Eric Bass | |
|---|---|
 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 |
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.
Bass 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]
In 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]
Bass 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]
In 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
Bass 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.
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Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed by singer Brent Smith in 2001 after the dissolution of his previous band, Dreve. Smith, still under contract with record label Atlantic Records, recruited the band's original lineup of Jasin Todd as guitarist, Brad Stewart on bass, and Barry Kerch on drums. Consistent for the first two album cycles, several lineup changes followed in the late 2000s, eventually stabilizing with Smith and Kerch alongside Zach Myers on guitar and Eric Bass on bass. The group has released seven studio albums: Leave a Whisper (2003), Us and Them (2005), The Sound of Madness (2008), Amaryllis (2012), Threat to Survival (2015), Attention Attention (2018), and Planet Zero (2022).
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Deepfield is an American rock band from Charleston, South Carolina, consisting of members Baxter Teal III, Jake Portenkirchner, Ken Becker and PJ Farley. They have released three albums and one EP.
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"Monsters" is a song by American rock band Shinedown. It was their third single from their sixth studio album Attention Attention. It reached the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in June 2019. Upon reaching number one on the Mainstream Rock, Shinedown moved into second place for the most Mainstream Rock number ones with fourteen songs. "Monsters" was nominated for iHeartRadio's rock song of the year award.
"Attention Attention" is a song by American rock band Shinedown. It was the fourth and final single off of their sixth studio album Attention Attention. It reached the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in January 2020. It also reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in January 2020.
Planet Zero is the seventh studio album by American rock band Shinedown, released on July 1, 2022, through Atlantic Records. The release date was originally set for April 22, 2022, but was postponed due to a delay in CD and vinyl production. The album topped the all-genre Billboard Top Album Sales chart, a first for the band.
"Planet Zero" is a song by American rock band Shinedown. It was released on January 26, 2022 as the lead single from their seventh studio album of the same name. It topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in March 2022, remaining there for eight weeks.
I Had a Name is the debut album by American metal musician Eric Bass. The album will be released on February 28, 2025.
Media related to Eric Bass at Wikimedia Commons