Freekbass' Rock House Titles Funk Bass Level 1 Funk Bass Level 2 CHECK OUT FREEKBASS'S MUSIC Join Freekbass' Street Team

The Air is Fresher Underground Bootzilla Records 2005	Body Over Mind Bootzilla Records 2002

 

A Slice of Shiver 2007 Live DVD

Freekbass- Bassist, Songwriter

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Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, Freekbass initially wanted to be a magician. He grew up glued to the television set, his Mom influencing him with her obsession of "The King" and The Beatles. He later developed his own obsession for cartoon superheroes and comic books, relating to the underlying themes.

"I always dug how these superheroes had all these powers, yet were ultimately still an outcast in society", Freekbass recalls. "If I wasn't Superman for Halloween, I was Elvis, so that should tell you something."

Living in Cincinnati exposed Freekbass to genres of music he may have missed otherwise. While most kids were listening to Van Halen and AC/DC, he connected with the bottom-heavy sounds coming out of the boom boxes like Zapp and Midnight Star. While working in a music shop to pay off his first electric bass he had in lay-away, he began to study the classics of Larry Graham, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Parliament and Bootsy. By high school he transferred to Cincinnati's School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), where he studied bass guitar and dove right into the local music scene.
The whole Freekbass story, however, goes back to the very first "Bootsy" collaboration. In the mid '90's, Freekbass had co-founded the group "SHAG", a solid-roots funk band. During this time, he was introduced to Gary "Muggbone" Cooper, who asked Freekbass and SHAG guitarist, Chris Donnelly, to play on a compilation Jimi Hendrix tribute album for P-Vine Records, Japan. Coincidentally, the recording session was to take place at Bootzilla Rehab Studios, recording den of none other than legendary bass player and Rock “n” role hall of Fame Inductee Boosty Collins. Freekbass and his guitarist, both named "Chris", were immediately dubbed "Chris Bass" and "Chris Guitar" by Bootsy, in order to not get them confused. But it was when "Chris Bass" laid down his bass tracks that Bootsy called out: "Play that Freaky Bass, Baba!" ... Bootsy has called him Freekbass from that moment on ... It was the beginning of an inspirational and enduring friendship that continues today.

Since that time Freekbass has collaborated with Bootsy Collins on several projects, the most recent being Freekbass', The Air Is Fresher Underground, the CD features guest appearances by Bootsy, Buckethead, Bernie Worrell and a few of the Woo Warriors.

Freekbass was one of the founding members of the funk band SHAG which was a very successful nationally touring band. During their four year run, SHAG had then up-and-coming artists such as "Kid Rock" and "Stir" opening for them. They toured for months at a time, often taking breaks for only a day or two before hitting the road again. Ultimately, SHAG burnt themselves out, many of the eight members just tired of the rigorous tour schedule.

As SHAG began to dissolve, Freekbass, embarked on his first solo project. His debut, Ultra-Violet Impact was picked up by Indy-label, Egg Records. In 1999, Freekbass put together his own group, also using the name "Freekbass", to tour in support of the new release. Together, they recorded, Body Over Mind released in June 2001. Body Over Mind was picked up by Japanese label Starlets Records for release in Japan, September of 2002. Freekbass toured consistently, but was also careful to learn from the past. The band took off for three months in the summer of 2003 to complete production on Underground, Gemini/Bootzilla, 2003.

On top of a consistent touring schedule, Freekbass is currently recording the follow-up CD to "The Air Is Fresher Underground" which has an early spring '07 tentative release date.

For more info on Freekbass visit:
www.freekbass.com
Freekbass at MySpace

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