Long known as a uniquely talented yet tasteful hired gun bassist for the more adventurous rock guitarists of recent times (Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, Dweezil Zappa, Wayne Kramer), Bryan Beller ventures out on his own with his debut solo album, View.
Those familiar with his main body of work – nine years, five albums and countless tours with former Frank Zappa guitarist Mike Keneally – are well aware of his ability to navigate the complex, sometimes impossibly dense forms and styles present in Keneally’s work…all with the polish, simplicity and accessibility one might expect from a pop bassline. Both a repeat feature subject and three-year columnist for Bass Player Magazine, Beller has long drawn the attention of music fans with a discriminating taste for high-caliber playing.
But far from aspiring to bass heroism, Beller instead builds a carefully crafted emotional tapestry of interweaving themes and styles – a true album in the old-fashioned sense. Drawing on influences as disparate as John Scofield and Rage Against The Machine, Michael Landau and Pink Floyd, Nine Inch Nails and his mentor, Mike Keneally, the resulting body of work runs the gamut from hardcore jazz/rock to vocal pop to world beat while somehow staying thematically intact, all the while displaying equal parts density and sensitivity, melody and dissonance, tranquility and furious release.
Musicians include guitarists Mike Keneally, Rick Musallam (Ben Taylor Band), Griff Peters and Yogi; drummers Toss Panos (Toy Matinee, Steve Vai) and Joe Travers (Dweezil Zappa, Lisa Loeb).
“Just when you thought Beller couldn’t possibly be good at another thing, he releases a solo album so good it makes you wonder why he bothered doing anything else…View shows how terrific Beller is as a bassist, but it also establishes his real musical talent as a writer. It’s a thrill to witness an artist like Beller find his voice with such a self-assured debut.” – Bill Leigh, Bass Player Magazine
“Seven Percent Grade shows that charging fingerstyle fusion is as comfortable for [Beller] as a fine rock riff…and both “Bite” and “See You Next Tuesday” show he can rock with the best….Inventive solo pieces such as “Elate” & “No” show that Beller isn’t going to fall into any clichés either. Inventive and creative, View end[s] up as a complete and compelling album, which I’m still enjoying right now.” – Adrian Ashton, Bass Guitar Magazine (U.K.)
“Bryan is one of those bass players who just knows how to put the right note in the right place at the right time…monster playing and good vibes.” – Michael Manring (solo artist, Attention Deficit)
“A unique blend of solid old school playing with modern sensibility and lots of edge.” – Andy West (Dixie Dregs)
“Every expectation you may have about this album is going to be blown clear out of the water when you hear it. It’s really, really good, unique and intricate and ballsy and beautifully performed.” – Mike Keneally
produced by Bryan Beller
recorded and mixed by Nick D’Virgilio
additional engineering and key Pro Tools engineering by Ed Monsef
tracked and mixed at
Lawnmower Studio and Garden Supplies
Pasadena, CA, April-June 2003
key editing performed at
Ear Kandy Studio, Toluca Lake, CA
mastered by Jay Frigoletto at
Mastersuite, Hollywood, CA
