Jason Newsted
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Member
Guest musician
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Personal information
Also known as: Jasonic
Born on: 04.03.1963
Jason Curtis Newsted (born March 4, 1963 in Battle Creek, Michigan) is an American bassist known for his work with Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. Joining Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001, making him the band's longest-serving bassist. After he left Metallica, he continued with his project Echobrain, played with Ozzy Osbourne and joined heavy metal band Voivod. Newsted uses the pseudonym Jasonic, which serves as both his alias in Voivod and the name of his music publishing company. He is also the founder of the Chophouse Records studio and label based in California.
Career
Flotsam & Jetsam
The early part of Newsted's music career had him performing bass for Flotsam and Jetsam and their 1986 album Doomsday for the Deceiver. Newsted wrote the majority of lyrics for the album as well.
Metallica
Following the death of Metallica's bassist Cliff Burton in September 1986 on the Europe leg of the Damage Inc. Tour, Metallica began a search for a new bassist. Newsted auditioned for the part along with roughly 39 other musicians and in winning the role, his first live performance with Metallica was at the Country Club in Reseda, California. Newsted was often subjected to pranks and ridicule which increased as time went on. His debut with Metallica was on its extended play The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited. This was followed by his first studio album with the band, ...And Justice for All, which was subject to controversy and criticism for its poor production - among other issues, for its murky bass sound. Newsted claims this was further hazing on the part of Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, although both Ulrich and Hetfield claim they were also disappointed with the production of the album. In addition, they claim that most/all of Newsted's bass lines closely followed the rhythm guitar lines to the point of being indiscernible from each other. Nonetheless, the album reached number 6 on the Billboard 200 and projected the band to higher success.
Newsted performed on ...And Justice for All (1988), the self-titled Metallica (1991), which is the best-selling Metallica album to date and made Metallica a world-known band, Load (1996) and ReLoad (1997). The live concerts Live Shit: Binge & Purge and Cunning Stunts were produced in 1993 and 1997 respectively, and S&M in 1999. Newsted also played bass on the song "I Disappear" in 2000.
During his time in Metallica Jason played the bass guitar and also sang backing vocals on numerous Metallica songs. During the tours after 1991 Jason often sang parts of "Creeping Death", "Whiplash" and "Seek and Destroy". He is known for his bass solo which included parts of "My Friend of Misery" and bass parts from his former band, Flotsam & Jetsam.
He has co-written three Metallica songs:
"Blackened" (...And Justice for All)
"My Friend of Misery" (Metallica)
"Where the Wild Things Are" (ReLoad)
Departure from Metallica
During a meeting between Metallica members in January 2001, Newsted, who was unhappy with the direction Metallica was taking, proposed that the band should take a year-long hiatus, and Newsted would use that time to focus on his side-project Echobrain. When the other band members objected, Newsted decided to quit the band. And on January 17, as plans were being made for the band to enter the recording studio for the St. Anger album, Newsted announced his departure. Newsted's statement revealed his departure was based on "private and personal reasons and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love." During a Playboy interview with Metallica, Newsted revealed intentions he wanted to release an album with Echobrain. Hetfield was against the idea and said, "When someone does a side project, it takes away from the strength of Metallica." Newsted countered his statement by citing Hetfield's contributions to other musical outlets. Hetfield replied, "My name isn't on those records. And I'm not out trying to sell them" and pondered questions such as "Where would it end? Does he start touring with it? Does he sell shirts? Is it his band?".
Newsted says he has never regretted leaving the band. "I tell you very honestly, one billion percent, I have never regretted leaving Metallica. It was the right thing for everyone. It was the right thing to do for the camp, that's it. I've never told anyone that I wanted to go back or anything like that, not once. I made up my mind. It was not an easy thing to do, but it was something I had to do. I thought about it very much before I pulled the trigger and because of that, I have never looked back. The past is where it's supposed to be." It was stated in the film Some Kind of Monster that there was a rumor for Newsted to possibly rejoin the band, but it was proven false.
On April 4, 2009, Newsted joined Metallica for its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. He also performed three songs at the event, "Master Of Puppets","Enter Sandman", and "Train Kept A-Rollin'" with Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett, and Trujillo, and Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Ron Wood, and Flea.
Ozzy Osbourne Band
Newsted joined Canadian thrash metal band Voivod in 2002. Coincidentally, he was also Robert Trujillo's replacement in Osbourne's band (having switched sides) during Ozzfest 2003, which included Voivod as a Second Stage act. During an MTV interview, both Osbourne and Newsted showed extreme enthusiasm in writing a new album together, with Osbourne comparing Newsted to "a young Geezer Butler." However, this would not come to fruition as Newsted left Osbourne upon finishing tour duties in late 2003. He would soon be replaced by Rob Zombie bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson.
Newsted then focused solely on Voivod where, much like Echobrain, the group was funded entirely through him. They recorded two albums before Newsted's participation in Rock Star Supernova, a supergroup created through the reality television series, Rock Star: Supernova, in 2006.
Voivod
The last incarnation of Voivod featured three of the four founding members: Denis Bélanger (aka Snake, vocals), Denis D'Amour (aka Piggy, guitars), and Michel Langevin (aka Away, drums) along with Jason Newsted (aka Jasonic) on bass guitar. Guitarist Piggy died at the age of 45 on August 26, 2005 due to complications from colon cancer. The record Katorz (which is an "alternative" way of writing "quatorze", fourteen in French) was released in July 2006, and was based around riffs found on the laptop of guitarist Piggy. Just prior to his death, he left instructions for his fellow bandmates on how to use them. A December 2008 update on Voivod's website noted that Newsted played "all the bass tracks" on their latest album Infini, which was released on June 23, 2009.
Rock Star Supernova
Supernova formed the basis of the second season of the Rock Star television program on CBS in the quest to find a lead singer. The show began online on the Rock Star web site on MSN on Monday, July 3, 2006 with an Internet exclusive weekly episode and premiered on CBS on that Wednesday, July 5. Votes were cast via the Rock Star website. On September 13, 2006, Lukas Rossi was crowned the winner.
Shoulder injury
On October 23, 2006, Newsted was injured while attempting to catch a falling bass amp head. The accident resulted in a torn anterior labrum in his left shoulder and a rotator cuff and biceps tear in the right. He was scheduled for immediate surgery, and underwent a lengthy rehab process. During this time he was unable to play, and began to express himself through painting. On January 4, 2007, he was back playing his bass again.
Art career
While recovering from his shoulder injury, Newsted found solace through painting. Newsted has turned out a number of large original works of art over the last half a decade. Jason Newsted says that he went "from making crazy and colorful music to making crazy and colorful paintings." His first gallery show opened on May 4, 2010 at Micaëla Gallery in San Francisco.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction
On April 4, 2009, Newsted was present with Metallica and played with the band alongside current bassist Robert Trujillo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland. It was his first performance with the band in nearly 9 years, their last performance together having taken place at the 2000 VH1 Music Awards. Both Newsted and Trujillo performed onstage at the same time, which was a first for the band.
WhoCares
In October 2010 it was announced that Newsted would be joining a supergroup with singer Ian Gillan and former keyboardist Jon Lord from Deep Purple, guitarist Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath, second guitarist Mikko Lindström from HIM and drummer Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden. The band was called WhoCares and plans to record a new charity single entitled "Out of My Mind".
The charity single also features another new track entitled "Holy Water". The single is available as digital download or in CD format, and it was released on 6th May 2011.
Philanthropy
In 2004, Newsted signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underserved public schools throughout the U.S.A. Newsted sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors.
Equipment
Bass guitars
Aria Pro II SB1000 (originally owned by Cliff Burton, used on the "Master Of Puppets" tour, and now resides in Metallica's current recording studio)
Fender 1958 Precision Bass (recording/studio bass) - Sunburst w/anodized gold pickguard (4-string)
Sadowsky - Black Vintage with Ash body
Sadowsky - Black Vintage (x2)
Sadowsky - PJ - Cherry Sunburst and Caramel Sunburst
Sadowsky - Vintage - Lake Placid Blue (4 string and 5 strings)
Sadowsky - Vintage - Cherry Sunburst
Sadowsky - Black Vintage - 24 Fret (x2)
Alembic - Elan - Converted to Series II electronics - Formerly featured J/P/J pickup configuration (can be seen in this form during the ...And Justice For All tour) - Black (5-string)
Alembic - Europa - Series II electronics - Black (5-, 6- and 10-string)
Alembic - Spoiler - Converted to Series II electronics - Black (4-string)
Alembic - Persuader - Converted to Series II electronics - Black (4-string) - Formerly sporting a clear gloss natural finish and two J-Bass pickups, it was repainted black when Jason sent the bass back to Alembic to have Series II electronics installed; it is erroneously referred to as a Spoiler, though Jason DID have a black Spoiler made for him as well and both basses are nearly identical; the only telltale sign being the location of the bird-shaped bridge.
ESP Horizon Bass - Red (5-string) - Jason added a Metallica logo decal and a decal of the Jump In The Fire demon.
ESP B-1 - Black (4-string)
1981 Spector NS-2 - Black, used in studio only (4-string) - According to Jason, this bass once belonged to Phil Soussan.
Stuart Spector Design JN-4, JN-5, and JN-6 Signature Models - Transparent black satin (4-, 5-, and 6-string) - Extremely rare, modified SD body shape, quilted maple top, piezo pickup option, and red fiber optic side markers. Jason used these basses live from 1994-1995.
Guild acoustic bass
Wal MKII - Black w. Gold hardware (4- & 5-string)
Hamer 12-string bass (used on Wherever I May Roam "and other minor key pick-bass stuff," according to Jason)
Zon Legacy Elite fretless 5-string & Sonus Special 5-string
Rickenbacker 4003 - White (4-string)
Dingwall Voodoo Bass
Effects
Boss Flanger BF-2
MXR Phase 100
Mu-tron III Bass Pedal
Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI
Tech 21 XXL Overdrive
Korg G-5 Bass Synth Processor
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff
Alesis Midiverb II
BBE Sonic Maximizer
Morley Power Wah Boost
Amplifiers
Mesa/Boogie 1x15 combo
Mesa/Boogie with SWR Heads
Gibson Skylark Guitar amp
Fender Folded Horn 1x18
Ampeg 1974 SVT head
Ampeg SVT cabinets
Ampeg SVT II-Pro (x4)
Ampeg 1980's SVTs
Ampeg SVT 8"x10" pro speaker cabinets
Ampeg ISO Vent 10"x15" speaker cabinets
Ampeg B-15 combo amp
Born on: 04.03.1963
Jason Curtis Newsted (born March 4, 1963 in Battle Creek, Michigan) is an American bassist known for his work with Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. Joining Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001, making him the band's longest-serving bassist. After he left Metallica, he continued with his project Echobrain, played with Ozzy Osbourne and joined heavy metal band Voivod. Newsted uses the pseudonym Jasonic, which serves as both his alias in Voivod and the name of his music publishing company. He is also the founder of the Chophouse Records studio and label based in California.
Career
Flotsam & Jetsam
The early part of Newsted's music career had him performing bass for Flotsam and Jetsam and their 1986 album Doomsday for the Deceiver. Newsted wrote the majority of lyrics for the album as well.
Metallica
Following the death of Metallica's bassist Cliff Burton in September 1986 on the Europe leg of the Damage Inc. Tour, Metallica began a search for a new bassist. Newsted auditioned for the part along with roughly 39 other musicians and in winning the role, his first live performance with Metallica was at the Country Club in Reseda, California. Newsted was often subjected to pranks and ridicule which increased as time went on. His debut with Metallica was on its extended play The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited. This was followed by his first studio album with the band, ...And Justice for All, which was subject to controversy and criticism for its poor production - among other issues, for its murky bass sound. Newsted claims this was further hazing on the part of Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, although both Ulrich and Hetfield claim they were also disappointed with the production of the album. In addition, they claim that most/all of Newsted's bass lines closely followed the rhythm guitar lines to the point of being indiscernible from each other. Nonetheless, the album reached number 6 on the Billboard 200 and projected the band to higher success.
Newsted performed on ...And Justice for All (1988), the self-titled Metallica (1991), which is the best-selling Metallica album to date and made Metallica a world-known band, Load (1996) and ReLoad (1997). The live concerts Live Shit: Binge & Purge and Cunning Stunts were produced in 1993 and 1997 respectively, and S&M in 1999. Newsted also played bass on the song "I Disappear" in 2000.
During his time in Metallica Jason played the bass guitar and also sang backing vocals on numerous Metallica songs. During the tours after 1991 Jason often sang parts of "Creeping Death", "Whiplash" and "Seek and Destroy". He is known for his bass solo which included parts of "My Friend of Misery" and bass parts from his former band, Flotsam & Jetsam.
He has co-written three Metallica songs:
"Blackened" (...And Justice for All)
"My Friend of Misery" (Metallica)
"Where the Wild Things Are" (ReLoad)
Departure from Metallica
During a meeting between Metallica members in January 2001, Newsted, who was unhappy with the direction Metallica was taking, proposed that the band should take a year-long hiatus, and Newsted would use that time to focus on his side-project Echobrain. When the other band members objected, Newsted decided to quit the band. And on January 17, as plans were being made for the band to enter the recording studio for the St. Anger album, Newsted announced his departure. Newsted's statement revealed his departure was based on "private and personal reasons and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love." During a Playboy interview with Metallica, Newsted revealed intentions he wanted to release an album with Echobrain. Hetfield was against the idea and said, "When someone does a side project, it takes away from the strength of Metallica." Newsted countered his statement by citing Hetfield's contributions to other musical outlets. Hetfield replied, "My name isn't on those records. And I'm not out trying to sell them" and pondered questions such as "Where would it end? Does he start touring with it? Does he sell shirts? Is it his band?".
Newsted says he has never regretted leaving the band. "I tell you very honestly, one billion percent, I have never regretted leaving Metallica. It was the right thing for everyone. It was the right thing to do for the camp, that's it. I've never told anyone that I wanted to go back or anything like that, not once. I made up my mind. It was not an easy thing to do, but it was something I had to do. I thought about it very much before I pulled the trigger and because of that, I have never looked back. The past is where it's supposed to be." It was stated in the film Some Kind of Monster that there was a rumor for Newsted to possibly rejoin the band, but it was proven false.
On April 4, 2009, Newsted joined Metallica for its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. He also performed three songs at the event, "Master Of Puppets","Enter Sandman", and "Train Kept A-Rollin'" with Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett, and Trujillo, and Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, Ron Wood, and Flea.
Ozzy Osbourne Band
Newsted joined Canadian thrash metal band Voivod in 2002. Coincidentally, he was also Robert Trujillo's replacement in Osbourne's band (having switched sides) during Ozzfest 2003, which included Voivod as a Second Stage act. During an MTV interview, both Osbourne and Newsted showed extreme enthusiasm in writing a new album together, with Osbourne comparing Newsted to "a young Geezer Butler." However, this would not come to fruition as Newsted left Osbourne upon finishing tour duties in late 2003. He would soon be replaced by Rob Zombie bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson.
Newsted then focused solely on Voivod where, much like Echobrain, the group was funded entirely through him. They recorded two albums before Newsted's participation in Rock Star Supernova, a supergroup created through the reality television series, Rock Star: Supernova, in 2006.
Voivod
The last incarnation of Voivod featured three of the four founding members: Denis Bélanger (aka Snake, vocals), Denis D'Amour (aka Piggy, guitars), and Michel Langevin (aka Away, drums) along with Jason Newsted (aka Jasonic) on bass guitar. Guitarist Piggy died at the age of 45 on August 26, 2005 due to complications from colon cancer. The record Katorz (which is an "alternative" way of writing "quatorze", fourteen in French) was released in July 2006, and was based around riffs found on the laptop of guitarist Piggy. Just prior to his death, he left instructions for his fellow bandmates on how to use them. A December 2008 update on Voivod's website noted that Newsted played "all the bass tracks" on their latest album Infini, which was released on June 23, 2009.
Rock Star Supernova
Supernova formed the basis of the second season of the Rock Star television program on CBS in the quest to find a lead singer. The show began online on the Rock Star web site on MSN on Monday, July 3, 2006 with an Internet exclusive weekly episode and premiered on CBS on that Wednesday, July 5. Votes were cast via the Rock Star website. On September 13, 2006, Lukas Rossi was crowned the winner.
Shoulder injury
On October 23, 2006, Newsted was injured while attempting to catch a falling bass amp head. The accident resulted in a torn anterior labrum in his left shoulder and a rotator cuff and biceps tear in the right. He was scheduled for immediate surgery, and underwent a lengthy rehab process. During this time he was unable to play, and began to express himself through painting. On January 4, 2007, he was back playing his bass again.
Art career
While recovering from his shoulder injury, Newsted found solace through painting. Newsted has turned out a number of large original works of art over the last half a decade. Jason Newsted says that he went "from making crazy and colorful music to making crazy and colorful paintings." His first gallery show opened on May 4, 2010 at Micaëla Gallery in San Francisco.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction
On April 4, 2009, Newsted was present with Metallica and played with the band alongside current bassist Robert Trujillo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland. It was his first performance with the band in nearly 9 years, their last performance together having taken place at the 2000 VH1 Music Awards. Both Newsted and Trujillo performed onstage at the same time, which was a first for the band.
WhoCares
In October 2010 it was announced that Newsted would be joining a supergroup with singer Ian Gillan and former keyboardist Jon Lord from Deep Purple, guitarist Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath, second guitarist Mikko Lindström from HIM and drummer Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden. The band was called WhoCares and plans to record a new charity single entitled "Out of My Mind".
The charity single also features another new track entitled "Holy Water". The single is available as digital download or in CD format, and it was released on 6th May 2011.
Philanthropy
In 2004, Newsted signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underserved public schools throughout the U.S.A. Newsted sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors.
Equipment
Bass guitars
Aria Pro II SB1000 (originally owned by Cliff Burton, used on the "Master Of Puppets" tour, and now resides in Metallica's current recording studio)
Fender 1958 Precision Bass (recording/studio bass) - Sunburst w/anodized gold pickguard (4-string)
Sadowsky - Black Vintage with Ash body
Sadowsky - Black Vintage (x2)
Sadowsky - PJ - Cherry Sunburst and Caramel Sunburst
Sadowsky - Vintage - Lake Placid Blue (4 string and 5 strings)
Sadowsky - Vintage - Cherry Sunburst
Sadowsky - Black Vintage - 24 Fret (x2)
Alembic - Elan - Converted to Series II electronics - Formerly featured J/P/J pickup configuration (can be seen in this form during the ...And Justice For All tour) - Black (5-string)
Alembic - Europa - Series II electronics - Black (5-, 6- and 10-string)
Alembic - Spoiler - Converted to Series II electronics - Black (4-string)
Alembic - Persuader - Converted to Series II electronics - Black (4-string) - Formerly sporting a clear gloss natural finish and two J-Bass pickups, it was repainted black when Jason sent the bass back to Alembic to have Series II electronics installed; it is erroneously referred to as a Spoiler, though Jason DID have a black Spoiler made for him as well and both basses are nearly identical; the only telltale sign being the location of the bird-shaped bridge.
ESP Horizon Bass - Red (5-string) - Jason added a Metallica logo decal and a decal of the Jump In The Fire demon.
ESP B-1 - Black (4-string)
1981 Spector NS-2 - Black, used in studio only (4-string) - According to Jason, this bass once belonged to Phil Soussan.
Stuart Spector Design JN-4, JN-5, and JN-6 Signature Models - Transparent black satin (4-, 5-, and 6-string) - Extremely rare, modified SD body shape, quilted maple top, piezo pickup option, and red fiber optic side markers. Jason used these basses live from 1994-1995.
Guild acoustic bass
Wal MKII - Black w. Gold hardware (4- & 5-string)
Hamer 12-string bass (used on Wherever I May Roam "and other minor key pick-bass stuff," according to Jason)
Zon Legacy Elite fretless 5-string & Sonus Special 5-string
Rickenbacker 4003 - White (4-string)
Dingwall Voodoo Bass
Effects
Boss Flanger BF-2
MXR Phase 100
Mu-tron III Bass Pedal
Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI
Tech 21 XXL Overdrive
Korg G-5 Bass Synth Processor
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff
Alesis Midiverb II
BBE Sonic Maximizer
Morley Power Wah Boost
Amplifiers
Mesa/Boogie 1x15 combo
Mesa/Boogie with SWR Heads
Gibson Skylark Guitar amp
Fender Folded Horn 1x18
Ampeg 1974 SVT head
Ampeg SVT cabinets
Ampeg SVT II-Pro (x4)
Ampeg 1980's SVTs
Ampeg SVT 8"x10" pro speaker cabinets
Ampeg ISO Vent 10"x15" speaker cabinets
Ampeg B-15 combo amp