, early 70s, so Black Sabbath was definitely an influence, because of the bass player style. One of the things that really caught my ear was how fearless Geezer was with his approach to music. He didn’t seem to have any qualms about  mixing different styles into everything he played. He would put a little bit of jazz, a little bit of blues and some heavy metal into the songs. I took notice of that, and I incorporated that into my own playing, the way that I approach music today. He’s definitely a mentor. Geezer has his own place. Geezer Butler is the greatest living heavy metal bass player.

BASS PLAYER MAGAZINE GETS LIVE… AND LOUD!

BASS PLAYER LIVE 2013 PHOTO GALLERY

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KEITH VALCOURT | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | RETROROADMAP | ROCKERZINE

KIMBERLY ANNETTE| WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER