Stages of Ages

"Bass Invader" is the title of bassist Martin Motnik's solo CD with bass, of course, as the main instrument. Motnik began recording the album with the idea in mind to give the listener an overview of all of his many different playing techniques and musical styles. The songs will capture the interest of non-musicians as well, as Motnik uses a creative compositional style to highlight the bass and keep the melody relevant.

Bass Invader features none other than Gregg Bissonette on drums, and, as a special guest, you will hear Swedish master guitarist Mattias "IA" Eklundh on two songs! The basses he uses are two Roya 5 string (fretted and fretless) by Jens Ritter, an acoustic Ibanez AEB 10 and an Esh 6 string.

Bass Professor wrote in April 2005 about the CD, "Bass Invader presents a sweeping blow on all possibilities of playing bass - Motnik masters them all, no matter if slow, fast, tapped or beating with the thumb."

Biography

Born on November 10th, 1972, Martin Motnik started making music by playing classical guitar at the age of 8, but recognized by the age of 13 that the bass would be "his" instrument. Based on his experiences with acoustic and electric guitars and influenced by progressive rock bassists like John Entwistle and Billy Sheehan, Martin developed a special way to play the bass guitar - which is best described as "lead bass". Martin gained vast experience in the studio and on stage, by playing with many bands of all different styles, that resulted in him becoming a live and studio bassist in demand. His debut solo CD "Bass Invader" contents 14 tracks in many different styles and shows the versatility of the bass guitar in an incredible way. Songs range from smooth fretless ballads over funky slapping songs to acoustic bass pieces or high-speed distorted picking attacks, making you believe that this must be a regular guitar - which it isn’t. His complex bass arrangements fill out every frequency range and deliver many details, without losing focus on intuitive songs and without overstraining the listener’s attention. The songs on "Bass Invader" are real melodies, not just solos in a row.

Knowing that a bass is worth half without drums, Martin was joined by one of the hottest rock drummers to deliver the beat on "Bass Invader": drummer legend Gregg Bissonette! Gregg is one of L.A.'s hottest studio and live drummers. His credit list features performances with Ringo Starr, James Taylor, David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani, Toto, Brian Wilson, Electric Light Orchestra, Andy Summers, Linda Ronstadt, Gino Vanelli and legendary Carlos Santana, and some of the most famous recordings he played on are The Counting Crowes' (featuring Vanessa Carlton) single "Big Yellow Taxi", Carlos Santana's CD "Supernatural" (which won 11 Grammy Awards), Don Henley's CD "Inside Job", Duran Duran's CD "Pop Trash", Larry Carlton/Steve Lukather "Live in Japan" and certainly David Lee Roth's CDs "Eat 'em and smile" and "Skyscraper" featuring Steve Vai and Martin’s mentor/teacher/role model Billy Sheehan. Together, Maertin and Gregg produce powerful grooves, building the foundation for the catchy tunes.

Wanting to give the regular guitar fan something, too, Martin invited Swedish guitarist extraordinaire Mattias IA Eklundh for a guest appearance. Mattias is today considered one of the most innovative and ground breaking guitar players around with a fast growing global following from fellow "guitar nerds" to simply true music freaks. Mattias’ minimalist, home-brewed, and stripped down approach to the guitar has surprised record buyers and journalists around the world. There simply aren’t any signs of expensive guitar effects or processors involved in his playing, despite the sometimes "outlandish" sounds you hear. (Mattias receives e-mails daily from dedicated guys and gals asking him what type of whammy pedal he owns. He finds this very amusing). Still, the unorthodox Swede occasionally uses anything from hose-clips to remote controls and a few other devices (not suitable for printing) to stimulate the listeners hearing organs. Mattias can be heard on "Bass Invader" on the opening song "Bee on speed" playing a very zany chorus melody. Furthermore he takes part on a highlight of the CD, a new version of the Rush hit "YYZ", which is now played by the trio Eklundh/Motnik/Bissonette.