I (L) Hoppus. He makes me warm and squishy inside (matron!). I wish I was more like him.

I would consider Jean Jacques Burnel of The Stranglers the best punk bassist, although their music was not the stereotypical punksound of that time..

not really punk, more on the hardcore/metalcore side but the bassest from between the buried and me is reeally good.

on the punk side, you have to at least mention matt freeman, i think roger from less than jake, hunter from afi, and fat mike from nofx all have there great and classic punk recordings. I'm sure i'm leaving someone i wanted to mention out to.

O the suicidal tendencies bassist.



and wrong forums.

Basslines are not to be referred to as bass tabs.


P.S. Never again post while drunk/smoking crack.

David Wm. Sims - Jesus Lizard, Rapeman, Scratch Acid
Stuart Morrow - New Model Army
+1 for Klaus
+1 for Mike Watt
Matt Freeman - Operation Ivy / Rancid

(short list)

WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU ALL!

None of the bassists mentioned are remotely punk! Mark Hoppus, jesus christ!

Blink 182 are laughed at by fans of Fall Out Boy!

Have you ever heard of sarcasm?

sorry, mike watt, absolutely, great bassist

Sarcasm is hard on the internet!

Yeah ;)

BUt when hoppus is mentioned in a bass forum it's nearly alwasy included.

I'm just used to shouting at so many blink fans, our school has no taste in music.

Klaus Flouride rules and so does Jello, even though he isn't a bassist.

Joe Lally from fugazi needs to be mentioned too.

go listen to the first new model army album and get schooled.

Joe Lally from fugazi needs to be mentioned too.

+1000

cant believe i forgot to mention Joe...

No punk band comes close to Dead Kennedys though

eh. ok.

I really like Dead Kennedys, but Klaus doesn't do too much for me as a bassist. I really like Karl Alvarez from Descendents, as far as punk goes. Matt Freeman was my first and biggest influence though.

punk is dead :eyebrow:

Paul Simmone from the clash is still my favorite. How punk is messing up 3 times in a song and just not careing enough to change it (I believe that the song I'm talking about is brand new cadialac)? Also, for the first few albums, he didn't even play the bass parts or make them up. Mick Jones made them/played them on the cd's. But he got better. Actually, as I recall he hadn't even picked up a bass until the band had asked him to. But again- he good, and towards the end of his career he was making some sweet lines.

Dan

I... don't understand this thread.

Punk is dead, yes

I wouldn't call Descedents real punk

Wait, nevermind, I do now.

This thread delivers.

I've been heavily influence by Matt Freeman. Mike Watt is also very good and joe lally also desirves a mention!

Matt Freeman - The operation ivy stuff is good but rancid suck

Mike Watt - Abso-****ing-loutely

Joe Lally - Again, abso-****ing-loutely

What about Graham Lewis from Wire? I nkow they're post-punk but if you listen to Pink Flag you'll see. More arty.

And Klaus Flouride!!!!

Wait, Captain Sensible!

Matt Freeman, great player but awful tone. How I wish he'd loose that sterile sound. Great player though.

Johnny Rioux from the Street Dogs/Roger Miret & the Disasters is pretty damned good too.

yeah but rancid aren't punk, nor are operation ivy

Wrong forum.. Reported...

sorry what you crying about?

yeah but rancid aren't punk, nor are operation ivy

I'm going to take a stab in the dark, but you can't be older than 16,

MIRITE?

How about Jerry Only..as far as speed and bashing on the bass, no one comes close to his style.

Have to agree that Mike Watt is pretty amazing.
Chuck Duckowski was pretty solid too.

I am 17 actually

sorry what you crying about?
TalkBass has specific forums for both Bassists and Tablature.. This is the "Basses" forum where we talk about (yep, you guessed it) Bass Guitars. Take some time and look around before posting.

Also, welcome to TalkBass.

basses[bg] -> discussion about bass guitars.

bassists[bg] -> discussion about bass players.

basses != bassists.

learn it
know it
live it.

Karl Alvarez and Kira for me.

I stopped trying to debate whether punk bands were real punk bands or not when I was in what I thought was a real punk band at the age of 13.

I think term "Punk" actually covers an awful lot of ground. I think definitions might change with age brackets.

Well P.C Mark Beem, tell all your mates down the pun what a good little law enforcer you have been today

Basslines are not to be referred to as bass tabs.


P.S. Never again post while drunk/smoking crack.I was about to post this, but since you did, I'll just say this.

+1!

Well P.C Mark Beem, tell all your mates down the pun what a good little law enforcer you have been today
Oh yeah, I foresee a very short tenure for you as a member here, junior with -that- attitude.. Why don't you save yourself and the mods here a lot of trouble by just going on over to the Harmony Central boards where someone of your charm and refinement will no doubt feel more at home with your peers...

You're waaaaay too "Punk" for TalkBass..

:smug:

yeah good come back mate, really

yeah good come back mate, really
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/4900/winkkisska7.gif (http://imageshack.us)

P.C Mark Beem, forget it, dead_kennedy101 is way too punk to be held down by your rules!

P.C Mark Beem, forget it, dead_kennedy101 is way too punk to be held down by your rules!
:D

back to the topic,
SNFU's "the one voted most likely to succeed" album had some great basslines, also they were terriblely underrated as a band.

Pual miner from death by stereo has done some cool stuff(listen to the song Porno, Sex, Lies and your local goverment)

also ken casey from the dropkick murphys.

Oh yeah, I foresee a very short tenure for you as a member here, junior with -that- attitude..
Damn, called that one right....

dead_kennedy101 = teh banned

There is no punk bass without Dee Dee Ramone!!!! The others mentioned above are also great punk bass players, and I want to add Killing Joke's Martin "Youth" Glover

what u mean matt freeman has a crap tone? P bass, + high action + pick > You

I love his tone in the albums

There is no punk bass without Dee Dee Ramone!!!! The others mentioned above are also great punk bass players, and I want to add Killing Joke's Martin "Youth" Glover

+1 on both counts. Dee Dee practially taught me how to play bass. indirectly, I mean.

And killing joke... what a band! my old bandmates used to joke about them, saying "we were gonna have martin atkins come over and do drum overdubs, but he just showed up with a snare drum and a baseball bat."

what u mean matt freeman has a crap tone? P bass, + high action + pick > You

I love his tone in the albums

I agree with Brandon, I'm afraid. maybe if Matt changed his strings once in a while...

I agree with Brandon, I'm afraid. maybe if Matt changed his strings once in a while...

That kind of is his sound. Dead string sounding. Almost like flatwounds or something. Love his playing, the guys a monster, but the sound is dry and sterile sounding to my ears. To each his own though. Just not the sound I like for that type of music.

As to the Ken Casey reference above. He get's a great live sound. Been within spitting distance of his SVT many times and that's a great sounding rig. Just saw DKM a couple of weeks ago as matter of fact.

Is there such a thing as a good bassist in punk music? Or even good musicianship in punk music for that matter?

the best bassist of hardcore is matt freeman from rancid

if you talk about psychobilly, the best is Valle from Mad Sin.

but if you are listening to ska, all the ska bassists will be awesome.

Is there such a thing as a good bassist in punk music? Or even good musicianship in punk music for that matter?


I think so. If you look hard enough in any genre of music you're bound to run into some great players.

How about Wayne Kramer great guitar player. Or Gregg Ginn from Black Flagg?

why was the op banned, are you not allowed to state your love of toy trains in this day and age?

hey tlwaps, I think you are right about punk, but not all the punk is like that.
Tell me so, what music have the best bassist ever.

hey tlwaps, I think you are right about punk, but not all the punk is like that.
Tell me so, what music have the best bassist ever.

I really don't know if anyone could possibly pick best bassist ever, but certainly some people rise to the top of their chosen style of music.

Jazz Mingus
Blues Willie Dixon
Modern Blues Tommy Shannon
Rock MacCartney/ John Entwistle
Punk Matt Freeman is ceratinly up there
Fusion Jaco
60's r&b Jamerson
Etc. etc.
Whether or not one is better than the others is a matter of opionion. Alll these guys have made major contributions to their given style of music. That's a fact that would be hard to argue agianst. Who's your favorite... Now that's up for debate. :D :bassist:

A few people already said it but I gotta go with Karl Alvarez from the Descendents/All gets my vote for punk. Freaking amazing player.

Into the moat bass players is Freaking great!Leftover crack's bass player is good also.Stiff little fingers bass player also good.

BUT ALL TECH METAL BASS PLAYERS OWN!

if you talk about psychobilly, the best is Valle from Mad Sin.


I don't agree, IMHO like too many modern psycho players he has too low of string action and too “tacky tap tacky” a sound with the pick up on the neck to make him sound and seem faster than he really is.

Most regular rockabilly players dig in harder, have more rhythm, and are much better on average. When pushed they are faster and far more steady. Kevin Smith, Jimmy Sutton, and Bobby Horton come to mind big time.

I am bummed that so many guys in the psychobilly scene now are so gimmicky and need that neck pickup instead of really grabbing and slapping. Like I said though, just my opinion.

Rob Peltier when he was with the Quakes is far better than most of the current crop and is the best player that ever worked with Tiger Army.

I also like Eric Haamers from Batmobile and Nick Peck from the Rattlers a lot. (Well, Nick's early stuff before he was doing the vocals anyway...)

As for punk players I find both Ali McMordie and Bruce Foxton (with SLF and the JAM) of Stiff Little Fingers really interesting and Tommy Stinson of the Replacements was a personal fav.

Early Agent Orange is cool also, but I can’t remember which guy it was off hand that played on the first record etc.

With a bunch of these guys you can get all over them about how technically good they were, but I am thinking vibe.

Heck, depending on how you view Sting he can be tossed into this and is another fav of mine.

I saw the DK's several times live, I never saw them as good players or great talents, just clever lyrics. Then again I found things like Black Flag live as nothing but pure noise. Most hardcore shows got on my nerves, and I loved stuff like the Replacements and the Ramones.

The Vandals made me laugh, the Circle Jerks ran me out of a club because they were so messed up, and I wanted to see good ol' Johnny Lydon pulled off the stage and beaten to a pulp with PIL.

I also agree about the talent of the guys from Killing Joke. Problem with them is many of the songs they did left me flat.

Paul from the Clash is another one I like, and he was actually pretty interesting with Havana 3 AM.

Jason Black of Hot Water Music is pretty good

Ali McMordie--Stiff Little Fingers. Awesome dense reggae-influenced but aggressive lines. Listen to "Alternative Ulster", "It doesn't make it alright", "Suspect Device" etc. etc.

Oh Yeah, and Rob Wright of No Means No.

Into the moat bass players is Freaking great!
yea he is. And your mostly right but i would go with more like 'MOST' tech metal bassist are really good.

best punk bassist ever.
and a great guy as well.
how do i know for sure?
i played drums next to him for 9 months on tour.

Oh Yeah, and Rob Wright of No Means No.

great band, great bassist. for rockabilly the guy from the living end, and the bassist froma local band called the matadors are both at the top

I like JJ Burnell. I also like Christopher Rankin from Sabot: http://www.cesta.cz/sabot!.htm
Link to a Sabot song: http://www.cesta.cz/mp3/03%20-%20Velcro.mp3

All of the above are excellent but I'd have to vote for Mike Watt personally.

+1,000,000 on Mike Watt!

Also, Klaus Flouride of Dead Kennedys, he always came up with really interesting and energetic bass parts! :bassist:

Black Flags bassist is pretty good.

I think this stereotyping has come from Sid Vicious.

I just got into HC is there any other good bassists that you know of?

One of my favorite players is Jay Bentley of Bad Religion.

I love his sound and playing.

Jim

Mike Watt(Minutemen) and Karl Alvarez(All, Descendents) are pretty good too.

I'm not a punk fan at all, but there are a lot of decent pro bassists playing that music. When I was about 10 years younger I really liked green day and rancid (I know this may not count as punk anymore). I respect both bassists in those bands. They had some really cool lines, and some killer tones for the music they play.

Darryl Jennifer is my favorite Punk/Hardcore bassist. If Botch is considered Hardcore, Brian Cook is damn good.

I am personally familiar with Daryl Jennifer from Bad Brains and Mike Watt, who are both fine bassists. I hear that JJ Burnel from the Stranglers is great too, but I have never actually heard him.

More importantlym who said all Punk bassists suck? I can't imagine a mature musician making that kind of remark about an entire style or subgenre of music.

Another vote for Mike Watt

Also, Klaus Flouride from Dead Kennedys pumped out some really cool and interesting bass lines with the DK's! Check out "Viva Las Vegas", Let's Lynch The Landlord", Police Truck" and "Drug Me" for instance.

Matt Freeman.

I think he was best in Operation Ivy. I saw them live to many times to count because my brother was a major fan. MAtt is also good in Rancid.

I always liked Randy (?) from pennywise Pre-1999 anything after blows.

dont really listen to "Punk-rock" anymore. tho.

Everyone thinks that Punk bassists suck...

Black Flags bassist is pretty good.

I think this stereotyping has come from Sid Vicious.

I just got into HC is there any other good bassists that you know of?

I think you're stereotyping the group of people called "everyone" - I happen to know for a fact that "everyone" as a group don't think that punk bassist suck.

Now that group of folks known as "some people"... they're a completely different bunch... All prejudiced, small-minded and hateful... The world would be a much better place without them.

;)

As for hardcore I gotta say Paul Delaney. In the last 10 years he has played for Down Low, Kill Your Idols, None More Black, Deathcycle.

Plus he has filled in on tour for Rise Against, H2O and Madball.

Greg Norton from Husker Du. Simple but fun and often not always following the guitars.

Interesting that pretty much all these examples are from classic punk/hardcore bands. Pop-punk, not so much.

another great hardcore bass player is Mark Sisto played in Breakdown, Maximum Penalty, Joe Coffee, Skin Candy.

Not a big fan of NoFx, but my friend awakened me to the talent of Fat Mike..

He's not a shredder by any means, but he does play some fast and interesting lines for punk - and they are definately not sellouts.

Interesting that pretty much all these examples are from classic punk/hardcore bands. Pop-punk, not so much.

True, I can't believe nobody has mentioned Mark Hoppus! :p

The bassists for Green Day (who does fit into the pop-punk category) and Dead Kennedys are both pretty good, though.

-Dash

matt freeman is a great player....check out "maxwel murder" by rancid and you will understand. ha.

What about Matt Rubano from Taking Back Sunday (I don't know how punk or hardcore, you want...flirting the line with emo...:D...hey, I like it!)

He's a great player...started out as a session player playing jazz and funk haha

sean

Mike Dirnt from Green Day. Listen to everything before American Idiot for some good lines then AI if you want to listen to a good record.

Some cool bass playing from two punk ass bass players. :D... Check out Dos, it's Mike Watt from the Minutemen and Kira from Black Flag doing some actually really pretty music.

I'm not a punk fan, but Dirnt used to be a good, interesting player (Longview is extremely fun to mess around with!) before he totally dissappeared on American Idiot.

And I give him props just for calling himself Dirnt. Haha.

Paul Simonon from The Clash got a lot of sophisticated bass lines, and Jean-Jacques Burnel from The Stranglers got some awesome bass lines as well.

I'm not a punk fan, but Dirnt used to be a good, interesting player (Longview is extremely fun to mess around with!) before he totally dissappeared on American Idiot.

And I give him props just for calling himself Dirnt. Haha.
I believe he's still good but he made a concious decision to play less on "American Idiot", which is why people think he's "only a root note thumper". l wonder if he works more fills into the new songs live.

Everyone thinks that Punk bassists suck - Not true!

They OBVIOUSLY never seen Fat Mike play.

Mike Watt
Darryl Jenifer
Matt Freeman
The guy from The Descendants (can't think of his name:eek: )

I'm going to cast a vote for Dee Dee Ramone. Yeah, he's an 8th note basher, but he epitomizes the image of a punk bass player with his leather jacket, hair-cut and P bass down by his knees. Kind of like if Sid Viscious could actually play.

The guy from The Descendants (can't think of his name:eek: )


Karl Alvarez? :ninja:

joe lally from fugazi

I still don't think it has been explained who "Everyone" is...

well punk bassist do suck compared to guys from the other genres...

the best players of punk like the likes of matt freeman versus best of other genres

metal - steve digiorgio, cliff burton, joay demaio

jazz - victor wooten, jaco(are they jazz?)

funk - larry graham, james jamerson?

well punk bassist do suck compared to guys from the other genres...

the best players of punk like the likes of matt freeman versus best of other genres

metal - steve digiorgio, cliff burton, joay demaio

jazz - victor wooten, jaco(are they jazz?)

funk - larry graham, james jamerson?


Wow.

Uhm, OK, have you ever listened to punk? The reason I ask... stick Vic in a punk band... he'd do some flashy junk, but would it be "good"... probably not. Punk is about energy/intensity...

Punk bass (lets just say 8th notes) don't suck! They serve a musical purpose... there are times when straight 8ths are the greatest thing you can do to a song.

Checkout a band called "This Computer Kills". They were short lived, but their bassplayer was way upfront in the mix, fast, and creative as hell. :bassist:

I can't think of a better punk bassist than JJ Burnel from The Stranglers. His bass line in the the song 'Genetix' is just amazing.
The Rezillos also have a great bass player.

Fred Erskine (Hoover)

Oh man, Ron the Ripper is the best punk bassist ever (if you call Crime punk, which you should, against Crime's own wishes.) He sounds to me like Felix Pappalardi on speed (or even more speed...).

He plays these insane Bach sounding countermelodies fast and tight on a gibson, like he's trying to squeeze his little masterpieces in to the songs and playing them fast and loud enough that they don't lose their hardness and punk credibility.

Although their 'punk' credentials may be debated Bruce Foxton from The Jam is a really good player with some great lines.

I don't know too many people who think punk bassists "suck". Especially since most recent punk music has relied very heavily on the bass for melody.

Interesting that pretty much all these examples are from classic punk/hardcore bands. Pop-punk, not so much.

Pop punk isn't punk. It's pop. I so sick of bands like simple plan and that band with the 2 gay twin brothers being labeled punk. That whole subgenre should just be called pop being played by goofs playing dress up. Just because you have spikey haire and a wrist bands doesn't mean you are a punk. Songs about your girlfriend dumping you and appearing in movies with the Olson's(Simple Plan) are not punk rock things to do. I wish these types of bands would just admit they are what they are. There's going to be a whole generation of kids that think Gotti hair, wrist bands, eyeliner and whinning are punk rock.

Pop punk isn't punk. It's pop. I so sick of bands like simple plan and that band with the 2 gay twin brothers being labeled punk. That whole subgenre should just be called pop being played by goofs playing dress up. Just because you have spikey haire and a wrist bands doesn't mean you are a punk. Songs about your girlfriend dumping you and appearing in movies with the Olson's(Simple Plan) are not punk rock things to do. I wish these types of bands would just admit they are what they are. There's going to be a whole generation of kids that think Gotti hair, wrist bands, eyeliner and whinning are punk rock.



I'm sure that's what everyone thought of the Ramones. They dressed goofy, and wrote some of the most mindless punk ever.


Rock rock, rock and roll high school.

The guy who played in Moss Icon (forget his name) is pretty good, a little undisciplined, but he was only like 16 at the time.

Marko Pezzati (Naked Raygun)
Craig Bell (Rocket from the Tomb)
And Fifteen/Crimpshrine always had fun basslines. I'm sure Mike Dirnt's bit/borrowed a few of their lines.

I'm sure that's what everyone thought of the Ramones. They dressed goofy, and wrote some of the most mindless punk ever.


Rock rock, rock and roll high school.

heh but you gotta give the Ramones credit for having catchy, simple and energetic songs.

alot of punk is thoguht of "easy" because generally it is, but i feel its meant to be. i love it like that, for example: say you find a song, and you dont really like it, but theres 1 part in it you think totally kicks ass. for me, punk rock is that part of the song, for the entire song. that can be 2 sided though, but it happens to work out great for me. make sense? hope so!

im really into Black Flag, Minor Threat, Exploited, Misfits, Ramones, Unseen, Bad Religion('specially there 80's ****), etc...

Among the newer punk bands, I think Rise Against are good, and their bassist does some tasty fills every once in a while.

I'm sure that's what everyone thought of the Ramones. They dressed goofy, and wrote some of the most mindless punk ever.


Rock rock, rock and roll high school.


I don't see how Rock N' Roll High School is mindless.

Not their best lyrics ever, but certainly not mindless.

They were just singing what they knew, and they came up with alot of great songs/lyrics.

Krist Novoselic, pick, bass on his knees and a lot of sweet lines.

Klaus Flouride.

The bassist from Bad Brains can shred. Although they aren't your typical punk / hardcore band.

HARLEY FLANAGAN-CRO-MAGS
CRAIG SETARI-SICK OF IT ALL,AGNOSTIC FRONT,STRAIGHT AHEAD
HARRY KAZAKOS-BREAKDOWN,COLD FRONT,LAWS OF GRAVITY
AARON COLLINS-WHITE TRASH,MURPHY'S LAW

All from NYC bands. QUEENS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Among the newer punk bands, I think Rise Against are good, and their bassist does some tasty fills every once in a while.

I haven't listened to that much Rise Against, but his last band, 88 Fingers Louie, was one of my favorites in high school. One of the tracks on their "comeback" disc, "Back on the Streets" has a really tasty bass solo that I always thought beat out "Maxwell Murder" for best punk bass solo (though, I never liked MM much). Can't remember what track it is, but the whole album is pretty good. I would reccommend picking it up.

Hunter from AFI and Matt Freeman of Operation Ivy/Rancid are two "shredders" who can rip and create tasty basslines. Randy Bradbury of Pennywise is also very talented. Jay Bentley of Bad Religion is a terrific player nowadays, especially on BR's last couple albums. There are some slower, ballad-ey songs where he plays lines I wish I could write.

Karl Alvarez rocks. He's also versitile. Check out the vultures on myspace. I think it's a side project of his or something. It's basically an awesome old sound, soul, very soulful.

http://www.myspace.com/sweetsoulmusic

Glen Matlock, original Sex Pistols bass player. A really good bass player that has done many other things; Rich Kids, London Cowboys, J Thunders amongst many sessions.

I know ill catch some flack for this but i think this band really had some punk roots.
Eric Wilson----Sublime

Pop-punk bassist, checking in.

Guess what, it IS lame. And we do totally do play dress-up for shows. And guess what, it SELLS. And we have...gasp...FUN with it. I might even go see us. It's a show, it's a performance. Dressing up and acting a certain way are merely job requirements. You play the role, you get the paycheck. Music is art, yeah, but if your music can help pay the bills, so what if you have to sacrifice some of the art. It's only a job, right? And it's better than flippin burgers.

The Dead Kennedys, or any Real punk band would laugh and/or cry if they heard us. But a good pop punk band is not Trying to be the DK or Black Flag etc. Whole different thing.

And guess what else. My jazz gigs require me to dress up, too. and sometimes that's pretty lame.... to play a luncheon and play Girl From Ipanema and Satin Doll and every other played-to-death jazz tune. But again, it's a gig, and you do it, and you stick to the genre you're supposed to play and it's fine.

What I am saying is there is lameness in many genres. As a jazz composer and double bassist who would rather have DIED than used a pick a year ago, I'm going to go out on my limb and say...

...playing in a pop-punk band has actually made me a better bassist and better musician.

Punk bass (lets just say 8th notes) don't suck! They serve a musical purpose... there are times when straight 8ths are the greatest thing you can do to a song.

This is true across many genres. I would give a lot to be able to play 1/8 notes on DB the way Ray Brown did. I also wish I could crank like Klaus Flouride.

There are people playing every genre who are not so good or are having a bad night. It takes time to learn. Read about the Ramones first gigs, they couldn't play. Everyone said it took them a year or two of constant practice and gigging. Look at the early reviews of the Patti Smith Group, not that they were punk but as an example of growth. The reviewers all panned the band and said Verlaine couldn't play guitar. A year or two later everyone was writing about how much better the band was.

Takes time to get good, a lot of us never do, no matter what genre we favor.

Peace,
S

Pop-punk bassist, checking in.

Guess what, it IS lame. And we do totally do play dress-up for shows. And guess what, it SELLS. And we have...gasp...FUN with it. I might even go see us. It's a show, it's a performance. Dressing up and acting a certain way are merely job requirements. You play the role, you get the paycheck. Music is art, yeah, but if your music can help pay the bills, so what if you have to sacrifice some of the art. It's only a job, right? And it's better than flippin burgers.

The Dead Kennedys, or any Real punk band would laugh and/or cry if they heard us. But a good pop punk band is not Trying to be the DK or Black Flag etc. Whole different thing.

And guess what else. My jazz gigs require me to dress up, too. and sometimes that's pretty lame.... to play a luncheon and play Girl From Ipanema and Satin Doll and every other played-to-death jazz tune. But again, it's a gig, and you do it, and you stick to the genre you're supposed to play and it's fine.

What I am saying is there is lameness in many genres. As a jazz composer and double bassist who would rather have DIED than used a pick a year ago, I'm going to go out on my limb and say...

...playing in a pop-punk band has actually made me a better bassist and better musician.

I'm not saying people shouldn't play punk or dress up. There's nothing wrong with either. But just call it pop. There's no need to call it punk because it isn't. The problem I have is all the kids who think that punk is pop songs about girls written by jocks with bas hair cuts. I'm glad your having a good time playing fast pop music that''s not a problem for me and it shouldn't be for anyone just call it what it is.Pop.

Bob Whiteside from SNAPCASE was really excellent. check out his work on "lookinglasself. Usually in the heavier hardcore bands the bass is buried in the mix under those damn guitars but on this record it's mixed well.

I also like Mike Herrera from MXPX. Always good playing and since he's the leader, you can always hear the bass in their recordings! lol

Don't forget Rob Trujillo. He played some amazing punk rock bass, and he did some very tasteful slap as well with ST. One of my all time favorites.

I can't believe no one's mentioned Joe Raposo from RKL (Rich Kids On LSD). If it wasn't for them there would be no hardcore/metal/punk. Fast, creative basslines. And as far as the whole pop-punk argument, get over it dude; it's all music, all subjective. Bands like Simple Plan and Good Charlotte will not exist in a couple of years and no one will remember them. There's no substance.

Tommy B from D.F.L. - Proud To Be is one of the best albums ever made.
Matt Freeman- Duh.
Also the bassist from the Fartz, not the best musucian, but he sits pretty high in the mix, good rythms
Craig Ahead- Sick Of It All He also does some sweet vocals once in awhile
Bassist from H2O
Bassist from 7 Seconds, Walk together rock together and earlier, The intro from We're Gonna Fight gets my blood going everytime
Bassist of Pennywise, Brohymm is a great song with a great rythm

The reason why punk was so popular in the 80's is because you didn't have to play 20 minute guitar solos, or wear those spandex zebra pants ( David Lee Roth anyone?). It was music that anyone could play. It was pissed off music. It was the kind of music that made your parents have a stroke. It was played by normal looking people. It was fast, loud, and gave people that were once Nerds, Dorks, Different, whatever, a feeling of belonging. It gave a sense of community. In a time when the rock music industry was filled with bands like REO Speedwagon, Poison, Winger, softer acts like Lionel Ritchie, and a bunch of other Super Popular groups, punk music dared people to be different. To think different about your government, to question history, to realize that there is a difference between what you really believe and what you are told to believe. Punk is not fashion, it's not hairdos, apparel, looking like a pincushion, it's all about being an individual, realizing that you don't have to be like everyone else. You don't have to look a certain way. I wear jeans and a t-shirt most of the time. I don't have a super cool leather jacket, or spiked wrist bands or whatever. I guess punk is more of an ideal these days. Just my 2 cents.

The reason why punk was so popular in the 80's

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember punk being pretty underground in the 80s. It was popular in the late 70s, and those bands gave way to Replacements and Pixies and REM. Kind of made a comeback in the 90s. Are you talking about Husker Du, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys? Not sure I'd call them poular.

Toe-may-toe, Toe-mah-toe.

punk blows.. any bass player who plays punk IS a punk

punk blows.. any bass player who plays punk IS a punk

I think YOU blow.

Maybe popular was the wrong word. Replace that with, the reason why punk rock was as widespread as it was. Yes, 80's. I feel that more record stores, more touring bands, more bands in general came about. People starting zines, so many small and now defunct record labels that put out a handful of albums, most of this was in the 80's; people felt that they had to play thier part. People started becoming more involved, started to mold "their" scene. In the late 70's punk was more of an art form. The Dils were art students and considered the band to be a long art project. IMO, punk was written off in the 70's. It became a defined style of music in the early 80's with the new style of music coming out. Bands like DOA, Black Flag, Teen Idles, helped shape the path of what the genre was really about. I personally do not think of the Ramones as punk, nor Iggy and the Stooges, or Sex Pistols. I thought of these bands as generic ideals of Fashion Companies, Record Labels, or a throw back to 60's pop. Listen to Hardcore 81' and then listen to any of the aforementioned band's albums. DOA is, to me, a better representation of what Punk is than those other bands. Fast, Loud, and Raw!!! I guess this does not take into account the 77' bands, but IMO, I don't feel that these bands shaped the music as much as the early 80's bands. Raw Power, Confuse, Discharge, DOA, MDC, Tarveet Kadet, Negative Approach, Kuro, Minor Threat, Agnostic Front, etc, etc, etc...
Point is, I love punk music and feel that a lot of bands are/were way underated because they aren't as well known or as poppy (marketable).

[QUOTE=tzadik;3425432]Pop-punk bassist, checking in.

Guess what, it IS lame. And we do totally do play dress-up for shows. And guess what, it SELLS. And we have...gasp...FUN with it. I might even go see us. It's a show, it's a performance. Dressing up and acting a certain way are merely job requirements. You play the role, you get the paycheck. Music is art, yeah, but if your music can help pay the bills, so what if you have to sacrifice some of the art. It's only a job, right? And it's better than flippin burgers.
QUOTE]

Kiss dressed up, I don't like KISS. Gwar dresses up, BOO! Marilyn Manson Dresses "UP", I wanna smack him with a lead pipe. Point is, being in a band isn't about dressing up, its about playing music you have a passion for. If you have to "dress" a certain way that isn't your norm, than you shouldn't be playing. This does not include formal blacktie events that you mentioned with your jazz band as you wouldn't really have a choice of what to wear. Just my .02

Kiss dressed up, I don't like KISS. Gwar dresses up, BOO! Marilyn Manson Dresses "UP", I wanna smack him with a lead pipe. Point is, being in a band isn't about dressing up, its about playing music you have a passion for. If you have to "dress" a certain way that isn't your norm, than you shouldn't be playing. This does not include formal blacktie events that you mentioned with your jazz band as you wouldn't really have a choice of what to wear. Just my .02

People pay for entertainment. Stage show is just as important, or more important than, the music itself. Rock'n'roll is about pushing boundaries and the conservative cattle can't really stop it. Blah.

People pay for entertainment. Stage show is just as important, or more important than, the music itself. Rock'n'roll is about pushing boundaries and the conservative cattle can't really stop it. Blah.

I guess:hmm:

Let's agree to disagree;)

I guess:hmm:

Let's agree to disagree;)


Haha.. Ok. :bassist: :bassist: :bassist:

Maybe popular was the wrong word. Replace that with, the reason why punk rock was as widespread as it was. Yes, 80's. I feel that more record stores, more touring bands, more bands in general came about. People starting zines, so many small and now defunct record labels that put out a handful of albums, most of this was in the 80's; people felt that they had to play thier part. People started becoming more involved, started to mold "their" scene. In the late 70's punk was more of an art form. The Dils were art students and considered the band to be a long art project. IMO, punk was written off in the 70's. It became a defined style of music in the early 80's with the new style of music coming out. Bands like DOA, Black Flag, Teen Idles, helped shape the path of what the genre was really about. I personally do not think of the Ramones as punk, nor Iggy and the Stooges, or Sex Pistols. I thought of these bands as generic ideals of Fashion Companies, Record Labels, or a throw back to 60's pop. Listen to Hardcore 81' and then listen to any of the aforementioned band's albums. DOA is, to me, a better representation of what Punk is than those other bands. Fast, Loud, and Raw!!! I guess this does not take into account the 77' bands, but IMO, I don't feel that these bands shaped the music as much as the early 80's bands. Raw Power, Confuse, Discharge, DOA, MDC, Tarveet Kadet, Negative Approach, Kuro, Minor Threat, Agnostic Front, etc, etc, etc...
Point is, I love punk music and feel that a lot of bands are/were way underated because they aren't as well known or as poppy (marketable).

With respect because I agree with you (a little), it is ironic that you choose to say that Iggy And The Stooges aint Punk, then the first band you mention to describe "real" punk is Raw Power... just pointing out the irony...

But I do agree somewhat... The Stooges, MC5, The Dolls, Ramones, Pistols, Clash etc... they just made great rock 'n' roll... as did The Stranglers, Buzzcocks, The Dictators, Sham 69, 999, The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, Magazine, The Damned, Television, Fear and Pere Ubu... I don't think Punk should be used as a term for music in any shape or form (much like heavy metal),.... that way you and I come together as brothers in our appreciation for music that society, our surroundings and our parents hated... and that my friend was what is was all about... a reflection of all those things put back in their faces for them to see what they had created...

With respect because I agree with you (a little), it is ironic that you choose to say that Iggy And The Stooges aint Punk, then the first band you mention to describe "real" punk is Raw Power... just pointing out the irony...

But I do agree somewhat... The Stooges, MC5, The Dolls, Ramones, Pistols, Clash etc... they just made great rock 'n' roll... as did The Stranglers, Buzzcocks, The Dictators, Sham 69, 999, The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, Magazine, The Damned, Television, Fear and Pere Ubu... I don't think Punk should be used as a term for music in any shape or form (much like heavy metal),.... that way you and I come together as brothers in our appreciation for music that society, our surroundings and our parents hated... and that my friend was what is was all about... a reflection of all those things put back in their faces for them to see what they had created...


DOA is the first band I mentioned.:D But either way, you have to realize that there are great punk rock musucians.

True, I can't believe nobody has mentioned Mark Hoppus! :p

The bassists for Green Day (who does fit into the pop-punk category) and Dead Kennedys are both pretty good, though.

-Dash

I know i have the 182 in my screen name but im not that much of a blink fan anymore, but Mark hoppus is a solid player, he has a good picking technique, and knows how to right a pop song. As for Matt Freeman, i think he is a bit of a over-kill bassist. I mean, alot of Rancid songs don't need complex bass lines and it takes away from the vocals. That being said though, he does have some cool bass lines.

I don't see how Rock N' Roll High School is mindless.

Not their best lyrics ever, but certainly not mindless.

They were just singing what they knew, and they came up with alot of great songs/lyrics.

Well I don't care about history
Rock, rock, rock'n'roll high school
'Cause that's not where I wanna be
Rock, rock, rock'n'roll high school
I just wanna have some kicks
I just wanna get some chicks
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock'n'roll high school

Well the girls out there knock me out, you know
Rock, rock, rock'n'roll high school
Cruisin' around in my GTO
Rock, rock, rock'n'roll high school
I hate the teachers and the principal
Don't wanna be taught to be no fool
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock'n'roll high school

Fun fun rock'n'roll high school
Fun fun rock'n'roll high school
Fun fun rock'n'roll high school
Fun fun, oh baby




... *ahem* I've got no problem with the Ramones, but... those lyrics are mindless, that doesn't make them bad, it makes them "fun"

Gaye Advert of the Adverts, the lines in "No time to be 21" are simple AND fun to play.

Dante Sigona from the Nerve Agents is really good.
Nate Newton from Converge is obviously a great hardcore bassist.
Chuck Dukaowski from Black Flag
Brian Baker from Minor Threat.

These are just a few of the best.

Matt Freeman.

I think he was best in Operation Ivy. I saw them live to many times to count because my brother was a major fan. MAtt is also good in Rancid.

I always liked Randy (?) from pennywise Pre-1999 anything after blows.

dont really listen to "Punk-rock" anymore. tho.

The name your looking for might be Jason Mathew Thirsk (he was, at least, the first bassist for pennywise). Pennywise still rocks, saw them live a few months ago. The song "society" has a cool bassline, but that's not JMT.

Hunter from AFI and Matt Freeman of Operation Ivy/Rancid are two "shredders" who can rip and create tasty basslines. Randy Bradbury of Pennywise is also very talented. Jay Bentley of Bad Religion is a terrific player nowadays, especially on BR's last couple albums. There are some slower, ballad-ey songs where he plays lines I wish I could write.

+1 on Hunter, especially pre-december underground stuff.

It's 'cause a lot of punk bassists just use eighth notes.

Chris # 2 from Anti-Flag, i cant find his last name anywhere, he's always referred to as #2, he plays some pretty good stuff, check out their song "Turncoat" its got a pretty sweet solo

the bassist from Strike Anywhere is pretty good too

Chris # 2 from Anti-Flag, i cant find his last name anywhere, he's always referred to as #2, he plays some pretty good stuff, check out their song "Turncoat" its got a pretty sweet solo

the bassist from Strike Anywhere is pretty good too

We've Got His Gun, IMO, is the best Anti Flag bassline. I have listened to it many a time, haven't tried to figure it out but it sounds cool.

joe lally from fugazi

I was hoping Joe Lally got a mention.

anyone who things punk rock has to contain virtuosic bass playing in order to be worth listening to has no clue about music, art or the meaning of life :)

anyone who things punk rock has to contain virtuosic bass playing in order to be worth listening to has no clue about music, art or the meaning of life :)

There is no meaning to life :rollno:

John Doe from X is my favorite hardcore bassist/composer, followed closely by Mike Watt.

Alright. As a diehard punk fan, i have to put in my .02.

I think the reason why many people believe that punk bassists suck is because many of them are guitarists filling in the role of a bassist, or "all they do is pound out 8th notes". There are exceptions to the rule, many exceptions, and punk basslines do seem to be getting more melodic, and you can see that even the "8th note pounders" do have talent- in their fills and creative basslines. In fact, some punk bassists have been spectacular in my opinion (Joe Principe (rise against), Klaus Flouride (dead kennedys, im aware they have been mentioned before). I personally love this style of music, and there is a certain joy to playing it that these gentlemen have found, as have i. I love playing punk, gives me a nice break from playing jazz music with jazz band, and frankly it is a hell of alot of fun to play, to jump and dance around and sometimes just look angry and driven. Or they could play it, in many cases, to get a message out (bad religion, NoFx, Rise Against, Against Me!, the entire fat wreck label, etc)
Oftentimes, they have a message to convey and that far surpasses the need to show off their chops. I agree with that idea. And if the music that you love calls for it, do it.

I can't believe this thread has gotten this far without Todd Kowalski. Go pick up Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes by Propagandhi and be enlightened.

TODD THE ROD!

hells yea!

Wow, no one has mentioned Chris Gates from the Big Boys, David Simms from Scratch Acid or Jeff Pinkus of the Butthole Surfers and Honky. Texas Represent.

Punk Rock. My Roots. Alright, time to lay it down.

Craig, second and current bassist of: Sick of it All (Original NY Punk Hardcore) This guy is amazing.

Hunter, second and current bassist for AFI.

Joe Principe, second and current bassist of Rise Against.

Chris Aiken, second and current bassist of Strung Out (punk/hardcore/metal). Chris also writes a lot of the guitar parts for the band and he plays a Fender Geddy Lee and Marcus Miller! hell yeah!

These four punk/hardcore/ punk-metal bassists have come in to a band and taken them to the next level.

Mike Dirnt, Green Day (yes they are punk, now they are called pop-punk) I've been following them since early 90s call them whatever you want, they are anarchist and punk is about an attitude; a way of life. Green Day is even more political now. Mike is a great bassist.

Matt Freeman of Rancid. Although I love the other guys I mentioned, Matt is the best punk bassist, ever.

Anyone from the old SST lineup (MINUTEMEN, Husker Du,Meat Puppets, Black Flag) are great bassists. IMO they are the best.

Why couldn't I have been born earlier, I pretty much dislike all the bands of my generation so far, with only a few exceptions (Art Brut is one of the few real punk bands now).

Anyone who truly thinks that punk bands have no talent have not really heard punk. Most people think Sex Pistols or something similar when someone says "punk", but have never heard Patti Smith, Flipper, Against Me!, or any of the bands I mentioned before. I would go as far as to say punk is the most influential and experimental rock genre ever. Its not really a sound, but more of an approach to music. Mike Watt (bassist of Minutemen) says it best in this article http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?sectioncode=21&storycode=6046 .

If you have never truly heard punk, please check out Minutemen, Husker Du, and The Meat Puppets. They are truly eye opening bands and I guarantee if you have an open mine you will fall in love with at least one of these bands.

Since Im already giving out recommendations might as well go into more detail for people who want to give the genre a test drive.

Minutemen- Double Nickels on the Dime: My favorite album of all time, with my favorite bassist of all time. 43 songs all on one CD, everyone has its own small concept told in an almost poetic way, but with harsh edges. Everyone should own this album.

Hüsker Dü- Zen Arcade: Distortion is a key part in this band, its a 3 piece by sounds like they have two guitarists. Very thought provoking.

Meat Puppets- Meat Puppets II: Hippy 60s + desert country + punk. Shows how open punk really is.

Art Brut- Self Titled: Songs about starting a band, rocking out in an art museum, and Spanish terrorists. Fun, unlike most modern music (especially punk).

Flipper- Album: I dont know why Im recommending this, everyone I have shown it too hates it, but I love it.


My .02, check them out.

I love Flipper too

I know it's almost taboo to call any punks "good" or even "great" instrumentalists, but come on, I think punk bassists are probably the most underrated group of bassists out there. Look at Matt Freeman, Paul Simonon, Mike Dirnt, Fat Mike, and a slew of other punks who don't get nearly as much credit as they deserve.

I got the recent punk rock issue of bass guitar magazine, and they didn't even talk about punk bassists! A majority of articles started off with "even though his/her music isn't really punk...". I just think some credit is due to some of these guys, because while the guitars were 3-chording along, these guys were running up and down the scales to make punk what it is...

nope. they never get credit. don't forget mike watt. the first time i saw firehose he broke his e string on the first note. i knew it was going to be an awesome show...

Hey in bass guitar magazine it had a tribute to all the punks; sid vicious, the guy from the clash and so on (sorry i suck with names i'm not a HUGE punk fan either just occasional listener)

yay punk bassists!

i'm into it!
http://planetsmilies.net/vicious-smiley-1815.gif

ben shepherd!

Jay Bentley of Bad Religion is one of my favorites. Paul Simonon played for the Clash, also great.

J.J. BURNEL of The Stranglers!!!!!

Listen to some old Minutemen, if you can stomach D. Boon's vocals. The stuff Watt did on bass is just sick! (And I don't even like punk).

I would suggest a listen to The Buzzcocks when it's got Steve Garvey on the bass.

At first I thought Punk bass was simple and stupid until I actually listened to REAL punk.
And now I think it's really cool and punk focuses on bass a lot more than most rock Genres.
The first punk song I learned was about 80% of the song Got The Time - Anthrax (Punk Cover)

Stomach D Boon's vocals? You're nuts, Bass Mule. D Boon was as passionate a vocalist as you could find. But I'll agree about Watt's playing with a lot of stuff...Minutemen, Firehose, solo, etc...

Let's not forget Rob Wright of NoMeansNo. He's truly a great songwriter, lyricist, and uses that thudstaff to whip up a mighty frenzy.

Finally a topic I can weigh in on. Alot of punk bassists don't get the respect they deserve. So called "ELITIST" Bass players don't consider punk a legit form of music. I've been into punk for over 1/2 my life and seen it all and then some. Mike Watt, Paul Simonon, Matt Freemann, Chris #2,etc, etc are amazing. I've also seen some bass players in unkown local bands, do some unheard of stuff on the bass as well. It may be 3 chords, but atleast they have the vision and imagination to expand on them. Also remember, our beloved Flea started out in a band called FEAR, which was also punk rock.

Jay Bentley of Bad Religion is one of my favorites. Paul Simonon played for the Clash, also great.
Dont forget Brian Baker too, from back with Minor Threat.

My favourite punk bassit is Craig Setari, damned good bassist and a nice guy too! Theres also the bass players from AFI (even tho they suck now he is still good) and Anti-Flag, Fat Mike is also a favourite. As is Bret Rasmussen (Ignite)

Hey in bass guitar magazine it had a tribute to all the punks; sid vicious, the guy from the clash and so on (sorry i suck with names i'm not a HUGE punk fan either just occasional listener)

Sid Vicious is undoubtedly the most over rated bassist in punk lol! And that's why so many Punk bassists are underated for their far superior talent and musicianship (then sid that is).

Ed2Strings: I've also seen some bass players in unkown local bands, do some unheard of stuff on the bass as well. It may be 3 chords, but atleast they have the vision and imagination to expand on them.

I couldn't agree more, most of the "real" punk bands that are unknown and local harbor the most talent and make some really amazing music.

There was a band from Madison called "Swift Kick" with really raunchy half cocked screeching/ screaming vocals while the dummer and bassist were so tight and fluent through amazing fast passed hardcore punk riffs, lots of chromatic passing tones while the guitar was just grinding away the 3 chords changes. It was the perfect mesh between lo-fi annoying punk and actual musicality.

anywho

Peace

-Benny

You’ll have a very hard time finding in a bassist in any genre who can outplay or outgroove Daryl Jenifer of the Bad Brains.


Why'd it take so many posts for Jenifer's name to come up?

Well, actually, didn't Flea START out as a jazz bassist?

Brian

You’ll have a very hard time finding in a bassist in any genre who can outplay or outgroove Daryl Jenifer of the Bad Brains. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better reggae or gospel or fusion band either, yet they’re best know as Godfathers of American hardcore.

If someone is reading this and scoffing, I know for a fact you’ve never listened to their albums or seen them live.

I couldn't agree with you more smash.

I will never get tired of waking up in the morning and putting their self titled on the turn table.

No better way then to start your day with bad brains.

I highly enjoy the live black dots as well... so raunchy.

Peace

-Benny

Sid Vicious is undoubtedly the most over rated bassist in punk lol! And that's why so many Punk bassists are underated for their far superior talent and musicianship (then sid that is).


Actually, if everyone's referring to the magazine article I think they are, it specifically excluded Sid from their list of punk bass greats. There was a small sidebar pointing out he was actually pretty worthless on bass. Aside from the one song or so recorded while Glen Matlock was in the band, Steve Jones did all the bass on Never Mind the Bollocks.

Anyway, surprised to see no one has yet mentioned Matt Freeman from Rancid.

Chuck Dukowski and Kira Roessler from Black Flag are certainly worth a mention.

Husker Du's Greg Norton has long been a favorite of mine.

If Mission of Burma is considered punk, then throw Clint Conley in there as well.

edit: OK, somebody did mention Matt Freeman. Missed it the first time I read through this thread.

i thought Joe Lally playing bass in fugazi is pretty bad ass.

Love the bassline from waiting room.

Matt Freeman is insane. The crazy part is that as dynamic as his bass playing is on record, it is more so live.

I would suggest a listen to The Buzzcocks when it's got Steve Garvey on the bass.

+1. Steve's THE MAN. He's the reason I picked up a bass to begin with.

You’ll have a very hard time finding in a bassist in any genre who can outplay or outgroove Daryl Jenifer of the Bad Brains. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better reggae or gospel or fusion band either, yet they’re best know as Godfathers of American hardcore.

Hells yes! One of my side project bands does a cover of banned in DC, classic bad brains tunes and great to play! (wrist hurts like hell afterwards tho!)

i thought Joe Lally playing bass in fugazi is pretty bad ass.

Love the bassline from waiting room.

Matt Freeman is insane. The crazy part is that as dynamic as his bass playing is on record, it is more so live.

Im not a fan of matts bass playing, i think Rancid sound too much like they are falling appart, and when i saw them live, was not bowled over by it at all, sounded sloppy as hell when i saw them, a few friends of mine were at a rancid gig last year and they thought it sounded sloppy then aswell.

Ok, my first post. Yay me! Anyways, as A bassist that learned my art from punk(80's hardcore) I have to say that for me Klaus Flouride from the Dead Kennedys Is A very underrated player ,he actually helped me branch out into jazz. For me he is just A truly great player who always played tastefully and was able to play lines that stepped outside his own genre.
Peace to all of you lowenders and hopefully you'll be seeing more of moi.

I actually mentioned Matt Freemann before, if anyone has any doubt about punk bass all they gotta do is listen to Maxwell Murder, and your right Chuck Dukowski and Kira did some amazing stuff on the bass as well. The guy from anti flag has some solid lines as well. I got to see Bad Brains during one of the last CBGB shows recently, Anyone know why HR was wearing a motorcycle helmet the whole time?

You’ll have a very hard time finding in a bassist in any genre who can outplay or outgroove Daryl Jenifer of the Bad Brains.

Yeah man! He's the most underrated and best bassist in punk imho.

I also like:
- Chris Bauermeister from Jawbreaker. He doesn't stand out a lot in the band, but the lines to "Parabola" really move me.
- Jason Black from Hot Water Music (now in The Draft). Fuel for the Hate Game has so many great bass lines.
- Brendan Kelly from The Lawrence Arms. His lines don't seem like anything special to most, but they fit the songs well, and he does sing while playing.

Any publication that mentions Sid Vicious with the term "bassist" I take with a grain of salt. The Sex Pistols are easily the most overrated punk band ever. Dee Dee was a much better bassist than him. Much more likable guy, too, though still crazy.

Flea was a jazz trumpet player.

Actually, if everyone's referring to the magazine article I think they are, it specifically excluded Sid from their list of punk bass greats. There was a small sidebar pointing out he was actually pretty worthless on bass. Aside from the one song or so recorded while Glen Matlock was in the band, Steve Jones did all the bass on Never Mind the Bollocks.


Ok. Then it's the same article that I read awhile back. I remember getting a good laugh at their intentional mention/exclusion.


Chuck Dukowski and Kira Roessler from Black Flag are certainly worth a mention.

Husker Du's Greg Norton has long been a favorite of mine.

If Mission of Burma is considered punk, then throw Clint Conley in there as well.


A terrific list.

Dude, I am all about this thread, so many awesome bass players mentioned. If you think about it there are alot out there that we don't even know about as of yet. Sid was basically a marketting tool, you could say he was like the mickey mouse of punk, the way people think of mickey when they hear disney same applies with sid and punk rock. Malcom needed an image that personified punk rock and he found that in sid, it didn't matter that the guy couldn't string 2 notes together or that he was incoherant most of the time, thanx to Nancy. Malcom just wanted something that would help him sell records. Anyone know who gets the money from all those sid posters, t shirts, I think dolls and whatever else has his likeness on it. Also, on a side note, Sid was creamated 4 blocks from my house. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Steve Garvey is great, but no one mentioned Mike Watt yet? He just cranks.

The bassist in Interpool has a pretty cool line in "Evil". And I know people dont like Mark Hoppus on here but his stuff goes really well with the song.

I actually mentioned Matt Freemann before, if anyone has any doubt about punk bass all they gotta do is listen to Maxwell Murder

Ive listened to it, i used to love it, but started to loath it, and having heard it being butchered by matt live wasnt exactly enlightening. I prefered the solo in Axiom anyway ;)

Daryl Jenifer is massive. The BB's are the only "punk" band I even listen to anymore.


Matt Freemann

Dont really care for Rancid, but Operation Ivy was cool.

Steve Garvey is great, but no one mentioned Mike Watt yet? He just cranks.

Everyone and their mom mentioned Mike Watt, dude :)

I give massive props to Klaus Fluoride and Fat Mike.

Joe Lally and Paul Simomon, too.

Also, although they were local, they achieved some national notoriety [a lot, actually], Matt Butler of Treephort was incredible.
Don't believe me?
Check out "Hemp Necklace" and "So I Do" from "...and the streets will run red with the blood of the nonbelievers".

You know what I like about this board over many others? There wasn't any elitist in the corner saying "_____ sold out, they're not punk". Thanks guys, I was kinda worried I was opening a can of worms for second ;)...

But if we want to get into 90's punk (more my stuff, I'm a young'n), how about Kelly Lemeiux from Goldfinger, Matt Wong from Reel Big Fish (more ska/rock than punk) and one of my favorites in the ska punk scene is Mingus from Catch 22.. he was a really cool guy, he talked to me for a good half an hour before a show.. He lays down grooves.

On Sid Vicious...I could be wrong, but didn't he play on one or two tracks at least on "Never Mind the Bullocks"? I thought I remember reading he played bass on "Submission", but I could be wrong. I do know Steve Jones played most of the bass parts after Glen Matlock, though.

I remember in Johnny Rotten's autobiography, he mentioned that Sid was really trying to learn the bass at one point, and was into reggae bass lines a lot. Too bad he let himself self-destruct completely, otherwise he probably would've played bass in PiL.

I actually mentioned Matt Freemann before...

Heh, I have this annoying habit of skimming posts way too fast sometimes, which often results in me posting "I can't believe ______ hasn't come up in this thread before!" Like the "bands with 2 bass players" thread "Hey, nobody mentioned Ned's Atomic Dustbin yet!" (there was a link to a Ned's Atomic Dustbin video clip or something in the first post).

Matt Freeman is a god. Another awesome bass player is Rick from The Casualties. Defiance also has a good bass player. I recently saw Anti-Flag live, and some of the stuff Chris #2 was singing and playing at the same time was just mind-blowing. He's also good at improv, i.e., one of the guitar amps blew and he started playing something random with the drummer.

There are many punk bass players that are under-rated and awesome. Like me.;)

You know what I like about this board over many others? There wasn't any elitist in the corner saying "_____ sold out, they're not punk". Thanks guys, I was kinda worried I was opening a can of worms for second ;)...


The thing is though, a lot of the good punk bands that didn't just implode quickly did wind up getting crap about selling out as they started to evolve musically. A lot of people thought Husker Du had gotten too poppy, especially by the time they signed to Warner Bros (I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks that Land Speed Record is a better album than Warehouse needs to have their head examined). Likewise, a lot of the people who got into Black Flag when Damaged came out (to say nothing of the fans of the Keith/Chavo/Dez era) quickly lost patience with Rollins' spoken word musings and Ginn's noise-jazz explorations. And I can't imagine that some of the more experimental stuff the Clash did sat too well with some members of the Class of '77.

But to me, pushing the envelope a bit (whether that be in terms of songwriting, sound, etc.) is a lot more punk than just rehashing the same thing over and over until it turns into nothing more than a caricature of its former self.

Yeah punk bass really influenced me a lot. Mike Dirnt, Andy Wright (Andy Flag, original Anti-flag), Chris #2 (Anti-Flag), Matt Freeman, Geoff Kresge (Original AFI, Tiger Army), Hunter Burgan (AFI), Klaus Fluoride, Fat Mike, Paul Simonion, Rob Trujillo, ahh the list goes on. Sid Vicious was an awesome addition to the Sex Pistols, as long as his amp was turned off.

i started a huge thread on mike dirnt a while back look it up if you need anything....

I couldn't agree with you more. I love Bad Religion, but to be honest, they've been putting out the same album for 20 years, which is why they don't get too much gripe from fans.

To me theres a difference between selling out and growing. Selling out is what Avenged Sevenfold did, not only did they change their sound, but they insulted their former fans and music scene, calling metalcore "dead", when the fact is, metalcore got them signed. But in my opinion, calling somebody a sell out is childhood jealousy.

I listen to all kinds of punk from all the waves, 77, 88, 95, and even the new stuff (what's left of it). And I think to be a true fan, you have to accept the different breeds of punk as a whole instead of the "i'm better than you" games punks often play.

But to me, pushing the envelope a bit (whether that be in terms of songwriting, sound, etc.) is a lot more punk than just rehashing the same thing over and over until it turns into nothing more than a caricature of its former self.

word up.

if you wanna check out some really sick bass playing, go listen to Arif Mirabdolbaghi from Protest the Hero. they're a bit more in the 'metal' vein, but they're on a punk label. also, they wrote an entire album of songs they couldn't play, and played them faster and faster until they got to where they're at now, which i think is awesome.

Yeah man! He's the most underrated and best bassist in punk imho.

I also like:
- Chris Bauermeister from Jawbreaker. He doesn't stand out a lot in the band, but the lines to "Parabola" really move me.
- Jason Black from Hot Water Music (now in The Draft). Fuel for the Hate Game has so many great bass lines.
- Brendan Kelly from The Lawrence Arms. His lines don't seem like anything special to most, but they fit the songs well, and he does sing while playing.

3 great bands (4, I guess), and 3 pretty good players. Good calls!

Don't forget that without Punk, we would never have gotten
the great Ska bassists of today ...
Roger from Less than Jake is the Geddy Lee of Punk Rock IMO

Less Than Jake is more or less the Rush of punk/ska

their drummer writes their lyrics

the bassist is the main vocalist

all the members are good at their respective instruments

they've both achieved minor mainstream success, but have a huge devoted fanbase.

the only difference is Roger uses a MM and Geddy uses a Jazz bass or Rick..

A lot of people thought Husker Du had gotten too poppy, especially by the time they signed to Warner Bros (I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks that Land Speed Record is a better album than Warehouse needs to have their head examined).

Zen Arcade may be the one to get most of the critical acclaim, but I have to say Warehouse is my favorite Husker Du album. I could listen to that on repeat hours upon end.

I listen to all kinds of punk from all the waves, 77, 88, 95, and even the new stuff (what's left of it). And I think to be a true fan, you have to accept the different breeds of punk as a whole instead of the "i'm better than you" games punks often play.

I agree with you. I got into punk with the whole early 90s Green Day explosion, and I'm sure a lot of older punks hated kids like me, but while most other kids moved on I read zines, ordered records through mailorder distro, and got into a ton of smaller bands from all over. Honestly, when people start classifying something as punk I think it's kind of limiting because there's so many variations out there now. The bands from 77 were way different from the bands of the mid 80s, 90s and today. And there are bands that don't really sound punk at all that I still list as punk, like Ted Leo and the Pharmacists or Communique, just because there's a certain punk vibe that they carry from their past work.

I couldn't agree more, most of the "real" punk bands that are unknown and local harbor the most talent and make some really amazing music.

There was a band from Madison called "Swift Kick" with really raunchy half cocked screeching/ screaming vocals while the dummer and bassist were so tight and fluent through amazing fast passed hardcore punk riffs, lots of chromatic passing tones while the guitar was just grinding away the 3 chords changes. It was the perfect mesh between lo-fi annoying punk and actual musicality.

anywho

Peace

-Benny

Yeah that banded practiced in my basement, they had a hell of rhythm section, their bassist's name was Johnny if I recall correctly forget his last name but he was a hell of a player. you might also remember a band called "Men and Mutiny" that my brother was in. both good bands before the dissolved, the drummer from Swift Kick ended up in Ann Arbor at UM on full scholarship. two pretty damn good bands.

I couldn't agree with you more. I love Bad Religion, but to be honest, they've been putting out the same album for 20 years, which is why they don't get too much gripe from fans.


I have to disagree there, compare the first BR albums to the likes of The Empire Strikes First, then hell, even compare Process Of Belief to it, they are all very different. The first few albums had a similar ish vibe to them, but damn, i wouldnt say its anywhere near like they are putting out the same album.

Have you listened to No Substance? Or hell, even wierder "Into the Unknown", but we dont like to talk about that one too much (tho i acutally quite like it)

J.J. BURNEL of The Stranglers!!!!!


++1

but what about steve severin and peter hook.

really depends on how you would define punk.

Made a quick list of Punk bassists. Some of the names below are pretty famous and some are obscure. Some are terrific musicians and others less so. All of them made exciting music that inspired me. In the early days before it had ossified into a rigid inflexible, style Punk was more of an attitude. So it's pretty silly to argue that one or another of the bands represented is really Punk. It got me excited to make this list. I know I must have left some important people off. Hope I spelled everyone's name right. I leave it to those curious enough to figure out the bands. 1. Richard Hell 2. Dee Dee Ramone 3. Bruce Foxton 4. Horace Panter 5. Glen Matlock 6. John Doe 7. Kim Deal 8. Bruce Thomas 9. Billy Club 10. Paul Dean 11. Greg Norton 12. Cris Kirkwood 13. Brian Baker 14. Arthur Kane 15. Mike Mills 16. Tommy Stinson 17. Mike Roche 18. Barry Adamson 19. Eddie Wayne 20. Jerry Only 21. Derf Scratch 22. Darryl Jennifer 23. Clint Conley 24. Dale Sophiea 25. Lemme 26. Pete Farndon 27. Harry Kakkoulli 28 John Cale 29. Tina Weymouth 30. Tony Lombardo 31. Paul Siminon

v intersting list.....saw a video about hawkwind the other day and yes lemme pretty much defined what it was to be a punk bassist ...the inspiration behind the sexpistols!!

I have to disagree there, compare the first BR albums to the likes of The Empire Strikes First, then hell, even compare Process Of Belief to it, they are all very different. The first few albums had a similar ish vibe to them, but damn, i wouldnt say its anywhere near like they are putting out the same album.

Have you listened to No Substance? Or hell, even wierder "Into the Unknown", but we dont like to talk about that one too much (tho i acutally quite like it)

I wish I could find "Into the Unknown" somewhere under $50...

But I really like Bad Religion, and yes their stuff does change, but they don't drastically change as some bands do, they kind of slowly evolve (well it happens when you double your band members...). I think Suffer, No Control, and How Could Hell be Any Worse? sound similar, but they arent similar to some of the new stuff...

I wish I could find "Into the Unknown" somewhere under $50...



It's cause damned near everyone that bought that album when it came out threw it into the unknown (or at a wall). Altho' I'll admit to liking that "Chasing the Wild Goose" song.

Made a quick list of Punk bassists. Some of the names below are pretty famous and some are obscure. Some are terrific musicians and others less so. All of them made exciting music that inspired me. In the early days before it had ossified into a rigid inflexible, style Punk was more of an attitude. So it's pretty silly to argue that one or another of the bands represented is really Punk. It got me excited to make this list. I know I must have left some important people off. Hope I spelled everyone's name right. I leave it to those curious enough to figure out the bands. 1. Richard Hell 2. Dee Dee Ramone 3. Bruce Foxton 4. Horace 5. Glen Matlock 6. John Doe 7. Kim Deal 8. Bruce Thomas 9. Billy Club 10. Paul Dean 11. Greg Norton 12. Cris Kirkwood 13. Brian Baker 14. Arthur Kane 15. Mike Mills 16. Tommy Stinson 17. Mike Roche 18. Barry Adamson 19. Eddie Wayne 20. Jerry Only 21. Derf Scratch 22. Darryl Jennifer 23. Clint Conley 24. Dale Sophiea 25. Lemme 26. Pete Farndon 27. Harry Kakkoulli 28 John Cale 29. Tina Weymouth 30. Tony Lombardo

Dale Sophiea and John Cale--Nice!!!!

As long as we're stretching the boundaries here (and we should be), let's not forget Tony Maimone.

i would say, "i can't believe no one has mentioned...", but i forgot to mention him too in my original post.
but man... KARL ALVAREZ of the Descendents/ALL!:eek:
he's an incredible player. AND an even better songwriter. that dude has written some of the greatest "chick" songs of all time. and his playing on albums like The Descendents - All, and the first couple of ALL albums was just waaaaaay out there.
hats off to Karl! totally underrated and overlooked.

1. Richard Hell 2. Dee Dee Ramone 3. Bruce Foxton 4. Horace 5. Glen Matlock 6. John Doe 7. Kim Deal 8. Bruce Thomas 9. Billy Club 10. Paul Dean 11. Greg Norton 12. Cris Kirkwood 13. Brian Baker 14. Arthur Kane 15. Mike Mills 16. Tommy Stinson 17. Mike Roche 18. Barry Adamson 19. Eddie Wayne 20. Jerry Only 21. Derf Scratch 22. Darryl Jennifer 23. Clint Conley 24. Dale Sophiea 25. Lemme 26. Pete Farndon 27. Harry Kakkoulli 28 John Cale 29. Tina Weymouth 30. Tony Lombardo

Nice list.

I mentioned one I've my favorites that would fit nicely on your list in the unknown bassists thread recently: Jane Crockford of The Mo-dettes. You can hear 'em by going here http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/6347 & click "Listen..." Their track is just after the 1 hour & 32 minute mark. Sorry, it's RealPlayer.

There was band out of Jersey called Plan A Project, their bass player was also the singer and he did some insane stuff on the bass. Another band from Jersey I go see alot is Hub City Stompers which spawned from Inspecter 7, their a ska band and they play on all types of bills with different bands. Their Bass player does some killer stuff and is all over the neck.

It's cause damned near everyone that bought that album when it came out threw it into the unknown (or at a wall). Altho' I'll admit to liking that "Chasing the Wild Goose" song.

That and Billy Gnosis are my favourite songs on the album/ep :D

Anyone care to comment how far Robert Trujillo has gone? Before anyone comments that he's not a punk bassist, let's not forget about Suicidal Tendencies.

Y'all allready mentioned several that I'm into (Watt, Flouride, Jennifer especailly) but what about Chris Gates from the Big Boys, he was doing the punk/funk thing before you know who, Jeff Pinkus of the Butthole Surfers, he just laid down some of the coolest grooves that really shaped and gave definition to their chaotic sound, Michael Gerard of Killdozer, huge sludgy bass great somgwriter as well Killdozer either a love it or hate it kinda thing, I love it.

You’ll have a very hard time finding in a bassist in any genre who can outplay or outgroove Daryl Jenifer of the Bad Brains. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better reggae or gospel or fusion band either, yet they’re best know as Godfathers of American hardcore.

If someone is reading this and scoffing, I know for a fact you’ve never listened to their albums or seen them live.

+1 ... if you'd never heard the Bad Brains and only listened to their reggae tracks, you'd swear they were from Jamaica and would never guess they played hardcore. Bad Brains rock!

Yeah that banded practiced in my basement, they had a hell of rhythm section, their bassist's name was Johnny if I recall correctly forget his last name but he was a hell of a player. you might also remember a band called "Men and Mutiny" that my brother was in. both good bands before the dissolved, the drummer from Swift Kick ended up in Ann Arbor at UM on full scholarship. two pretty damn good bands.

I remember Men And Mutiny, IMO an even greater band! I remember seeing them over there at the Wilmar a few times and in a few basements. Who's your brother? We might actually know eachother Eli, I'm Big Ben lol.... with the big big holes in his ears...

Yeah Johnny played bass, Devin on guitar, Malcolm vocals and Miguel played drums.

Did you ever check out the grindcore band that spawned out of them? Feast of the Zombies? Miguel played drums, Malcolm on keys and vocals, a girl named Jenny played bass but Devin took over and Dave from Pain Tractor played guitar. It was like theatrical grind core... and the singer from Pain Tractor (Lauden) would usually be in some sort of costume like a demon suite and get shot and stuff.... in the middle of their sets they'd just stop their song and press play on some cd played and start a dance party to Junior Senior lol... strip naked and all.

Anywho....

Back to the thread.

Message me Eli

Peace

-Benny

I don't think this thread should go on without mentions of Ron the Ripper from Crime and Andy (Adny) Shernoff from The Dictators. I like Captain Sensible, too.

Johnny Thunders played bass before he switched to guitar.............RIP Bother.

jay bentley, klaus flouride and matt freeman, along with steve harris of iron maiden are pretty much who made me want to learn bass in the first place.

bad religion are one of my favourite bands, and one of the few punk bands i still listen to. listening to them right now infact.

good stuff.

Most of the ones I admire have already been mentioned, so here's my post for this thread:

Gaye Advert - I like the way she thumps
Jah Wobble - Maybe Sid sucked, but this guy really complemented Rotten's anger and weirdness
Kim Gordon - ear splitting bass
Mark Cunningham - No Wave at it's highest potential(IMO)

And going to extremes, I think Justin Pearson really does wacky stuff in all of his bands

Who was the dude from Fugazi? he's got some awesome lines.

Personally I've never seen anything great or even avearage about Fat Mike. I saw some live clips on youtube and he couldn't even play the songs correctly :eyebrow:

i would say, "i can't believe no one has mentioned...", but i forgot to mention him too in my original post.
but man... KARL ALVAREZ of the Descendents/ALL!:eek:
he's an incredible player. AND an even better songwriter. that dude has written some of the greatest "chick" songs of all time. and his playing on albums like The Descendents - All, and the first couple of ALL albums was just waaaaaay out there.
hats off to Karl! totally underrated and overlooked.

Totally. If you look at the Descendents myspace page, he has another band called the Vultures which he plays in. They only have had 2 songs for the longest time, but they're awesome (it's not a punk band, the Vultures are soul).

Also, idk who said it, but Hunter from AFI is awesome. I still like their music even if everyone thinks they suck now. Hunter brings it all the damn time. Watch their newer DVD when they're all in white, they rock live!

:hmm: Hmm, a lot of American "great punk bassists" on this thread. Still, why not? The bass guitar was an American invention (even if punk wasn't ;) :eek: :hiding: ).

No, I didn't come here to start a fight, just wanted to give my vote to Paul Gray (of The Damned circa 1980). He played a Rickenbacker 4001 into various valve stacks and his tone was just awesome (listen to the opening bar of "Billy Bad Breaks", if you want to know what I'm on about)!

Also, he played more different notes in each Damned song, than most punk bassists played on an entire album - he wasn't afraid to make punk rock more "melodic".

Paul Simonon also deserves a prize (IMHO), for "growing up in public", by coming form the "nowhere of bass playing" that was The Clash"'s first album, to being the groove machine behind the "London Calling" album experience! My favourite album, ever ... period!

It's been mentioned before but Rob Wright from NoMeansNo is not getting the credit he deserves.

It's been mentioned before but Rob Wright from NoMeansNo is not getting the credit he deserves.

Wow ya! Thats some good stuff there!

Mike Watt, Matt Freeman, Joe Lally, all awsome

Also theres some great bassists in the psychobilly world, Nekroman for example plays some rad slap upright.

Not until response 49 for Dee Dee??!! Tsk tsk.... I guess we aren't talking about real old school punk. We seem to be talking from the Pistols forward. Man, those guys, as popular as they were, didn't even own instruments when the boys from Queens blitzed the UK.

:hmm: Hmm, a lot of American "great punk bassists" on this thread. Still, why not? The bass guitar was an American invention (even if punk wasn't ;) :eek: :hiding: ).

Just curious, if punk wasn't an American invention, what was the first punk act then? I know you don't want a fight, and neither do I. Of course, the first British punk band I can think of is The Damned, who were after Ramones and several other arguably punk American bands. :)

And another Rob Wright fan over here. Not overly incredible chops (who cares? he is very very good, though), but his sheer audacity, volume and his incredible ideas and tone put him near the top of my list.

Jery Only was the first in my mind. I just kinda like how him and Doyle make their own axes.

Who was the dude from Fugazi? he's got some awesome lines.


Joe Lally. Awesome.

Check out his side project Ataxia with John Frusciante. Very cool, repetitive hypnotic basslines.

Some ESPECIALLY underrated punk players:
Kalv from Heresy- fingerstyle player who rocked some Kramers and could bust out a sweet fill. Also matched speed with any of the proto-grind stuff the band did.

Greg Norton from Husker Du- some really fun, simple fills and riffs here and there. Mostly fingerstyle, but some pick too.

I don't think anyone's mentioned Luc from The Ex, yet. His tone--quite gutteral and sharp--really sounded lively on "Dizzy Spells." He hasn't been with The Ex for some time (Rozemarie on double bass took over bass duties), but he and the guitarists had some great interplay.

While not exactly punk, Robert Pope from the The Get Up Kids is pretty damn good. He's playing is very melodic and fits the songs very well.

Also, check out Dan Andriano from Alkaline Trio. He's definitely got some skill. The fills he does in between phrases are great.

The List Part 2: This has got me feeling nostalgic so I've searched my memory banks and record collection for some more names. I don't represent this as a difinitive list of punk bassists, only some guys who made music that impacted me. If every band isn't exactly punk, they are all related or are important to the idiom. I've also included a few deserving names left off the first list because they had already been mentioned in the thread elsewhere. Maybe one or two of these people will see their names here. 1.Charles Dukowski 2. Will Shatter 3. Fred Smith 4. Dave Alexander 5. Peter Hook 6. Billy Talbot 7. Colin Moulding 8. Brian Ritchie 9. Adam Clayton 10. Michael Bradley 11. Louich Ma