I'm very pleased to announce our newest TalkBass "Ask a Pro" forum, featuring Justin Meldal-Johnsen (http://www.justinmj.com/)! Justin has enjoyed great success as a bassist, working with artists from the Dixie Chicks to the Black Eyed Peas, from Courtney Love to Nelly Furtado (and most recently touring worldwide with Beck). I'd like to extend many thanks to Justin, for making some time to share his experience with the TalkBass Community :) As with all our Pro forums, you can post a new question by making a new thread in this forum.

Official Bio (http://www.justinmj.com/)

Justin Meldal-Johnsen was born in Eugene Oregon in 1970 to his music-loving, art-oriented, "hippie" parents, Trevor (a novelist) Marcia (an artist). Shortly after Justin's birth, the young family headed south to the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco for a year, continuing to Los Angeles, which thereafter became the family's true hometown.

A gracious family friend gave Justin the present of a junky old bass guitar at the age of twelve, right about the time MTV went on the air. Justin literally learned to play the instrument at first by diligently accompanying the videos, and then from the steady stream of 45's and occasional LP's from the local record store where his tiny weekly allowance always went. Of course, he also raided his parent's record collection, discovering newly for himself all sorts of music from a budding bass player's perspective: Ray Charles to ELO, The Temptations to Pink Floyd.

During high school, Justin was expanding his musical lexicon rapidly; the frontiers of alternative rock, punk, funk, and experimental music were beckoning. "There was a sensibility around that time of the mid-Eighties that you could cross-pollinate genres with ease, and nothing was taboo." Justin explained. So he formed his first band at school; one that broke up before it even played its first backyard party. Yet it was a joy regardless, and of course another band would spring up from the ashes of the previous, and so on. By the time he was finishing high school in 1987, he had straight A's, and a higher education option to consider.

"I decided to try and make something happen with my band, and get a day job in the music business," he explained, adding dryly, "My first job wasn't exactly glamorous or exactly 'day': the night-shift janitor at Cherokee Recording Studios. The pay was $3.35 an hour, and the chores included scrubbing toilets, turning away the homeless at the door, and dusting the cocaine off of the consoles." However, there were admittedly some cool experiences at the recording studio: he got to meet Gene Simmons and Lou Reed, among other interesting characters.

At that studio, a still only seventeen year-old Justin also met David Campbell, a successful string arranger. David offered him a job as his personal assistant, saving Justin from a probably dead-end career as a studio janitor. Instead, he found himself working for someone who was doing something interesting in the music business. Justin was learning something new every day, while simultaneously getting his own musical life together.

Shortly after starting with Campbell, Justin was introduced to his son Beck, an aspiring musician of the same age. "Beck was shy and quiet," Justin said. "But this was coupled with a very strong, self-aware artistic sensibility which immediately struck me as being very unique and powerful." The two of them hung out, listened to music, and played their instruments together. Beck turned Justin on to all kinds of stuff, from Tom Waits to traditional American blues and folk. And Beck taught him how to use a 4-track, leading to the recording of one or two jams.

Around this time, Justin and a drummer friend were combing through the ads of the local classifieds. They met a young, artsy guitarist from the Valley called Tony Hoffer, which began a long association that continues to this day. Their first band, Last Carousel, developed some small renown in the LA underground, making the rounds of house parties to dingy clubs. After a change of singers, their next band, This Great Religion, did quite a bit better. The music was a mix of English sonic sensibilities and a So-Cal punk ethic. The band got what Justin modestly describes as "a decent following" in LA, a real challenge in those days of "pay-to-play" clubs and hair metal. They released two 7" singles, which were eventually distributed by Rough Trade. The band also did some college tours, got some radio play, and even did some shows in Japan. This continued until their eventual breakup in 1993, right on the eve of their first legitimate recording contract offer. Two members, including Tony Hoffer moved to San Francisco to pursue other career opportunities, and Justin was off to other musical pursuits in LA.

1993 to 1995 was a mishmash of cross-genre recording and touring activities. Justin began getting his early footing as a musician-for-hire, working on projects such as underground hip-hop notables Circle of Power and ex-Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen's band, The Elastic Purejoy. It was during a long period and touring and recording with The Elastic Purejoy that Justin met his wife-to be Corinne Heinzman, an AR assistant at the band's label. At the end of '94, Justin was given a golden opportunity: to join one of his favorite bands, Los Angeles art-rock legends Medicine. With Justin on board, the band recorded "Her Highness", released in late '95 on Rick Rubin's American Recordings label. A lengthy and grueling U.S. tour followed. Yet, as Justin put it, "The shows were physical, cathartic and dangerous, drifting into endless noise freak-outs and moments of amazing contrast between chaos and melody…followed by a ten-hour drive in the van." Due to inter-personal issues, Medicine broke up in early 1996.

Just prior to Medicine's demise, Justin began collaborating with bandleader Brad Laner in the form of the experimental music project called Electric Company. The first album, "A Pert Cyclic Omen", was released on American Recordings in 1995, as well as a rare vinyl-only release on a local independent. Further opportunities arose later in 1995, including performing and recording with the band Pet, known for their unpredictable live shows and interesting blend of heaviness and angularity, fronted by the wildly dynamic Lisa Papineau on vocals. Tori Amos signed the band to her Igloo imprint of Atlantic Records, and the recording of Pet's self-titled debut took place in dramatic fashion at Tori's castle home on the south coast of Ireland in January of 1996.

In April of that year, Justin faced a pivotal choice in his musical life. Beck, who had obviously developed into a great success, called one day to suggest getting together for a jam. "I showed up for this 'jam', having no idea at all that myself and this guitarist Smokey (Hormel) were being officially auditioned to join Beck's recording and touring band." The audition went well, and both Justin and Smokey were offered the gig. Justin wisely decided to opt for the Beck experience, which was definitely going to be a full-time venture. "I don't think myself or any of the guys had any idea what kind of fantastic whirlwind we were about to embark on. The 'Odelay' tour alone was hundreds of shows over two-plus years, starting at little clubs and ending in arenas."

Starting then, Justin became a regular component of the Beck world: recording the "Mutations", "Midnight Vultures", "Sea Change", and “Guero” albums, doing several world tours, making videos, doing TV appearances, and eventually becoming Beck's live show musical director. As an aside, Beck hired Justin's former band mate Tony Hoffer (who had been developing his own studio talents in San Francisco over the years) on Justin's suggestion, to engineer and co-produce some of the "Midnite Vultures" album. This work facilitated Tony's move back to LA, thereby re-kindling Justin and Tony's long-time collaborations.

Along with the Beck activity, Justin has had the opportunity to begin two other long-term musical relationships: He has recorded so far three albums with Tori Amos, "From The Choirgirl Hotel", "Strange Little Girls" and "Scarlet's Walk". In 1998, he toured North America and Europe with the French group Air in support of their debut album, "Moon Safari". Following that, he contributed bass, vocals and engineering to Air's second album, "10,000 Hz Legend".

While following those main pursuits, many other recording experiences have filled the time span. Justin has worked with artists such as Marianne Faithful, Seal, Dixie Chicks, Black Eyed Peas, Courtney Love, Frank Black, The Mars Volta, Sean Lennon, Goldfrapp, Mark Eitzel, Pete Yorn, Ladytron, Turin Brakes, Nelly Furtado, and many others. In addition, Justin co-wrote and recorded Macy Gray's 2003 release, "The Trouble With Being Myself” and her 2007 album “Big”. He has also contributed to remixes for artists such as David Bowie, Moby and Jamiroquai, as well as film scores such as "Team America: World Police", "Charlie's Angels", and "Starsky and Hutch", “30 Days of Night”, and “Ocean’s 13”, with composer David Holmes.

In 2002, Justin embarked on his own band project, Ima Robot. "That was the first time in years that I had worked in a classic, traditional ‘band’ scenario, though I’d say the music was anything but”, he says. "It was very gratifying to take the risk with it, and to see it go from tiny clubs to a record deal to actually selling records." Ima Robot signed with Virgin records in 2002, and released their debut in 2003. A solid year of touring followed, during which the band had the opportunity to play Letterman, open for the White Stripes, Hot Hot Heat, The Raveonettes, Janes Addiction, and others. Justin left the group 2005 after completing work on the second album for Virgin, “Monument to the Masses”. He remains the “helpful uncle” to the band as they continue touring and recording.

In late 2005, Justin received a new invitation from Beck to again be the “right-hand man”, and work with him in the touring and recording worlds as before, as bassist and musical director. During 2006 and 2007, he toured worldwide in support of Beck’s “The Information” record. “It’s been amazing…like finding that great, lost pair of shoes in the back of your closet that feel perfect on your feet. I definitely love working with Beck, for all the obvious reasons, of course. But we have a synergy that has been remarkable to revisit, and he lets me come to the table with my own ideas. I’ve found that isn’t the norm in the world of side musicians.”

Justin plans to continue recording, writing, and touring for a long time to come. Over the past two years, he has found time to dive headfirst into producing records. He produced Holly Palmer’s “Songs for Tuesday”, Ken Andrews “Secrets of the Lost Satellite”, and the debut record for LA band Canon entitled “Wide Awake”, and tracks with Interscope recording artist Reeve Carney. “Early in my career, I had this concept that producing records was something one did when they don’t like to tour anymore…now I’m feeling like I need to do both!” says Justin. “There’s been a lot that I have learned being on the other side of the glass in recording studios over the years, and I’ve found that it translates pretty well into production.” He says: "To put it in the simplest terms, I just want to make excellent music and have a great time with the people I work with. Fortunately, I've been able to hook up with artists who have a similar ethos: making music with a sense of real adventure combined with good taste. I refuse to approach music as a sort of business opportunity, which goes the same for most committed musicians I've encountered over the years. Ultimately, if you're moving people emotionally and physically, you know you're having a great time."

Awesome to see you with your own forum, Justin! Well deserved :D

Awesome to see you with your own forum, Justin! Well deserved :D

Aww shucks! Thanks, such a pleasure. I love it. Gives me an opportunity to learn too, really.

Yay! Justin rocks! Glad you finally got your forum going, bro!

Thanks for hanging with us Justin!

Sweet! Welcome to the fourms man!

That's a fantastic addition. Very talented player with a personal style.

Excellent addition.... I've been following the other thread for weeks and loving every post of it.

awesome. boy, do I have a bunch of questions for you.. you're going to get sick of me quick :)

excellent!!

Hey Justin, I'm Justin. I see that you have a Malekko B:assmaster. How do you like it?

Hey Justin, I'm Justin. I see that you have a Malekko B:assmaster. How do you like it?

Love it. Gnarly. Different than a Prunes, more like a, well, a Brassmaster, I guess.

JMJ

Hi Justin,

Good to see you here! :D

Peter

A Designs Audio
www.adesignsaudio.com

Wow, this is great!

Hi Justin, Glad to see you here.:bassist:

JMJ - thank you so much for doing this - I've always enjoyed your interviews in BASS PLAYER - this has been a WEALTH of information. It's always great to hear from a true big-time PRO that's been "in the trenches"! :bassist:

Hey, thanks all! I really enjoy the interaction.

JMJ

I am super delighted you decided to do this!

Welcome Justin, you've been a fav player of mine for some years now.

Not only a virtual slab of granite in the studio, but also one hell of a dancer!

While my current full-time gig is a roots band, I have stolen so many of those little twitches and hitches you throw at the downbeats.

It's all about the show when you take it out on stage, and you sir are a grandmaster freak.

Just letting you know that you inspire folks in ways you may not even realize.

Hope you enjoy the interaction here, these guys could really learn a lot from a pro like you who works so much in the studio AND on stage. That's a rare commodity with todays touring market, making your full date book all the more impressive and deserved.


I had a quote of yours as my sig line for years, I hope I get it close to right, but it's been a while:

"It's amazing I earn my living and derive such satisfaction from manipulating some wires on a piece of wood."

bigfatbass, you have made my week! (Which has had a couple of ups and downs already, so now Wednesday onward is looking great, starting with me reading this!)

Actually, that may have made my month.

"you sir are a grandmaster freak". That might have to be quoted. :-)

Thank you so much.

Best,
JMJ

Come on, the madness you guys threw down with Beck and that puppet stage-set was absolutely legend building! Gut Gawd that looked like fun!

For a project as heavy on the production/meticulous crafting of Beck's records, when you guys go out and do it live there is still a whole 'nother level of crafting/grandmaster freak-ness at work.

Consider acts like say Tracey Chapman who didn't even tour with the guy who co-wrote 90% of her biggest record. (Although, I think Adam Levy landed on his feet with the Nora Jones gig, lol.)


Glad I could brighten a day on your side, the music has brightened a whole bunch of mine!

Rock on then. :bassist:

What up Bro!

It's Mike Boito (took over your job w/ David Campbell years ago). We have not hung in years (your hard to get a hold of now!). It's great to see you on the forum. Maybe we can see each other in person sometime soon. Congrats on all your success.

Here we go with more of a forum question:

What do you like as a nice, warm distortion for your bass. Something vintage and sweet. Also, not overpowering ala Geddy Lee on Signals. I would be interested in your feedback as you have been in the studio so much.

Let's talk soon!

Mike

Hey, thanks all! I really enjoy the interaction.

JMJ

Hi Mr. J,

A bit of a newbie to this forum. However, think it's great to hear such refreshing & honest opinions, comments from someone like yourself - loving it.
You truly are a proper bass player's bass player, (IMO) it's about time someone like yourself came along to make the bass cool again.

All the best for the NIN tour - God bless you Guv'nor
Nick

What up Bro!

It's Mike Boito (took over your job w/ David Campbell years ago). We have not hung in years (your hard to get a hold of now!). It's great to see you on the forum. Maybe we can see each other in person sometime soon. Congrats on all your success.

Here we go with more of a forum question:

What do you like as a nice, warm distortion for your bass. Something vintage and sweet. Also, not overpowering ala Geddy Lee on Signals. I would be interested in your feedback as you have been in the studio so much.

Let's talk soon!

Mike

What's up, dude? Great to hear from you. And thanks for the thoughts, man.

For bass distortion that has warmth to it, I'd try a Sans Amp VT Bass pedal. Very nice. Or something tubey, like an EBS Valve Drive.

Best,
Justin

Hi Mr. J,

A bit of a newbie to this forum. However, think it's great to hear such refreshing & honest opinions, comments from someone like yourself - loving it.
You truly are a proper bass player's bass player, (IMO) it's about time someone like yourself came along to make the bass cool again.

All the best for the NIN tour - God bless you Guv'nor
Nick

THANK YOU, Nick!!! I am beside myself.

Best,
J

On a side note here, adorable pic posted on the NIN blog tonight. Nice way to party.

JMJ,

Hi! I'm new to this forum, a long time fan of NIN, and a techie gear nut!

That being said, I was front row at the Duluth GA show last week, which was AMAZING and I would recommend that anyone here who does not have tickets to any show on the tour hurry and find a way to get there. It could be said that the lights/stage show is overwhelming - it basically exceeds some of the great presentations done by Pink Floyd and U2 in years past. All that aside, the music itself is worth the ticket price.

Getting the chance to watch you in action, Justin, I was wondering a couple things:

1. I really enjoyed what you brought (on guitar, no less!) to "The Wretched" - what type of wah effect is that on the bridge, during the part where you and Robin trade off a bit? It sounded incredibly responsive.

2. Each line-up of NIN that I have seen all played some songs very differently - an example being "Hurt", which you all are doing a great, powerful version of right now. How do these new renditions come about? Is it usually that TR has some clear idea of "well, add bass here..." or is it a more organic process of "ok, so how are we gonna do this, guys?" and you just build from there? (I hope that question makes sense).

3. In September, you will have almost a 1 month break in touring - planning a true break, or will there be more rehearsals in anticipation of the next wave of dates?

Well, I guess I've taken enough of your time! Again, thanks for the awesome performance! See you in Jacksonville!

:bassist:

hi unrealworld:

1) my "Wretched" sound that you are referring to is mostly a TC Electronic G-Force which is doing gating, filtering (controlled in an elaborate way via expression pedal), delay and reverb (likewise both controlled by the same expression pedal) combined with Crowther Prunes & Custard, and Guyatone phaser and delays.

2) We just jam and come up with something that sounds collectively good. Our current version isn't too dissimilar to the "Fragile" tour version, I think.

3) Not sure about September yet; might take a little break, but who knows? We're all workaholics.

Thank you for your generous accolades!

Best,
JMJ

hey man you are a big influence on me. who does your hair?

My pillow! ;-) Meaning, I wake up, sometimes run the tiniest bit of product through it, and bam. But if you meant who does it as in who's the haircutter, her name is Jeannine Brousseau, she's in West Hollywood, CA. Amazing stylist for anyone.

Damn man, this is cool, great to have you here.

I saw you play once with Beck in support of Midnight Vultures , still one of the best concerts i've attended.

And big props to you and the fellas hangin out freezing freakin nuts to sign
a ton of autographs.

I must have been in a cave quite a while cause today was the 1st i've heard of you playing with NIN. So how did that come about? and what is your relationship with Trent like, buddy buddy or more of just a work relationship?

HI Dangle,
Thanks! Aww man, I love running into people with great memories from the Vultures days, that was the best. NIN came about via the manager, Jim Guerinot, who I had known for many years, as well as the drummer Josh Freese. Both of those dudes recommended me to Trent, then we met, I auditioned, got the gig. Trent and I are certainly friendly, he's a great guy. But the relationship is a business one...I wouldn't expect anything different. He's a good guy to work for and pleasant/fun to chill with.

JMJ

Dear Justin Meldal-Johnsen,
You are one of my inspirations as a bass player. A BIG inspiration. Upon seeing a picture of your pedalboard a few days ago, I noticed you have a lot of pedals. What's you're favorite? Also, is that a Crowther Audio Prunes & Custard on your board? I recently got one of them, and they're awesome. If it is a P&C, what songs do you use it on, and what's your favorite setting(s)?
Thanks,
Huge fan

Hi Stickk, thanks for the tremendous validation. I don't really have a favorite pedal, but there are a lot that I can't live without (Guyatone delay, Prunes, B:assmaster, Depth Charge, Moogerfoogers, Boss Octave, EH Microsynth, Wooly Mammoth, Brown Dog, etc)

As far as the NIN pedalboard, it's a lot more condensed; only about 8 or 9 pedals total. There is a Prunes on there, yes. Not sure how it's set right now, I change it every soundcheck. I use it on lots of songs, so it's hard for me to quantify them.

All the best,
JMJ

Are you and Robin taking turns on that bass/guitar line from The Warning, like it's done on the album, or is it all bass all the time?

Dear JMJ,

Dear JMJ,
Thanks for answering my question (wow, I'm actually communicating with my favorite bass player!). Just wondering, why do you have three fuzz pedals (Brown Dog, Wooly Mammoth, and the Depth Charge)? Do you collect them? If you're looking for another fuzz pedal I reccomend a Colorsound Tonebender Fuzz. They're amazing. Also, I read somewhere that you have over 50 basses (wow!), do you have any of those Wal basses?

Warning bassline is now me on electric gtr, and Robin on lap steel.

I have mountains of fuzz pedals, yes. Probably at least ten. They are fun to collect and they give lots of different tonal colors for records I do. I have a Tonebender, it's very cool, yes. I have two Wal basses, they are very nice for certain things.

JMJ

Oh, right, that makes sense =) thanks!

Dear Justin,
Stickk again. I've been thinking of getting a B:assmaster. What's your take on it?

Buy one. They are relentless. Very unique...not flexible, just unique, and really fun.

Buy one. They are relentless. Very unique...not flexible, just unique, and really fun.

I'm been looking at this pedal as well. Which version do you recommend? There's the standard and the germanium.

What are you looking for in a fuzz overall?

Silicon - harsher, more "industrial" sounding, very high gain.
Germanium - more of a vintage tone to it.

I'd like to hear the germ one if it's more vintage, tonally; I have two of the silicon models (one is a backup) and they're great, and certainly gnarly sounding.

Dear JMJ,
Who are your biggest influences?

Oh, Justin...let me know if you're interested in hearing an elusive double germ. I'll probably eventually (temporarily) ship mine to the bassfuzz.com guys to include in a shoot-out. It's yet another yummy flavor of B:Assmaster goodness! :smug:

Congratz on the BP cover. Great story. VERY glad they gave you more than 2 pages also.

I have not checked out the NIN tour schedule... but please don't skip Portland for Seattle. Play them BOTH so I can check it out twice!!!!

Edit: sorry, wrong thread. But congratz anyway!!!!

Thanks a lot. I'm pretty stoked on life right now. I don't know much about Portland or Seattle right now (we played Seattle 6 weeks ago), but I hope we do 'em.

Best,
JMJ

Dear JMJ,

Which basses did you use on the album Modern Guilt (terrific album, by the way)?

None...I didn't play bass on it. If I do appear anywhere on the album, it's likely to be drums or percussion.

JMJ

Hey Justin,
My first concert was a Beck show in Saratoga Springs, NY with Ben Folds Five opening...awesome show!(Odelay tour). Anyway, long time fan of your playing and approach...just curious, who are some of the more fun bands you've toured with, either as openers for your current gig, or co-headliners, etc... and also, Who are some of your personal favorite, newer groups that are out and about currently? Thanks man,

-Grady

I've been listening to some Beck songs lately, and I find myself increasingly impressed with the basslines! The stuff on Midnite Vultures is my favorite so far.

Hey Justin,
My first concert was a Beck show in Saratoga Springs, NY with Ben Folds Five opening...awesome show!(Odelay tour). Anyway, long time fan of your playing and approach...just curious, who are some of the more fun bands you've toured with, either as openers for your current gig, or co-headliners, etc... and also, Who are some of your personal favorite, newer groups that are out and about currently? Thanks man,

-Grady

I remember that gig, what fun! Glad you enjoyed that.

We really had a great time with Ben Folds. Also, playing with Radiohead in Europe was awesome. Another band we had an incredible time with is a big US tour we did with The Cardigans. In fact, so much so, that all of us in the Odelay era Beck band are still in touch with various Cardies members.

Another big standout was our long tour we did with Cibo Matto; that was incredible.

With NIN, Does It Offend You, Yeah? and A Place to Bury Strangers, and Deerhunter were all spectacular bands with great people.

With Ima Robot, opening for The Sounds was amazingly fun, and Duran Duran were super cool to us as well.

Best,
JMJ

Fernando, thank you. I still feel that Midnite Vultures is yet to receive its just rewards. I love that album body and soul.

Fernando, thank you. I still feel that Midnite Vultures is yet to receive its just rewards. I love that album body and soul.

I really liked Odelay too, but I can't see it as "the CLASSIC Beck album" people portray it to be. Midnite Vultures seems like it has a wider scope, and it's just so much fun listening to it. I was walking to college the other day while listening to it, and...wow, it made that 30-minute walk fly by so fast.

Hello Justin, how have you been?
I'd like to know: did Beck also play the bass lines on the albuns once in a while?

I really liked Odelay too, but I can't see it as "the CLASSIC Beck album" people portray it to be. Midnite Vultures seems like it has a wider scope, and it's just so much fun listening to it. I was walking to college the other day while listening to it, and...wow, it made that 30-minute walk fly by so fast.
Ya, Midnite Vultures is the shizzy for me, too. Sea Change is also up there, but I'm more of an uptempo kind of guy, and I love busy basslines on top of cool funk and rock grooves, so Midnite Vultures is it for me.

Beck plays bass on his albums, too. On Vultures, he played the bass on "Beautiful Way" for instance, I did everything else. I played everything on Sea Change and Mutations, he played some bass on Guero, both of us on The Information along with other people, etc. He did a lot of bass on Modern Guilt, along with whatever sampling.

Beck plays bass on his albums, too. On Vultures, he played the bass on "Beautiful Way" for instance, I did everything else. I played everything on Sea Change and Mutations, he played some bass on Guero, both of us on The Information along with other people, etc. He did a lot of bass on Modern Guilt, along with whatever sampling.


oh, thanks for answer!

While we're still on Vultures, I wanted to ask you about something I read on Wikipedia:

"Beautiful Way" – 5:44
Seemingly inspired by The Velvet Underground's "Countess from Hong Kong," a demo of which appears on the 1995 box set Peel Slowly and See. (Beck's bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen claimed they had been listening to the demo while recording the 1999 b-side "Halo of Gold.")

Wikipedian rumors can go a long way, so...is this true?

If memory serves, I remember us listening to that, amongst hundreds of other great tracks of that era while we were doing Vultures and related b-sides. In other words, I can't say for sure if Beautiful Way was a direct influence: that song came into its own by itself, but I'm sure that song was on the menu.

Yo Justin, congratulations on a killa ride through life so far. I'm looking forward to seeing you for the first time, with NIN in Greenville, SC on November 1...could you get me and my friends backstage? Also, do you use your equipment to record through, or do you go direct? Peace

David Esposito :D

I'm pretty late at saying this, but I would like to thank you JMJ for taking so much time out of your schedule and responding to the numerous questions directed towards you here on TB. I keep reading your posts and I always think, "Wow, here is this monster player who has done so much in the music business and must be so busy everyday, yet he still makes sure to answer as many questions as possible every day on Talkbass." You don't just post here every once in a while with small posts that have no detail, you post here quite often with interesting detailed posts to ensure that you've answered the questions to the best of your ability. And for that, I would like to thank you. :hyper:

Aww man....thanks....really.

Fact is, I don't feel like a monster player in the slightest. I feel like someone who is still figuring out how to play what I hear in my head, which is of course a relatively infinite process. I'm not trying to seem modest; I feel like a very grateful, hard working guy who has had some cool gigs and hopes to continue to do so. I get into cool situations by virtue of some taste, decent playing, occasionally innovative approaches, good tones, and a good attitude. Just keeping it real, you know.

So being here feels like a way to help anyone who needs it, and a way to help myself too. It's all good!

SO: you're welcome. :)

Best,
JMJ

Dear JMJ,

Who are your favorite bands/ biggest influences?

Thanks,
Stickk

I put together a list on http://www.myspace.com/justinmeldaljohnsen.

It's not short. ;) My fave music to listen to is punk, post-punk, etherial, shoegaze, and dance music. My biggest influences are probably post-punk (gang of four, wire, talking heads) and Beatles/Kinks/Who/Stones.

JMJ

Hey JMJ, I just saw you with NIN in Salt Lake City a few weeks back. Incredible show (and bass playing I might add). Definitely the best show I've ever seen. I would also like to say that you have the best tone in the history of the electric bass guitar. Ever. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but in the event that you played bass on the Odelay song Minus, what kind of overdrive are you using to get that really growly rumble? I'm not much of a bass player really, mostly just guitar, but I'll pick up a bass whenever I get the chance. I really just joined this forum when I saw that you were on it, because how often is it that you get to communicate with an incredible musician such as yourself? This post is already too long so I'll just stop my rambling now.

Jeeeeez! Thank you thank you thank you! Minus = Sans Amp GT2 or Rat, can't remember....Beck played that original line, I took over live obviously.

Much appreciated, truly.

JMJ

Dear JMJ,

It was cool to see you on thye latest issue of BassPlayer magazine. I love what your did with those Geddy Lee Jazz Basses (personally I would've added Dark Star pickups though) and those Gibson Thunderbirds also. it's a bummer NIИ isn't coming to Phoenix:crying:... we hardly get any bands to play live here (don't know why:confused:). Oh well. On that DVD that came with The Slip, on the song discipline how'd you get the bass to sound so trebley? Is it the DiMarzio 1 pickups? Also while reviewing the NIИ board, all of the pedal made sense for NIИ, except for the Guyatone PS-3 Phaser. What songs do you use it on? I mean the fuzzes and the octave-distortion box and the P&C all make sense for NIИ, but a phaser? I'm not criticizing here, but I don't see what NIИ songs you'd use a phaser on. I also want to thank you for taking time out of your day to answer my questions. Thak You;).

Thanks (once again),
Stickk

The phaser is coupled to turn on with the delay, and those two pedals together create something I can't get any other way; a strange kind of self-oscillation. I use it mainly on guitar at in the end of the song "The Great Destroyer".

I don't know which exact element gives me that tone on Discipline, there are so many factors...cascading Sans Amps, those pickups, I don't know. But they all add up.

JMJ

Wow, the phaser and the delay does sound very cool together (kinda sounds like a cauldron bubbling). The rate on the phaser and delay must be up pretty high, huh?

not really, no. It's set at a middle setting. It's the combo between those two very specific Guyatone pedals, both of which are no longer made. They create a strange inter-relationship.

Dear JMJ,

In that BassPlayer article, what were those cream colored pickups on that jazz bass? It said they were DiMarzio Model One pickups but those are a humbuckers, and not single coils.

Correct, they are stacked hums.

Correct, they are stacked hums.

Oh, that makes alot of sense, but they're not Model One's, are they? Are they model J's? I don;t remember Model Ones being stacked.

I don't know, whatever they're called. The sick-sounding cream-colored humbucking J-pickups.

Model J's. Just buy some, they are so cheap!

Dear JMJ,

I recently called up a pawn shop (for pedal hunting) and one of 'em has a Guyatone BR-2, a pedal I've wanted for a while. I read that you used to use them, and I've heard they don't work well on P-basses, my primary basses. What's your take on the BR-2?

I don't use a BR-2, actually. I have one somewhere, but didn't like the response. It still sounded too quacky for me and didn't keep the bottom end enough intact.

Hey Justin, Just stopped in to tell you I caught the NIN show in MA., on the 8th, at the Centrum.
Seriously impressive! I loved the big screens, makes for a great visual experience. I just couldn't see your hands too well. What great sounds though! You did a great job. I will venture to say you are the best syth bass player in the game!!!! I roadied for many years; I've been all over and heard alot of low enders but you kick a*s and made it look so easy!!!
Also please tell Trent he ruled too!

Now for my question:
I use a Line6 LD150. I love it but I'm thinking of ditching the Combo and stepping up with the PODxt, and a Ampeg SVT-3PRO and a SVT610HLF cab(found a great deal on these). Please tell me, how do you think the PODxt will sound with the old school tone of the Ampeg rig?
Peace Bro and keep rocking. You'll be getting input from me on a regular 'bassis' now that I found this spot. Thanks for a great show! Totally worth the wait.

Dear JMJ,

Thanks for the advice. What auto-wah would you recommend? Also, just curious, how do you write basslines? Thanks, once again, for answering my many questions.

Hey Justin, Just stopped in to tell you I caught the NIN show in MA., on the 8th, at the Centrum.
Seriously impressive! I loved the big screens, makes for a great visual experience. I just couldn't see your hands too well. What great sounds though! You did a great job. I will venture to say you are the best syth bass player in the game!!!! I roadied for many years; I've been all over and heard alot of low enders but you kick a*s and made it look so easy!!!
Also please tell Trent he ruled too!

Now for my question:
I use a Line6 LD150. I love it but I'm thinking of ditching the Combo and stepping up with the PODxt, and a Ampeg SVT-3PRO and a SVT610HLF cab(found a great deal on these). Please tell me, how do you think the PODxt will sound with the old school tone of the Ampeg rig?
Peace Bro and keep rocking. You'll be getting input from me on a regular 'bassis' now that I found this spot. Thanks for a great show! Totally worth the wait.

Thanks for the high praise, man. Very nice of you. The 610 HLF is great. The PODxt is great. The only weak link in the chain, for me, is the 3PRO. Just not a lot of power with those. But perhaps it'll be plenty, I'm not sure what cirucumstances you're performing in. If that's the gear you already have, it should be great. POD XT will be great with the rig, but I'm not sure about cascading both preamps into eachother. You may want to use the poweramp in of the 3Pro and the POD XT as a front end. This is also a great question for the very savvy people in the amps forum, so you should probably post over there. I'm not really that all-knowing about gear, after all. :-)

Best,
JMJ

Thanks for the high praise, man. Very nice of you. The 610 HLF is great. The PODxt is great. The only weak link in the chain, for me, is the 3PRO. Just not a lot of power with those. But perhaps it'll be plenty, I'm not sure what cirucumstances you're performing in. If that's the gear you already have, it should be great. POD XT will be great with the rig, but I'm not sure about cascading both preamps into eachother. You may want to use the poweramp in of the 3Pro and the POD XT as a front end. This is also a great question for the very savvy people in the amps forum, so you should probably post over there. I'm not really that all-knowing about gear, after all. :-)
Yes you are...never steered me wrong, that's for sure!

HLF's need a good bit of power to kick them in the butt because of their extended low end (as a general rule, larger cabs that go deep aren't as loud as smaller cabs that don't), so even though a 3 Pro would probably be enough in average circumstances, I would probably pass on the 3 Pro and spend that money on a power amp with more beef and just use the Pod as a preamp. Then you'll have more power to kick the HLF.

Thanks for the high praise, man. Very nice of you. The 610 HLF is great. The PODxt is great. The only weak link in the chain, for me, is the 3PRO. Just not a lot of power with those. But perhaps it'll be plenty, I'm not sure what cirucumstances you're performing in. If that's the gear you already have, it should be great. POD XT will be great with the rig, but I'm not sure about cascading both preamps into eachother. You may want to use the poweramp in of the 3Pro and the POD XT as a front end. This is also a great question for the very savvy people in the amps forum, so you should probably post over there. I'm not really that all-knowing about gear, after all. :-)

Best,
JMJ
Yes you are...never steered me wrong, that's for sure!

HLF's need a good bit of power to kick them in the butt because of their extended low end (as a general rule, larger cabs that go deep aren't as loud as smaller cabs that don't), so even though a 3 Pro would probably be enough in average circumstances, I would probably pass on the 3 Pro and spend that money on a power amp with more beef and just use the Pod as a preamp. Then you'll have more power to kick the HLF.


Thanks for the great advice. I don't feel a need to go to the amp guys, with my question; the answers I need are right here!
Thanks to you Justin and Jimmy M!
I now have the decision of a bigger amp or a smaller cab.
I'll probably only be playing small to medium size clubs so I'm thinking I may just go with SVT 410HLF Classic and snap up this cheap deal on the 3PRO. Any clubs that have alot of air to fill I'll be running to the board anyway. I'm guessing the 3Pro and the 410 will be loud enough for my uses. Do you guys think I am pushing it or will this work ok with the PODxt up front?
Any ideas on a good DI box will also be a great help. I'm spoiled from that XLR out, on the LD150!
I'm now trying to get set up to do alot of industrial sounding snyth bass and I am honored for the chance to be learning from the master!! Thanks. You rock Justin.

As an after thought, I did'nt mean to sound like the other great areas of the forum are not helpful, Browsing around I see some great stuff.
Sorry If I'm being a pain in the a%s about gear. I just was hoping to get your opinion because, as I've I seen at line6.com, your the man with the knowledge concerning most things PODxt/Snyth.
Thanks again. Peace, Ty

I now have the decision of a bigger amp or a smaller cab.


not that this is the right forum for this (this is JMJ intro), but i thought i would chime in by adding a +1 to Jimmy's suggestion to skip the 3pro and get a bigger poweramp.
imo, the 610 sounds better than the cab than the 410, plus you can move a little more air if you have to... 410 or 610, pod w/ power amp is the way to go.
since you want to run the POD, the 3pro will act as a "tonesuck:" any sound you use with the POD would be effected by the 3pro... that pristine Alembic f2b tone, colored by 3pro; driving Hiwatt 200dr, colored by 3pro, etc. This is what JMJ meant when he questioned your cascading preamps- running one into another- it is unnecessary. you could run the pod in an FX loop, but that would be redundant... the 3pro tone can be replicated by the POD.
the 3pro can be a power amp exclusively by running from the POD to the Power Amp In on the back of the 3pro, but you will still may have power issues, and you wouldn't be using part of what you paid for.
if you sell the 3pro and buy a power amp, you'll have plenty of headroom (just in case), and won't sacrifice any tone. a word to the wise based on my mistakes- stay w/ a light (no more than 30 lbs) poweramp (qsc plx, stewart, etc).

Don't get me wrong about the 3 Pro, though...I used one for 5 years and really liked it. But the Pod XT will do everything the 3 Pro can do (IMHO), so while the thought of cascading preamps sounds cool, I think you'd have more to gain by adding power. OTOH, it does put out 450w at 4 ohms, so you should be able to put out a goodly amount of power. If you get a good deal on it, why not?

Just another day at the office. Great photo.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/3017098980_0cb61e8d67.jpg

Dear JMJ,

What do you use your Boss OC-2 for?

All kinds of stuff, not sure what you mean.

All kinds of stuff, not sure what you mean.

Well, I know alot of bassists use octave pedals, but the effect is so subtle, I can't really here it all that well. I know some bassists (Juan Alderete) just use the octave pedal to add more bass into the mix, whereas some use it more effect wise. So do you add the octave to another effect to make the effect sound lower, or do you use it to drop your bass down an octave or so? Really I'm just thinking what pedal I should get for christmas, and I don't have an octave, and was thinking of getting one. So I was just wondering if octave pedals are worth getting.

Happy Post-Thanksgiving (I assume you celebrate the holiday, being American),
Stickk

I use it for several things:

1) A lower-octave double that is about 80% the volume of the original signal
2) A subtle addition of octave effect for more bass
3) A mega freaked out sub-bass effect by turning off the direct signal. Add fuzz on the back-end to taste.

JMJ

Thank you Justin.

Hi Justin, I just wanted to say how happy I was to be seated in Columbus,Ohio so that you were closest to me for the NIN show. Me and my buddy drove 6 hours from Buffalo to see Trent and company but I had the added bonus of getting to see you play with them(NIN being one of my all time favorites). It was cool to see you rock out so hard compared to some of your other musical outlets(Beck being one of my other favorites). I have been thinking about buying a new bass and have really been thinking about getting a Fender Jaguar,my second choice would be a Geddy Lee Jazz bass. What are your personal thoughts on these 2 basses? I play a wide variety of music,mainly rock and its many sub categories. I`m leaning towards the Jag but I respect your opinion and would like to hear what you have to say. One more thing,when rocking out that night in Ohio you tossed your white Gibson Les Paul(Jr?) and let it hit the floor. After things like this do you retire the instrument or see if its still usable? Just curious. Thanks for your time!

One more thing,when rocking out that night in Ohio you tossed your white Gibson Les Paul(Jr?) and let it hit the floor. After things like this do you retire the instrument or see if its still usable? Just curious. Thanks for your time!
From how highly Justin speaks of his tech, it sounds like the guy could reglue it if it broke and have it ready to go again the next night.

change, those are both great basses. you can't go wrong with either. play both and check the feel, the necks are very different. The Jag is great, just buy it.

Yeah, my guitars get fixed, and if there's a headstock break, for instance, it's usually ready to play on the 2nd night.

Best,
JMJ

How was the Portland show SUnday? I so wanted to be there... but just to much crap going on right now. Hope you got to see a little bit of our city.

I felt it was quite good, personally. A strong show with a rather reserved audience, which is seems like an oxymoron, but that's the way it is on the west coast sometimes.

JMJ

change, those are both great basses. you can't go wrong with either. play both and check the feel, the necks are very different. The Jag is great, just buy it.

Yeah, my guitars get fixed, and if there's a headstock break, for instance, it's usually ready to play on the 2nd night.

Best,
JMJ

Hey! Thanks for getting back to me! That`s super cool to get you`re input on gear! Thanks so much! I think I will go with the Jag! Your say really helps me a lot! Take it Easy and have a good one! "Ferris Bueller,you`re my hero." Screw that! Justin, you`re my Hero!

Thanks for the high praise, man. Very nice of you. The 610 HLF is great. The PODxt is great. The only weak link in the chain, for me, is the 3PRO. Just not a lot of power with those. But perhaps it'll be plenty, I'm not sure what cirucumstances you're performing in. If that's the gear you already have, it should be great. POD XT will be great with the rig, but I'm not sure about cascading both preamps into eachother. You may want to use the poweramp in of the 3Pro and the POD XT as a front end. This is also a great question for the very savvy people in the amps forum, so you should probably post over there. I'm not really that all-knowing about gear, after all. :-)

Best,
JMJ Thanks JMJ, Jimmy M. and Thombo, for the help. Still had a couple of questions. Rather than do it here, I'll start a fresh post where it should be. Thanks again.

I saw this interview around, thought it was great but didn't know where to post, so I'll just put it here;

Q: Theres been a couple of line up changes in Nine Inch Nails in recent months, what happened?

A: We've had the relatively sudden departure of two of our band members. Josh Freese, our drummer of a very good long time, is leaving because he decided he is touring too much. So that wasnt terribly sudden but it was sudden enough, it was unexpected. Then Alessandro Cortini, who has also been in the fold for many years and played keyboards, guitars and was our sound design person, he decided that he wants to focus all his energies on his solo stuff, which is great for him but unfortunate for us. We were sad to see him go because he was a great asset and he was very flexible and interesting and very much leading edge. We have found a drummer. We auditioned a few people and we found a guy called Ilan Rubin from LostProphets. He is very young but he is a very heavy hitter and very dynamic - very Bonham-esque. So that rounded out the rhythm section of the band.

Q: What about a replacement for Alessandro?

A: What we came to relise is thet untimely, it was not superflous, but something that all three of us - myself Robin (Finck) and Trent - can all cover. Because there is alot of keyboard work in Nine Inch Nails that is all incidental and lies very much in the background and sometimes lies very much in the foreground. For those moments in the foreground, Trent thought it would be okay for him to play them. So you can expect to see him more on instruments than in the past. So basically what were doing is, and Australia was the inspiration for it, experimenting with a very different NIN live format - more raw, more rugger a little bit more alive. It a bit more guitaristic. With only four people onstage in terms of layout and lighting. We are going through that right now - all the possibilities on how to light it, how much more intimate it will be. It's a work in progress. We are also going to be playing somgs that hav'nt been heard for a while, songs that have been put on the backburner due to limitations of a very high value production value of the previous tour.

Q: So you are scaling back the production?

A: Having a big production is a blessing and a curse - its a blessing because you get to blow peoples minds beacause its spectacular with the gadgetry production, staging and whatnot. And on the otehr hand one could argue, and I'm not necessarily saying this is the case, that heavy production value and seperate positions onstage for everybody limits the fire in the material to some degree. So we are exploring ways of renderind older material as well and giving it a new edge so we can change the set list more often. We're working hard on the theoretical side of it right now, and come January we will be back in the studio figuring out how to do it all. There will be a whole new lighting design and Australia is where it will be unveiled.

Q: It sounds like alot of work.

A: It's alot of work; we all ahve to relearn 20 more Nine Inch Nails songs that haven't been played in a long time. We already know a good 70. There's that part, then theres adapting yourself physically to a new production strategy and that comes last - you have to be ready for it. One of the benefits of this 4-piece structure over the 5-peice is if the audience does call out songs we can play them without sending waves of panic through the lighting crew of whatever. The current show dosnt really lend itself to that and Trent finds it really restrictive. It's hard because he likes what we did cause its so dramatic and spectacular. It's difficult for me not to boast about it, technologically it's leading edge, but now it's a different path and it's still great. It's going to be different.

I'll be honest here...though I like mind-blowing visuals onstage, I go to shows to watch the band play, not to watch the light show or video screens. I realized this after seeing KISS in 76. Lots of explosions, lots of lighting...but in the end, I was most entertained by watching the band play their music, not the visuals. So it wouldn't bother me at all to see a scaled down NIN show. I think I would welcome it.

I'll be honest here...though I like mind-blowing visuals onstage, I go to shows to watch the band play, not to watch the light show or video screens. I realized this after seeing KISS in 76. Lots of explosions, lots of lighting...but in the end, I was most entertained by watching the band play their music, not the visuals. So it wouldn't bother me at all to see a scaled down NIN show. I think I would welcome it.

Yeah, same here: I usually prefer to just see the band being awesome. Plus, having a scaled-down show usually means more intimacy between the crowd and the audience.

I can't decide what my favorite show ever was, because it's a tie between: Roger Waters doing his Dark Side of the Moon tour, or The White Stripes during their extensive South American tour for Get Behind Me Satan. On one hand, while Roger put on the most incredible visual show I've ever seen, it was all scripted. On the other hand, while the Stripes had little to awe visually, the show had no setlist at all, so the whole thing was extremely flexible, intimate, and intense - plus, we got a couple of rarities that night.

I'd like to see NIN doing a tight, visually amazing show. I'd also like to see a visually "poor", yet flexible show. I don't care, I just wanna see NIN :D

I'm very pleased to announce our newest TalkBass "Ask a Pro" forum, featuring Justin Meldal-Johnsen (http://www.justinmj.com/)! Justin has enjoyed great success as a bassist, working with artists from the Dixie Chicks to the Black Eyed Peas, from Courtney Love to Nelly Furtado (and most recently touring worldwide with Beck). I'd like to extend many thanks to Justin, for making some time to share his experience with the TalkBass Community :) As with all our Pro forums, you can post a new question by making a new thread in this forum.

Official Bio (http://www.justinmj.com/)

Justin Meldal-Johnsen was born in Eugene Oregon in 1970 to his music-loving, art-oriented, "hippie" parents, Trevor (a novelist) Marcia (an artist). Shortly after Justin's birth, the young family headed south to the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco for a year, continuing to Los Angeles, which thereafter became the family's true hometown.

A gracious family friend gave Justin the present of a junky old bass guitar at the age of twelve, right about the time MTV went on the air. Justin literally learned to play the instrument at first by diligently accompanying the videos, and then from the steady stream of 45's and occasional LP's from the local record store where his tiny weekly allowance always went. Of course, he also raided his parent's record collection, discovering newly for himself all sorts of music from a budding bass player's perspective: Ray Charles to ELO, The Temptations to Pink Floyd.

During high school, Justin was expanding his musical lexicon rapidly; the frontiers of alternative rock, punk, funk, and experimental music were beckoning. "There was a sensibility around that time of the mid-Eighties that you could cross-pollinate genres with ease, and nothing was taboo." Justin explained. So he formed his first band at school; one that broke up before it even played its first backyard party. Yet it was a joy regardless, and of course another band would spring up from the ashes of the previous, and so on. By the time he was finishing high school in 1987, he had straight A's, and a higher education option to consider.

"I decided to try and make something happen with my band, and get a day job in the music business," he explained, adding dryly, "My first job wasn't exactly glamorous or exactly 'day': the night-shift janitor at Cherokee Recording Studios. The pay was $3.35 an hour, and the chores included scrubbing toilets, turning away the homeless at the door, and dusting the cocaine off of the consoles." However, there were admittedly some cool experiences at the recording studio: he got to meet Gene Simmons and Lou Reed, among other interesting characters.

At that studio, a still only seventeen year-old Justin also met David Campbell, a successful string arranger. David offered him a job as his personal assistant, saving Justin from a probably dead-end career as a studio janitor. Instead, he found himself working for someone who was doing something interesting in the music business. Justin was learning something new every day, while simultaneously getting his own musical life together.

Shortly after starting with Campbell, Justin was introduced to his son Beck, an aspiring musician of the same age. "Beck was shy and quiet," Justin said. "But this was coupled with a very strong, self-aware artistic sensibility which immediately struck me as being very unique and powerful." The two of them hung out, listened to music, and played their instruments together. Beck turned Justin on to all kinds of stuff, from Tom Waits to traditional American blues and folk. And Beck taught him how to use a 4-track, leading to the recording of one or two jams.

Around this time, Justin and a drummer friend were combing through the ads of the local classifieds. They met a young, artsy guitarist from the Valley called Tony Hoffer, which began a long association that continues to this day. Their first band, Last Carousel, developed some small renown in the LA underground, making the rounds of house parties to dingy clubs. After a change of singers, their next band, This Great Religion, did quite a bit better. The music was a mix of English sonic sensibilities and a So-Cal punk ethic. The band got what Justin modestly describes as "a decent following" in LA, a real challenge in those days of "pay-to-play" clubs and hair metal. They released two 7" singles, which were eventually distributed by Rough Trade. The band also did some college tours, got some radio play, and even did some shows in Japan. This continued until their eventual breakup in 1993, right on the eve of their first legitimate recording contract offer. Two members, including Tony Hoffer moved to San Francisco to pursue other career opportunities, and Justin was off to other musical pursuits in LA.

1993 to 1995 was a mishmash of cross-genre recording and touring activities. Justin began getting his early footing as a musician-for-hire, working on projects such as underground hip-hop notables Circle of Power and ex-Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen's band, The Elastic Purejoy. It was during a long period and touring and recording with The Elastic Purejoy that Justin met his wife-to be Corinne Heinzman, an AR assistant at the band's label. At the end of '94, Justin was given a golden opportunity: to join one of his favorite bands, Los Angeles art-rock legends Medicine. With Justin on board, the band recorded "Her Highness", released in late '95 on Rick Rubin's American Recordings label. A lengthy and grueling U.S. tour followed. Yet, as Justin put it, "The shows were physical, cathartic and dangerous, drifting into endless noise freak-outs and moments of amazing contrast between chaos and melody…followed by a ten-hour drive in the van." Due to inter-personal issues, Medicine broke up in early 1996.

Just prior to Medicine's demise, Justin began collaborating with bandleader Brad Laner in the form of the experimental music project called Electric Company. The first album, "A Pert Cyclic Omen", was released on American Recordings in 1995, as well as a rare vinyl-only release on a local independent. Further opportunities arose later in 1995, including performing and recording with the band Pet, known for their unpredictable live shows and interesting blend of heaviness and angularity, fronted by the wildly dynamic Lisa Papineau on vocals. Tori Amos signed the band to her Igloo imprint of Atlantic Records, and the recording of Pet's self-titled debut took place in dramatic fashion at Tori's castle home on the south coast of Ireland in January of 1996.

In April of that year, Justin faced a pivotal choice in his musical life. Beck, who had obviously developed into a great success, called one day to suggest getting together for a jam. "I showed up for this 'jam', having no idea at all that myself and this guitarist Smokey (Hormel) were being officially auditioned to join Beck's recording and touring band." The audition went well, and both Justin and Smokey were offered the gig. Justin wisely decided to opt for the Beck experience, which was definitely going to be a full-time venture. "I don't think myself or any of the guys had any idea what kind of fantastic whirlwind we were about to embark on. The 'Odelay' tour alone was hundreds of shows over two-plus years, starting at little clubs and ending in arenas."

Starting then, Justin became a regular component of the Beck world: recording the "Mutations", "Midnight Vultures", "Sea Change", and “Guero” albums, doing several world tours, making videos, doing TV appearances, and eventually becoming Beck's live show musical director. As an aside, Beck hired Justin's former band mate Tony Hoffer (who had been developing his own studio talents in San Francisco over the years) on Justin's suggestion, to engineer and co-produce some of the "Midnite Vultures" album. This work facilitated Tony's move back to LA, thereby re-kindling Justin and Tony's long-time collaborations.

Along with the Beck activity, Justin has had the opportunity to begin two other long-term musical relationships: He has recorded so far three albums with Tori Amos, "From The Choirgirl Hotel", "Strange Little Girls" and "Scarlet's Walk". In 1998, he toured North America and Europe with the French group Air in support of their debut album, "Moon Safari". Following that, he contributed bass, vocals and engineering to Air's second album, "10,000 Hz Legend".

While following those main pursuits, many other recording experiences have filled the time span. Justin has worked with artists such as Marianne Faithful, Seal, Dixie Chicks, Black Eyed Peas, Courtney Love, Frank Black, The Mars Volta, Sean Lennon, Goldfrapp, Mark Eitzel, Pete Yorn, Ladytron, Turin Brakes, Nelly Furtado, and many others. In addition, Justin co-wrote and recorded Macy Gray's 2003 release, "The Trouble With Being Myself” and her 2007 album “Big”. He has also contributed to remixes for artists such as David Bowie, Moby and Jamiroquai, as well as film scores such as "Team America: World Police", "Charlie's Angels", and "Starsky and Hutch", “30 Days of Night”, and “Ocean’s 13”, with composer David Holmes.

In 2002, Justin embarked on his own band project, Ima Robot. "That was the first time in years that I had worked in a classic, traditional ‘band’ scenario, though I’d say the music was anything but”, he says. "It was very gratifying to take the risk with it, and to see it go from tiny clubs to a record deal to actually selling records." Ima Robot signed with Virgin records in 2002, and released their debut in 2003. A solid year of touring followed, during which the band had the opportunity to play Letterman, open for the White Stripes, Hot Hot Heat, The Raveonettes, Janes Addiction, and others. Justin left the group 2005 after completing work on the second album for Virgin, “Monument to the Masses”. He remains the “helpful uncle” to the band as they continue touring and recording.

In late 2005, Justin received a new invitation from Beck to again be the “right-hand man”, and work with him in the touring and recording worlds as before, as bassist and musical director. During 2006 and 2007, he toured worldwide in support of Beck’s “The Information” record. “It’s been amazing…like finding that great, lost pair of shoes in the back of your closet that feel perfect on your feet. I definitely love working with Beck, for all the obvious reasons, of course. But we have a synergy that has been remarkable to revisit, and he lets me come to the table with my own ideas. I’ve found that isn’t the norm in the world of side musicians.”

Justin plans to continue recording, writing, and touring for a long time to come. Over the past two years, he has found time to dive headfirst into producing records. He produced Holly Palmer’s “Songs for Tuesday”, Ken Andrews “Secrets of the Lost Satellite”, and the debut record for LA band Canon entitled “Wide Awake”, and tracks with Interscope recording artist Reeve Carney. “Early in my career, I had this concept that producing records was something one did when they don’t like to tour anymore…now I’m feeling like I need to do both!” says Justin. “There’s been a lot that I have learned being on the other side of the glass in recording studios over the years, and I’ve found that it translates pretty well into production.” He says: "To put it in the simplest terms, I just want to make excellent music and have a great time with the people I work with. Fortunately, I've been able to hook up with artists who have a similar ethos: making music with a sense of real adventure combined with good taste. I refuse to approach music as a sort of business opportunity, which goes the same for most committed musicians I've encountered over the years. Ultimately, if you're moving people emotionally and physically, you know you're having a great time."



Curious... what role did you play in the music for the 2004 film Starsky & Hutch? Was it for source/song stuff or the actual incidental underscore?

All actual score stuff, not the source material.

Dear Justin,

I'm making thinking of making a bass out of Shedua, which I heard was a heavy wood. I noticed you have a Wal bass made of Shedua. Are there any problems with the weight of your Shedua Wal?

Thanks,
Stickk

It's heavy as f**k.

So, you do have problems playing it for extended periods of time?

no

Justin, I heard you guys and The Greatful Dead are touring with each other. Are you guys possibly coming to Arizona (fingers crossed)?

...



The Grateful Dead? That's a good one. Joking aside, I'm unable to reveal the routing at this point.

JMJ

...



The Grateful Dead? That's a good one. Joking aside, I'm unable to reveal the routing at this point.

JMJ

Whoops, I meant Jane's Addiction (how'd I get those two bands mixed up?!). Okay, I understand, hope you guys come to Phoenix.

Thanks,
Stickk

Hey Justin,
Did you play at all on NIN's new song "Not So Pretty Now"? If you did, what were you using there? That bass tone is sick! Just curious.
Thanks.

That song was recorded before my time, and that would be Mr. Reznor on bass, killing it. Great tone, eh? It's either POD or Guitar Rig, for sure.

JMJ

so Mr. JMJ, do you have anything planned-out after this tour with NIN?

No I do not. I have offers brewing for two different album production gigs, and some other recording bits (including some to satisfy my own recording urges), but not much that is set in stone after the summer. I'm fairly certain it will all start to coalesce soon enough.

JMJ

That song was recorded before my time, and that would be Mr. Reznor on bass, killing it. Great tone, eh? It's either POD or Guitar Rig, for sure.

JMJ

Thanks Justin.
You probably can't answer but I'm sure that Trent has alot more "stuff" that he is sitting on to release.
These last few years have been great for NIN fans.:hyper:

i went to your shoreline (worst venue i have been to) show because i was lazy and gogol bor-something-o sold out. i am so happy it worked out that way. my brother was in town. he is not a big fan. he liked the closing act, as did i, but i thought he would be a hard sell to nin.

in short: you blew the ****ing tepee roof whatever thing off. having seen plenty of shows, i was very, very, very impressed. cant believe i saw you play yourselves that hard.

not a internet lurker fan or whatever, but, really, nice job, i was really impressed, and my brother is now a fan. he likes high voice pseudo-electronic post-emo sh*t like cobra st*arship and panic! etc- and yet is going to be tracking your tour dates.

nice job. you rocked. thanks bro.

ps- if this isnt the place for this- sorry.

i went to your shoreline (worst venue i have been to) show because i was lazy and gogol bor-something-o sold out.
Gogol Bordello. Great band...very Russian/Gypsy sounding. I'd see either of them if they weren't playing on the same night, but if they are, I'd rather see NIN. Haven't been able to work it out since Justin joined, though.

i went to your shoreline (worst venue i have been to) show because i was lazy and gogol bor-something-o sold out. i am so happy it worked out that way. my brother was in town. he is not a big fan. he liked the closing act, as did i, but i thought he would be a hard sell to nin.

in short: you blew the ****ing tepee roof whatever thing off. having seen plenty of shows, i was very, very, very impressed. cant believe i saw you play yourselves that hard.

not a internet lurker fan or whatever, but, really, nice job, i was really impressed, and my brother is now a fan. he likes high voice pseudo-electronic post-emo sh*t like cobra st*arship and panic! etc- and yet is going to be tracking your tour dates.

nice job. you rocked. thanks bro.

ps- if this isnt the place for this- sorry.

Thanks, yo. Glad to hear you had fun. That tepee got shredded, and faces got melted. A good bill all around, and I think last night was strong.

I'd see either of them if they weren't playing on the same night, but if they are, I'd rather see NIN.

ive seen gogol twice before; theyre great. i still think their spot at coachella a couple years ago was the highest energy show ive ever seen, but i now agree with you jimmy: two bands, one night, nin wins.