Darren Michaels

Photos by :Cindy Sheffield Michaels

My name is Darren Michaels, and I am a solo bassist from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I began playing bass in 1994 after obtaining a used (and abused) Peavey Patriot four string. It reeked of sour beer and stale cigarettes. The finish was worn off on the back by excessive belt buckle rash, there was dry rot on the neck, and the string height was better suited for archery. Yet to me it was the best bass in the world, and on that first day of owning it I played it until my parents’ ears bled. After a few months of playing four string, I scraped together enough cash to put a five string on layaway. All I knew was that a five string could go lower in pitch than a four. That had to be a good thing.

However, I had a minor problem. I wasn’t in a band, and there were no prospects of me joining one. I lived out in the middle of nowhere in a house that was almost completely surrounded by a cow pasture. Cows are not keen on bass playing regardless of how many strings you have. So there I was, bandless and surrounded by bovines.

Seclusion had a huge impact on my early bass playing. When I grew tired of trying to pick out tunes off the television, I entertained myself by composing solo pieces. The tune “Green,” which you can hear a sample of below, is a song that was born from this early behavior. In my Arkansas isolation, I thought that I was doing something completely unique by being a solo bassist. I’m so glad I was wrong.

I did eventually find a band, many bands in fact. The first group didn’t have a drummer, which proved interesting. After high school I went off to college to get an art degree, got into several original bands (these had drummers), and played blues and Top 40 tunes in bars. In 1998 I got a Warwick Thumb Bolt-on six string, and I began to take making music a bit more seriously, as it was a great means of supplementing my income. After an apartment fire destroyed almost all my artwork and effectively doused my desire of becoming a professional artist, I decided to become a career musician. Luckily, most of my bass gear had survived, including the Warwick. I loaded it up, and Cindy (my future wife) and I moved to Atlanta where I went to study bass at the Atlanta Institute of Music.

I graduated with honors from AIM in the fall of 2000 and began freelancing around town. While I found playing with others enjoyable, I missed using the bass as a solo instrument. I conned my way into playing solo pieces at band gigs and soon struck out on my own doing entire solo shows. I haven’t looked back. While I do still enjoy playing with bands, solo bass is the aspect of playing bass that I find most interesting. It is the musical voice I feel most comfortable speaking. Currently, I tour the southeast in support of my two solo albums, equilibrium (2004) and green (2002). For more information about me, please drop by my website, www.darrenmichaelsbass.com .

Here is a tune off my 2004 release, equilibrium. Please feel free to download it. I hope that you enjoy it.

“Blastula” (mp3 - 7.7M - high quality - 320kbps)

This was recorded and mixed at East Hall Studios in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I co-wrote this tune with my good friend Chris Moore, who is an excellent bassist. He did all the recording and mixing, as well. I used my Warwick Fortress Masterman five string and a Digitech Bass Synth Wah. If you would like to know what the tune is about, check out my website.

Here are some clips from more tunes off of equilibrium.

“Through the Arch”

I performed this tune on my Warwick Thumb Bolt-on six string. It was recorded at my house but mixed at East Hall by Chris Moore. I wrote it after seeing a painting of the same name in a hospital waiting room while a friend of mine was dying in a room a few doors down.

“Mr. Skin”

This is a tune about a character from the movie Highway 61. The entire tune is bass and drum machine, except for a few voice samples from a guy named Acid Jack. I used my Warwick Thumb Bolt-on six string and a plethora of effects. It was recorded and mixed by Chris Moore at East Hall Studios.

 “Wallher”

This a tune I co-wrote with my good friend Mark Chiaro while in the studio. We wrote it in a few minutes, and the recording is the third time we played through the song. I really dig the spontaneity and the loose feel. I used my Warwick Fortress Masterman five string.

Here are some clips from my 2002 release, green.
All of them were recorded and mixed by Chris Moore at East Hall Studios in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

“Green”

I wrote this tune when I was 19 years old, but I didn’t get a chance to record it until much later. You can read more about it on my website. I used my Warwick Thumb Bolt-on six string.

“Sea of Imbrium”

Believe it or not, this tune is all bass with several effects and Ebow. I used my Warwick Thumb Bolt-on six string.

“To That Effect”

This is a fun tune that I co-wrote with Chris Moore. Acid Jack joined us for the hooting and hollering we did on the track. I used my Warwick Thumb Bolt-on six string for the majority of the song and my Warwick Fortress One four string for the slapping section.

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