Steven Tyler Archives | Know Your Bass Player

David Hull (Joe Perry Project, Buddy Miles Express)

Multi-instrumentalist, bassist, composer, recording artist David Hull commenced his extraordinary and versatile career on stage and in the studio as anchor of the Buddy Miles Express in 1970 when he was barely out of his teens.

Founder of Connecticut rock ensemble The Dirty Angels, David is rock-solid rocker with a soulful disposition (as referenced in his fine solo platter Soul In Motion), Hull has waxed commendable slabs and/or worked stages with Arthur Lee & Love (Vindicator), the Joe Perry Project, Joe Cocker, Ted Nugent, Modern Farmer (with Reeves Gabrels), Fahrenheit, and Pete Droge & The Sinners, among others.

Among Hull’s weapons of choice include a modified P/J ‘75 Fender Precision, late ‘70s MusicMan Stingray, Hagstrom 8-string, early 70s Fender Telecaster Bass, and a Lakeland 55-94, among others. On stage David is a Hartke all the way Hartke LH100 head, Hartke 410XL and 115BXL cabs.

David also pinch-hit for an ailing Tom Hamilton on a few Aerosmith world tours. Keep up with DH at www.DavidHullMusic.com

David Hull Sound & Vision….

Joe Perry Project: “Let the Music Do the Talking” https://youtu.be/logDHc2XzXI

David Hull “Soul In Motion” https://youtu.be/QEeRSfoP6LI

Buddy Miles: “Take It Off Him” https://youtu.be/61pqJAEVpv0

Fahrenheit “Fool In Love” https://youtu.be/Yu-oLBKkxWA

David with Aerosmith in 2006 https://youtu.be/vg_VRFmQD4A

Dirty Angles Live 1976 https://youtu.be/QiAAkKiRGIc

Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith)

By Thomas Semioli

He anchors the almighty Demon of Screamin’ in what is arguably America’s greatest rock and roll band.

A chameleonic player, Thomas William Hamilton varies his tools and tone yet maintains his identity within the boundaries of the Aerosmith.

He works the pocket, he doubles the riffage, he renders countermelodies… and he’s done it all on Fender basses (Precision and Jazz), G & L, MusicMan Stingray, MusicMan Sabre, Hofner, Sadowsky, Parker…and probably a few I’ve missed.

His motif to “Sweet Emotion” is among the most recognized in the history of rock and roll: https://youtu.be/wwKwoU9cQ_o

Tom has dozens of co-writing credits including the aforementioned “Sweet Emotion,” as well as “Janie’s Got a Gun, “Jaded,” “Critical Mass,” and “Sick as a Dog.”

On latter-day slabs Pump (1989), Get A Grip (1993), and Nine Lives (1997) Hamilton harbors a growling low B to further underpin the Tyler’s hoops ‘n’ hollers coupled with Joe Perry’s raucous riffage.

On the band’s fifteenth studio effort Music From Another Dimension (2012) Tom takes the lead vocal for the first time on “Up on the Mountain.”

“Up On the Mountain” https://youtu.be/l4N8mo-WIVE

Among Tom’s signature passages is “Walk This Way.”

Here is Jack Douglas -from a KYBP social media thread – discusses how Hamilton achieved his sound on this track: “Basic secret of Walk This Way bass sound was setting up the SVT EQ, using the right mics and combining it with the dir. Same with Sweet Emo except I doubled the bass line with a bass marimba, which Jay Messina played so tight you can’t hear it. The Flickenger Limiter with the 100 cycle pass through tightened up the whole sound and the massive amount of tubes in that monster added it’s own special sauce.”

“Walk This Way” https://youtu.be/4c8O2n1Gfto

Dig Tony Senatore’s rendition of “Mama Kin” https://youtu.be/ZcxWNoQv-Wg

Dig Tony Senatore’s rendition of “Walk This Way” https://youtu.be/-wArLSXyvRM

Dig Tony Senatore’s rendition of “Train’ Kept A Rollin’ from Get Your Wings https://youtu.be/L_ELvmvj2iU

Dig Steven Tyler flubbing a “Sweet Emotion” bass lesson with Tal Wilkenfeld! https://youtu.be/C2wUsLGYZ-w