Ashley Suppa… A Know Your Bass Player Q&A by Joe Gagliardo

Borne of a musically talented brood, and hailed as the “female version of Cliff Burton,” bassist Ashley Suppa caught the eyes and ears of Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley who recruited her to sing backing vocals on his Anomaly album, released in 2009.

Ashley anchors PLUSH, all-female rock collective on a mission to bring rock back to the forefront of the music industry. This female rock force is fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Moriah Formica with drummer Brooke Colucci, guitarist Bella Perron and bassist Ashley Suppa.

How/when/why did you start playing bass guitar? I started playing bass guitar at age 11. I attended a local music performance program as a guitarist, and they needed a bassist for one of the songs. The director of the program asked if I had a bass. I wasn’t entirely familiar with what a bass even looked like… so I said that I would check when I got home. Sure enough, my dad had one and the first song that I learned was Death or Glory by The Clash! 

Any formal training? I took lessons that were mandatory with the program, but I consider myself to be self-taught! 

Cite the bass players who influenced you. Paul McCartney, Bootsy Collins, Mike Inez, Mike Starr, Robert DeLeo, and Gail Ann Dorsey are some of my greatest influences.

Current musical activity/tours… In the past I have toured in Plush with Slash, Sevendust, Evanescence/Halestorm’s arena tour, Mammoth WVH and played festivals such as Rocklahoma and Welcome to Rockville. Our upcoming tours include Alice In Chains as well as the Kiss Kruise.

Your go-to bass(es) and rig…My latest favorite is my Fender Meteora bass, but I also play many Fender jazz basses and sometimes a Fender Vintera ‘50s Precision bass. I use a Fender 810 cabinet and a Fender TB 1200 head. 

A description of your playing style… When I write bass lines, I like to play what I think will best complement the song. I typically go for solid grooves and tasteful runs where I feel that they fit. I also feel that my backing vocals are an aspect of my overall playing and that my bass parts must be able to cooperate with my vocal parts!

Ashley Suppa Sound & Vision…with Plush

“Better Off Alone” https://youtu.be/YOCU5IcDbxQ

“Hate” https://youtu.be/5jx1cpNY6v0

Live At Rocklahoma 2021 https://youtu.be/vgo_UyuqvqQ

For All Things PLUSH https://plushrocks.net/