10 Cool Bassists

Here’s a list I haven’t done yet. I’m staying away from doing any guitarist lists for now…I’m not quite ready to jump into that can of worms. These next few musicians are all just cool, and some of them can actually play pretty well too. Remember I keep my lists in current music, so no classic rock guys, but I’m just going to start out by saying that Cliff Burton is my favorite and was the best bass player ever…EVER.

Ok, now for the list

10. Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle, Zwan) – I’m listing her as a tribute to all chick bass players. I think its cool when a chick gets on stage with the guys and straps on a bass. Paz does a great job of carrying a heavy rhythm and staying in the pocket. I love the part in the Judith music video when she pulls her hair back during the bridge, then goes right back into playing. [favorite work - Judith]

9.  Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue, Sixx AM) - Usually in bands, the guitarist and/or singer is the main songwriter for their band – not the case with Sixx. This guy is the creative force behind Motley Crue. Hey, he obviously wrote some pretty popular music for the 80’s. And, I really liked his Sixx AM project he just worked on. I haven’t heard the new “Saints of Los Angeles” CD yet, so I can’t judge that work. [favorite work - Life is Beautiful]

8. Mark Hoppus (Blink 182, Plus 44) – If you know anything about playing bass, then you probably could play any of Mark’s bass lines with one finger and some speedy up and down strokes of a pick. Doesn’t make him any less cool though. The music he helped make in Blink 182 is some of the catchiest stuff ever. And the new Plus 44 project with Travis Barker is on a different level, but still fun music. Oh, and he’s got my favorite house I’ve seen on MTV Cribs. [favorite work - Adam's Song]

7. Bruce “Grater” Butler (Motograter) – C’mon, he doesn’t just play bass…he invented a new instrument to play instead of bass. It’s designed with industrial cable and guitar pieces. [favorite work - Red]

6. Duff McKagen (Guns-n-Roses, Velvet Revolver) – Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Duff and Slash glorified drunkeness to the max. A really resiliant MF’er if you think about it, he put up with Axl the longest too, being th last original GnR member to walk out. Duff’s always had a cool stage presence while being laid back at the same time. [favorite work - Rocket Queen]

5. Chi Cheng (Deftones) – I like this guy because he’s not only a musician, but he also has a college degree to fall back on if the rockstar thing doesn’t work out…haha. He also makes being a vegetarian cool. I mean, I’m all about eating large amounts of animals, but “when you’re ripe, you’ll bleed out of control”, that’s just a cool lyric. [favorite work - Elite]

4. Chris Wolstenholme (Muse) – Somebody British has to make this list. I connect with Chris, in that I used to play drums a lot, then picked up a bass for the first time when some friends in a band needed a bass player. Only Chris got a lot better than me (I guess I should’ve taken lessens). He has some of the coolest basslines in “New Prog.” rock. [favorite work - Hysteria]

3. Jason Newstead (Metallica, Ozzy, Echobrain) – He’s underrated because he’ll always be compared to Cliff Burton, and you will find few that will choose him over Cliff. But really in his own right, he’s a pretty damn good bassist. “I Disappear” is really a great song in that it basically tells of Jason’s role in Metallica and his departure. [favorite work - The Outlaw Torn]

2. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) – Everyone puts this guy on their list for bass players. I almost feel cliche’ putting him up myself, but how could I not? Flea is a modern legend. He’s pretty much the master of subtle intricate bass parts. [favorite work - Around the World]

1. Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne) – I wish I could play bass like this guy. He plays some of the most intricate bass lines in all of metal. Watching him is just sick. I’d name a bunch of techniques and styles of playing that he uses, but you might not know what I’d be talking about, and I hardly have a clue myself. Basically, he’s good and he plays stuff, all crazy like. [favorite work - Nothing to Gein]