Sure, the scale he uses is easy- try that rhythm out. :eek:

NICE.

Anyone listen to newer "punk"? (I dare not claim to define any band in any genre)

The bassist from A Wilhelm Scream is simply amazing. Have a listen! :D

Anyone listen to newer "punk"? (I dare not claim to define any band in any genre)

The bassist from A Wilhelm Scream is simply amazing. Have a listen! :D
Sure. Rise Against is the best new punk band out there.:spit: ;)

Hey! I like Rise Against! :mad:

Hey! I like Rise Against! :mad:
Sorry. I'm a punk.:D

The bassist from A Wilhelm Scream is simply amazing. Have a listen! :D

Which one? They've had more than one. I never thought of their bassists as anything special. The guitars always stood out a lot more for me. But then again I don't think I've heard any of the stuff with their latest bassist.

I must say we sure do have a lot of punk bassist threads.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/search.php?searchid=5058068

The whole "sell out" issue is as old as punk rock itself, and it gets tired. Green Day has made more socially relevant music under a major label than they ever have in their Lookout! days. And if you want to get down to semantics, the bands on Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph might as well be on major labels considering how big they are. Hell. Black Flag were called "sell outs" and "rock stars" even though many times they couldn't afford to put food on the table. If you like a band then you like a band for the type of music that they play or the message they put out with their music, not based on how much money you think they're making or how much worldwide fame they possess.

There are a number of punk bassists who have been consistently underrated. Bruce Foxton of the Jam was quite a deft player. Glen Matlock, the original Sex Pistols' bassist, has had some interesting moments with the reunion tours. During the 80's Matlock had a band with ex TRB guitarist Danny Kustow called The Specters, and he played some very impressive bass parts. Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads also has had some innovative lines,a nd I'm sure she learned a few things from Busta Jones when he toured w/them.

Which one? They've had more than one. I never thought of their bassists as anything special. The guitars always stood out a lot more for me. But then again I don't think I've heard any of the stuff with their latest bassist.


I guess I'm referencing their latest album. I really admire their speed and technicality - then they mix in a pretty riff here and there.:bassist:

Sorry. I'm a punk.:D

I'm a sell out. :(

umm, in the case of Sid, ummm well,

he diddnt actually play bass...

never plugged in at concerts,

the basslines were just a guitar in an octaver

look it up

This topic has been done many times. I just think its great there is an active thread with The Quintar in it.

Nomeansno.

f*cking insane.

Like Rush buggering Black Flag.

is nobody gonna mention Fat Mike from NOFX or Scott Skifflet from Face to Face???

I don't see what's so "not Punk" about rise against. They started from nothing and happened to catch on, and I'd say just because they aren't filthy mongrels doesn't mean they aren't punk.

umm, in the case of Sid, ummm well,

he diddnt actually play bass...

never plugged in at concerts,

the basslines were just a guitar in an octaver

look it up

and that's why i love him

graham lewis.
barry adamson.
dave allen.
tracey pew.
jah wobble.

to be fair, they all probably count as post punk.

Come on, youngsters!
Deedee Ramone.
Ramones toured the UK before the Pistols could legally drive!
Gabba Gabba Hey!

is nobody gonna mention Fat Mike from NOFX or Scott Skifflet from Face to Face???

Both classics.

No Use For A Name's current bassist used to play for Face to Face... not sure when he stopped.

i play bass in a punk band but we add a lot of late 70's and 80's rock in to our songs . i take pride in my playing and the face that i feel like i brake some of the stereotyping that is punk music as far as bass players go. my lines are quite hard to play not super hard but hard enough that a noob coudent pull them off hahaha

Dave Allen from Gang of Four stands out as one of my favourites. Also, I dig JJ Burnel, David J, Peter Hook, Paul Simonon, Fat Mike, Matt Freeman, Tracey Pew, Captain Sensible... I could list people off all day long...

There are a number of punk bassists who have been consistently underrated. Bruce Foxton of the Jam was quite a deft player. Glen Matlock, the original Sex Pistols' bassist, has had some interesting moments with the reunion tours. During the 80's Matlock had a band with ex TRB guitarist Danny Kustow called The Specters, and he played some very impressive bass parts. Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads also has had some innovative lines,a nd I'm sure she learned a few things from Busta Jones when he toured w/them.

Only Matlock could be considred a punk bassist. The Jam were not really punk and Talking Heads certainly not. They all came out around the same time and the "new wave" bands (like the two just mentioned) and punk from that era are often lumped together.

You're right about the realitve merits of all those players though. Matlock actually wrote most of the Sex Pistol's tunes but left the band before they broke big, and now legendary, with Sid Vicious.

My two favorite punk bassists would have to be Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains and Paul Hinojos of At the Drive In. They're amazing at creating distinctive basslines, while still adding energy to the track and going crazy live.

I think that there are/were hundreds of talented punk bass players (the bass players are usually the most talented in the group), but punk was never really about musicianship. It was an attitude, a movement, and a philosophy. No band before/since had a better work ethic or was more intense than Black Flag, but its hard to say that any of thier bass players was overlooked. They came out and beat you upside the head with a brick of pure explosive energy and power. Same with the Circle Jerks. I see kids nowdays wearing Misfits shirts with messed up looking clothes they bought for $85 at Hot Topic and it kinda bums me out. Punk was all about DIY. Half these people think Sid was a great bass player, when in fact he sucked, and he knew it. He also looked really cool, which was part of the reason he was there. I think punk is one of the few forms of music that shouldn't be judged on its musicianship, but rather, judged by its message and overall sound. I can dissect a progressive bands songs' comfortably, because they are a "musicians" band. There is a lot of musical noodleing. Punk is such a broad term covering a wide variety of bands, but generally I just decide if it appeals to me on some level. Sorry for the rant.:hmm: If anybody wants an interesting book to read about the early 80's punk scene, I recomend Henry Rollins book "Get In The Van"... Would probably open alot of peoples eyes....:smug:

So many good punk bassists.

Craig Setari is my favoutie tho,
Fat Mike is good
Matt Freeman is overrated, if you have ever seen rancid live, you would surely agree with this, he plays fast, sure, but christ, no timing!
Jay Bently is good
The guy from anti flag is good
And as has been said, the guy from Bad Brains, mon' Banned in DC!

Chuck just killed with that bass. My local favorites bass player is Chuck D. , and that Mc.Donald kid from Red Cross. My style Gene Simmons, the original 999 bass player and Dhuck D. & Dee Dee Ramone. Put it together and what do ya get? A ball of filthy simple bass lines that are just catchy.

punk since 76"

Mike Herrera from MXPX. http://youtube.com/watch?v=cJp5DW4clr4

Mike Herrera from MXPX. http://youtube.com/watch?v=cJp5DW4clr4

Second time I think he's been mentioned.

I don't think he's outstanding, mostly roots.

I will commend him for doing his thing well for their music and he has some great tone. MXPX is great live!

Dan Adriano from Alkaline Trio is one of my favorites also. :D

#2 from Anti-Flag definately deserves a mention here. The bands earlier more raw and immature "punk rock" stuff, in my opinion wasn't that great. However, When this guy joined the band... Well, his basslines are the real musical drive behind the band, IMHO. They do follow the same basic scale every now and then, so some of his Lines CAN sound a little repetitive. I feel though for the most part, He plays some totally kick @$$ lines AND manages to SING (lead vocals, not just background, though he does those too on songs He's not doing lead on) while playing them. Not to mention Everytime I've seen them live, he's got MASSIVE stage presence and when it comes to playing live He's rock solid and hardly ever misses (Read: I've never heard him screw up) a beat.

Though I am biast, because I must say He's probably one of my "bass heros". Check his stuff out. My fav's from him are the lines for: "the press corpse", "The Project for a new american century", "Stars and stripes", "Angry young and poor" and last but not least "Spaz's house destruction party". Hell, I'm going to stop now before I list all thier stuff :smug:

I've always liked Hunter from AFI's style too (wasn't too fond of thier first bassist). Matt Freeman's OP:IVY days still inspire me till this day. Lotsa good punk bassists out there!:bassist:

EDIT: DOH, I forgot the bassist of Stiff little fingers! He rocked!

Dan Adriano from Alkaline Trio is one of my favorites also. :D

And of The Falcon. Can't forget his other band!

Jason Sinclaire, formerly of Belvedere, should be mentioned as well. The guy kills.

And of The Falcon. Can't forget his other band!

Jason Sinclaire, formerly of Belvedere, should be mentioned as well. The guy kills.

Jesus Christ thank you,finally someone has mentioned the late great Belvedere,no one knows em and theyre great.
Jasons voice is awesome as well.

Todd from Propagandhi is pretty good, sings too and never screws up

I've always liked Hunter from AFI's style too (wasn't too fond of thier first bassist). Matt Freeman's OP:IVY days still inspire me till this day. Lotsa good punk bassists out there!:bassist:

Hunter on most of the songs on The Art of Drowning are awesome, only thing i dont like is that his sound gets totally lost in the mix (way they recorded it) :( . (ie listen to Sacrafice Theory, amazing song, the bass should be cutting more tho!)

And yeah, Matt freemans playig in Op Ivy is sweet, much better lines than most of his rancid work.

John Doe of X

Helluva a singer and songwriter, too.

Hunter on most of the songs on The Art of Drowning are awesome, only thing i dont like is that his sound gets totally lost in the mix (way they recorded it) :( . (ie listen to Sacrafice Theory, amazing song, the bass should be cutting more tho!)

And yeah, Matt freemans playig in Op Ivy is sweet, much better lines than most of his rancid work.

I totally agree with You man. He's got a great tone (maybe a *little* too scooped) but it sounds a little lost in that mix. Anyway though, I love his lines. My fav albums are definately Black Sails in the Sunset and the Art of Drowning. Pure energy and emotion in those albums, which Hunter is largly responsible for.

I *really* thought I was the only one who liked Freemans playing in Op:Ivy better than his rancid stuff. That is not to say its bad, its just... I don't know. Rock on!

As for some others, Garth from Strike Anywhere is rockin'. I don't remember who played bass for Inquisition (Not the metal, Inquisition, but the punk rock one from Richmond VA, Former band of thomas barnett) but He totally inspired me too. Also whomever mentioned Todd from propaghandi, Hells yeah!

Dee Dee Ramone was an AWESOME bass player. Go get a DVD of the early 80's live Ramones - and you will see the hardest working bass player in show business. I was fortunate to see the Ramones three times (early 80's) in Chicago - at the Aragon Ball Room - I planted myself in front of Dee Dee and never looked back. I was changed forever.

Forgot to add Clint Conley from Mission of Burma...
Now THEY were a sweet band.

Ryoce Nunley of The Suicide Machines is one of my favorites, and Roger from Less Than Jake is pretty good for singin and playin ska

Hell yeah trunk! Roger from LTJ is one of my biggest influences. I never knew the name of the guy from the suicide machines, but He most definately tore it up.:bassist:

Steve Youth from 7 Seconds has some tasty lines for sure
Arthur from Gorilla biscuits is also good,really fit in the band well,had some really nice fills.Jesse from lagwagon,in my opinion is one of the most creative bassist in punk,and plays with finger too.And Chris Paszik from Streetlight Manifesto,although not that punk (a litte bit more ska punk i guess you can say) is crazy with the bass,im suprised he gets no metion here on the forums, his technicality is really great,and adds a lot of jazz lines too.

For mentioning Arthur from GB you get mad props (and Steve Youth from 7 Seconds!)

Kelly Halliburton of Murder Disco X, Warcry, Definace, Axiom, etc.

Joe Raposo - Rich Kids on LSD....

The best hardcore bassist to my ears.... I know Bomber (R.I.P...) recorded the "RnR nightmare" stuff but from the live stuff I've seen he does that and then some.....

Check out "Still flailiing after all these beers....". You'll see what I mean.... Too bad we'll never never see these cats live...:crying: I spent many a sweltering South Texas afternoon skating the local ditch and blasting these dudes.....:bassist:

Good times....:D

Matlock was pretty fantastic in a McCartney kind of way.

this thread is dumb,here are the reasons i started playing bass 20 years ago.
CHUCK DUKOWSKI - BLACK FLAG
STEVE YOUTH - 7SECONDS
BRIAN BAKER - MINOR THREAT
MIKE DEAN - CORROSION OF COMFORMITY
JERRY ONLY - MISFITS
MIKE WATT - MINUTEMEN
GREG NORTON - HUSKER DU
IAN "LEMMY" KILMEISTER - MOTORHEAD
DARYLL JENIFER - BAD BRAINS
CHRIS GATES - BIG BOYS
FUGU -GUAZE (from Japan...awesome)
CAPTAIN SENSIBLE - THE DAMNED (he played bass early on)
BUXF PARROT - THE DICKS
PAUL LEARY - BUTTHOLE SURFERS
BRUCE FOXTON - THE JAM
TONY LOMBARDO -DESCENDENTS
KLAUSE FLORIDE - DEAD KENNEDYS
JOHN DOE - X
TOMMY STINSON - THE REPLACEMENTS
AND OF COURSE DEE DEE RAMONE (DOUGLAS COLVIN)HE INVENTED ELECTRICITY !
i think the best newer punk bass player is Tony Erba from 9SHOCKS TERROR

^^ some good stuff there

Steve Hanley - The Fall
Vince Segs - The Ruts
Ali McMordie - stiff little fingers
Paul Slack - UK Subs

Kelly Halliburton of Murder Disco X, Warcry, Definace, Axiom, etc.
don't forget DETESTATION and SEVERED HEAD OF STATE.Kelly rules.

True. Somehow I seemed to not list the bigger bands that Kelly was/ is in.

The RKL mention gets props as well.

Tony Erba from 9 SHOCKS TERROR is a current bassist that I agree with. There is also a really good bassist in this Japanese blast beat band, Assault, whom I saw them live a few years ago. The bassist was all over the fretboard.

Skaterat- you would probably know who I am talking about...

I forget the guy's name- but the original bass player of Anti-Flag, who moved on to be in Human Investment with someone from Aus Rotten. That guy had an extremely tight picking technique and some great lines too. Probably mentioned already, but one of my earliest influences was the bassist of the Subhumans/Citizen Fish- truly great fingerstyle player!

Karl

True. Somehow I seemed to not list the bigger bands that Kelly was/ is in.

The RKL mention gets props as well.

Tony Erba from 9 SHOCKS TERROR is a current bassist that I agree with. There is also a really good bassist in this Japanese blast beat band, Assault, whom I saw them live a few years ago. The bassist was all over the fretboard.

Skaterat- you would probably know who I am talking about...

i played with them.

My personal favorites are Klaus Fluoride and Matt Freeman. Coincidentally, both have their roots in the San Francisco Bay Area, my home territory. :smug:

But seriously, though - they're both awesome players with tones that stand out in the mix. Punk wouldn't be the same without the Dead Kennedys (on the aggressive political end of punk) or Operation Ivy / Rancid (the skater end of punk).

NOT PETE WENTZ. please god not pete wentz.

freddy from donuts and glory

OK, sorry to echo most of the replies in this thread, but JJ Brunell of The Stranglers and Paul Simonon of The Clash were definitely 2 of my favorites, but there were others as well.

Screamin' Sam (Sam Ferarra) of The Ugly and then The Viletones (in the second lineup of that band) was/is incredible. He made playing a Hofner violin bass look so cool! Unfortunately it's almost impossible to find any vinyl with him playing on it from this period (late `70's, early `80's) except for the 1983 live album of The Viletones, "Saturday Night Sunday Morning" (which is so rare, I would gladly pay $200 for a copy of that album)

Also, even though they were post-punk by this time, The Gun Club in their second (and most critically acclaimed) lineup, featured Patricia Morrison on bass (not the one who married Jim Morrison). Best album from this era was "The Las Vegas Story". She eventually joined The Sisters Of Mercy and finally ended up playing with the newly reformed Damned. She was eventually replaced in The Gun Club by Romi Mori (Jeffrey Lee Pierce's wife) who was an even better bass player, but, by this time The Gun Club were far too slick to be referred to as punk.

Oh, oh oh! And how in the hell could I forget Richard Hell?!?! He made playing a Mustang bass look really cool! He was the original bassist for Television, but Tom Verlaine kicked him out for constantly jumping around and upstaging him (he was trying to teach you something called showmanship, Tom), he went and formed The Heartbreakers (nothing to do with Tom Petty) along with Johnny Thunders. These guys went over to England and met up with the infamous con-artist, Malcolm McLaren, and became the first real punk band. Richard got bored and soon moved back to New York, where he formed Richard Hell And The Voidoids. Best known for the song "Blank Generation". The Stray Cats actually ripped off the bass line from this song for their first hit, "The Stray Cat Shuffle". Mike Watt claims Richard Hell as one of his early influences.

Got to admit, even though they're more pop than punk, the guy in Green Day is really f'n good.

Oh, oh oh! And how in the hell could I forget Richard Hell?!?!

Man. I'm just disappointed that I've forgotten about Richard Hell. He's surely awesome and definitely one of the most underrated punk bassists. Really inspired a lot of the more well known dudes.