Meet Reviewer Damian Erskine
Bryan Beller
"Thanks in Advance"
www.bryanbeller.comMany
of us are familiar with Bryan Beller as a contributing editor for Bass
Player Magazine. You may also know that he can be seen touring
with Steve Vai and possibly through past work with Dweezil Zappa's
"Project Z". Given only that amount of information, one could
safely assume that the dude can play! That's not the whole story,
tho.. Bryan's newest release, "Thanks in Advance" brings us a
wealth of amazing tone (really... I LOVE the sound he gets on
this CD with his Mike Lull 5 string), wonderful compositions, killer
grooves & pure musicality. I was immediately struck by the
first track. "Snooze Bar" displays Jeff Buckley-esque sensitivity
and melancholic chordal work and some of the most evocative guitar
melodies I've heard in some time. Throughout the journey this
disc offers, you can expect everything from heavy Tool like riffs,
swinging solos, gritty blues-steeped guitar work & fusion workouts
(and even a pop-gold tune in there!). Throughout, however, Bryan
really shines with his respect for the music above all else and his
BASS PLAYING is stellar. If I wasn't a bass player, I'd be on the
phone hiring this guy myself. He manages to be very melodic and
lyrical with his playing while never stepping inappropriately out of
his duty as a bass player. When it's time to solo, Bryan throws
down like a big dog, but when he's playing bass he's every band leaders
or songwriter's dream. Thoughtful, appropriate, soulful and tasty
all at the same time. Nice work Bry!
