Mike Inez (Ozzy, Slash, Alice in Chains)

Courtesy of Alice In Chains Com Courtesy of Alice In Chains Com

Courtesy of Alice In Chains Com

He is a versatile bassist who threads grunge, metal, traditional hard rock, alternative, and permutations thereof on record and on stage. 

 

A member of Alice in Chains since 1993, Mike Inez does it all – from lower register grooves to upper register counterpoint as the situation warrants.  

 

An engaging performer, educator, composer, sideman, band member, and collaborator – among Mike’s high-profile gigs aside from AIC includes Ozzy Osbourne, Slash’s Snakepit, Heart, and Black Label Society, to cite a select few. 

 

A hard hitting drop D tuning plectrum player inspired by John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, and Geezer Butler and his mom’s Elton John and Beatles slabs, among Mike’s weapons of choice include: Ampeg SVT, Fender Bassman, Warwick and Spector basses.

Courtesy of Alice In Chains Com Courtesy of Alice In Chains Com

Courtesy of Alice In Chains Com

Mike Inez Sound & Vision…

 

Alice In Chains: 

“Down in a Hole” from MTV Unplugged https://youtu.be/nWK0kqjPSVI

 

“Raineir Fog” https://youtu.be/irNTqjI7A8E

 

Slash’s Snakepit “Beggars & Hangers On” https://youtu.be/FddCGr7mD54

 

Ozzy “I Don’t Want to Change the World” https://youtu.be/8d6AgoFStFQ

Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)

Courtesy of Lakland Com

By Thomas Semioli

He is the foundation of an ensemble whose influence, akin to The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin, is incalculable – and will be for as long as there is an art form which calls itself rock ‘n’ roll.

 

Subtract Ozzy and Bill Ward at your own risk – however if you dare eliminate bassist Terence Michael Joseph “Geezer” Butler from any version of Black Sabbath: call it a Tony Iommi project, with all due respect to the iconic guitarist and the gifted musicians who nobly served in the various Sabbath mutations.

 

Geezer wrote the book (and most of Sabbath’s lyrics) by way of his massive tone which fortifies the sound of metal; along with his execution, technique, altered tunings, and innovative use of pedals and effects.

 

By positioning his right hand at the base of the neck or atop the neck pickup and striking deliberately hard– Butler achieves a brutal crunching resonance that studio bassists and engineers once feared!

 

Eschewing flash and dexterity for rhythm – Butler’s brilliance lies firmly in the manner in which he encircles the almighty riff – embellishing Iommi’s maudlin motifs with sustained notes, hammer-ons, and glissandos that groove.

 

Geezer Butler Sound & Vision…

 

Black Sabbath

 

“N.I.B.”  https://youtu.be/MWTzHHoySaI

 

“War Pigs” https://youtu.be/S_A6y58afFY

 

“Supernaut” https://youtu.be/7H4PIWBcnYs

 

“Hole In the Sky” https://youtu.be/TyiwkLoXTTs

 

“Sweat Leaf” https://youtu.be/boNNEoXdzIM

 

Solo Geezer:

 

“Plastic Planet” https://youtu.be/EHeRbpVhKVo

 

“Has to Be” https://youtu.be/R-v4eYol15I

 

With Sabbath firmly in the past, Geezer anchors Deadland Ritual, featuring Matt Sorum, Franky Perez, and Steve Stevens.

 

“Broken and Bruised” https://youtu.be/RUPp6fD7Jco

 

KYBP Adjunct Professor Tony Senatore’s Rendition of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” https://youtu.be/2MraS5gK0SM

 


Courtesy of Black Sabbath Com Deadland Ritual Courtesy of Geezer Butler Com