This week Ellen is sitting down to talk bass with a true legend of bass guitar: Tony Levin.   

Tony has been a first call session bass player since the 1970s having recorded with artists such as John Lennon, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, David Bowie and many many more but he’s most well known for his pioneering work with Peter Gabriel and as bass player with the progressive rock giants King Crimson.  

In this interview Tony discusses his background in classical music and how he eventually came to work with Peter Gabriel and Robert Fripp.   

He also provides an insight into his recording of the classic bass line from the song Sledgehammer and gives some tips on working as a professional bass player.

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This week Ellen is sitting down to talk bass with one of the most successful session bass players of all time: the great Nathan East.

Nathan is probably most famous for his work with music legends Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson and Phil Collins but his CV is ridiculously long and prestigious having worked with artists as diverse as Al Jarreau, Kenny Loggins, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Joe Satriani and Daft Punk. He’s also a member of the band Fourplay and released several solo albums.   

In this interview Nathan discusses his musical background, his approach to bass line creation and also talks about his touring gear of choice.

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This week Ellen is sitting down to talk bass with another bass legend and pioneer, the great Gail Ann Dorsey.  

Gail is most famous as bass player for the late, great Davie Bowie from 1995 through to his passing in 2016. She’s also played with a wide variety of other bands and big name acts such as Lenny Kravitz, Tears For Fears, Bryan Ferry, Gwen Stefani, Seal and many more   

In this interview Gail gives an insight into every area of her musical life and the steps that led her to such a huge gig with David Bowie. 

She also digs deep into her biggest musical influences and how they shaped her approach to both playing and singing.

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This week I’m sitting down to talk bass with one of the greatest bass players of modern prog rock: Colin Edwin.  

Colin Edwin is most well known as bass player in Porcupine Tree, one of the biggest prog bands of the last 30 years that split up in 2010. 

He’s also played with Henry Fool, Tim Bowness, O.R.k and has also released four of his own solo album including his latest 2020 release Infinite Regress.  

In this interview Colin gives us an insight into his musical background and jazz influences as well as his interest in odd time signatures, playing with Gavin Harrison and much more.

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This week Ellen O'Reilly is sitting down to talk bass with the amazing Bryan Beller!  

Bryan Beller has played with guitar legends such as Mike Kenneally, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Dweezil Zappa and has spent the last 10 years as bass player for supergroup The Aristocrats with guitar phenomenon Guthrie Govan and drum legend Marco Minnemann.   

As well as his real world music ventures Bryan also plays bass for the fictional animated death metal band Dethklok.  

In this interview Bryan gives some insight into his bass background and how he developed a successful music career over many years.

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This week Ellen is sitting down to talk bass with the amazing Trevor Dunn.  

Trevor Dunn was one of the founding members of the band Mr Bungle, a band he founded at high school with vocal legend Mike Patton. He’s also collaborated with Patton in other projects such as Fantomas and Tomahawk and worked as a sideman with many other artists including an extensive number of recordings with the eclectic music pioneer John Zorn.    

In this interview Trevor provides an insight into his musical background and varied influences from the rock, jazz and classical worlds. He also takes us through his gear choices and his thoughts on musical writing and performance.

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This week Ellen is sitting down to talk bass with the king of speed metal bass playing - David Ellefson!  

David is an innovator of heavy metal bass playing. As a founding member of Megadeth, his incredible technique, time and tight bass tone has been a fundamental part of the band's sound since the very beginning. Doubling the intricate rhythm guitar lines of Dave Mustaine has led to David developing a bullet proof bass style that cuts through a guitar heavy mix while adding wonderful groove and distinctive, memorable bass riffs.  

In this interview David gets to talk about his musical background, including his jazz influence and reading facility developed through his early years as a tenor saxophonist and organist. He also dons his bass in order to take us through some influences and to also demonstrate some of his most famous Megadeth lines.

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This week Ellen is sitting down to talk bass with another Irish lady of bass, the very cool and super talented Tanya O Callaghan.  

Since relocating to LA from her home in Ireland, Tanya has established herself on as a first call session bassist, playing with many legends of rock such as Maynard James Keenan, Nuno Bettencourt and Dee Snider as well as performing on shows such as Riverdance and The Voice.  

In this interview Tanya provides a wealth of tips on making it as a professional musician in LA,  staying healthy on the road and much more.

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This week Ellen is sitting down to talk bass with the super talented Divinity Roxx.  

Divinity is best known as touring bass player for Beyonce as well as her collaborations with Victor Wooten and her own solo work. 

Not only is she a killer bassist, she’s also a fantastic rapper with the ability to mix both together showcasing her incredible rhythmic co-ordination and independence.   

In this interview Divinity discusses her musical background and the steps that lead to her filling such a massive bass chair with Beyonce. She also gives some tips on bass practice and an insight into her work with Victor Wooten.

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This week Ellen is sitting down to talk bass with funk rock bass legend Billy Gould.  

Billy is best known as the bass player for the great Faith No More and any of you fans out there will be more than aware of his signature grinding bass tone and funky melodic lines.   

In this interview Billy gets to talk about his musical background, his approach to bass and bass tone and much much more.

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