Stereo Six: Shinedown’s Eric Bass Discusses Records Integral to His Debut Solo Album ‘I Had A Name’

With his musical career as well established as possible, Eric Bass decided it was time for a new challenge. Bass is well known and highly regarded for being the bassist for Shinedown, one of the most popular rock bands of the 21st century. Life has been good for Shinedown for the last two decades, with numerous hit singles and consistently selling out arena-sized venues worldwide.

Well, like all great musicians, Eric Bass has reached higher and is now establishing himself as a solo artist. Last November, he announced a solo project which coincided with the release of his first single “Mind Control.” Titled I Had a Name, the album was released at the end of February, featuring twelve tracks written by Bass. He wrote, performed, produced, and mixed each song himself. It’s a highly ambitious record that shines a spotlight on the more personal side of his artistry and his faith.

The album is dictated by a series of characters that reflect different facets of his personality. These characters are used to discuss different aspects of his life, with reflections on his childhood, his faith, autism, and ADHD. Not just a record, Bass has made this into a whole multimedia project which includes cinematic music videos and an accompanying graphic novel.

To reflect further on I Had a Name, Bass joins us today for a Stereo Six feature to discuss some of the records that influenced them in the writing of his debut album. He comments:

“This is my list of the most influential records, songs and albums that played a big role in shaping I Had a Name. I’ve chosen five, plus one curveball. These aren’t in any particular order, and I’ll save the curveball for last.”

Eric Bass “Azalia” single artwork

Eric Bass ‘I Had A Name’ album artwork

1. Devin Townsend – Ziltoid the Omniscient (2007, HevyDevy)

“I first heard this record while I was in the midst of making I Had a Name, and it completely blew me away. Devin Townsend was always someone on the periphery of my creative world. I knew who he was and was familiar with some of his work. He actually produced one of my favourite records of all time, Pigwalk by Stuck Mojo.

“I once had dinner with him at NAMM through a connection with Prestige Guitars, which I was playing at the time. It was a group dinner, but I got to sit next to him and pick his brain a little. Interestingly enough, Rich Ward from Stuck Mojo was also there.

“For some reason, I hadn’t paid too much attention to Devin’s work before, but something led me to buy Ziltoid the Omniscient, and I was absolutely floored by its creativity. It was a great reminder that there are no rules when you’re making a record, when you’re creating something free and expressive. That really resonated with me while making I Had a Name. Devin is way more eccentric than I am in his approach, and he’s an incredibly talented musician, far beyond what I could ever be. But hearing someone be that free and uninhibited really unlocked something in my brain as I was putting my album together.”

2. Faith No More – Who Cares a Lot? The Greatest Hits (1998, Slash, Reprise, London)

“Another huge influence. I guess I should say Faith No More in general, but I spent a lot of time revisiting their Who Cares a Lot? Greatest Hits Collection.

“Mike Patton’s vocal versatility really stood out to me, how he embodies different voices and personas across songs. You can hear that in his other projects, too, like Mr. Bungle and Tomahawk, or even in his Broadway work. He’s an incredible singer, way beyond my abilities, but I love how he approaches music with no boundaries.

“While working on my album, I thought about his approach a lot and listened to Faith No More to remind myself that there are no rules, that music should be fun and unrestricted.”

3. Mastodon – Emperor of Sand (2017, Reprise, Warner Bros.) & The Hunter (2011, Reprise, Roadrunner)

“I love Mastodon. What a great band.

“While working on I Had a Name, I listened to Emperor of Sand and The Hunter a lot. I’ve had the chance to talk with them a few times, not great friends or anything, but I have a ton of respect for them. Those two albums, in particular, were on heavy rotation while I was working on my own music.”

4. Hum – Inlet (2020, Earth Analog Records, Polyvinyl)

“Hum is one of those bands that some people know really well and others don’t. I listened to them a lot in the late ’90s; albums like You’d Prefer an Astronaut and Downward Is Heavenward were in constant rotation for me.

“They didn’t release another record for years, but in 2020, they dropped Inlet, and I listened to it like crazy while making I Had a Name. I don’t know if anything from Inlet directly seeped into my music, but I listened to it so much that I have to imagine some of its DNA made its way into my album in some way.”

5. Peter Gabriel – So (1986, Charisma, Virgin, Geffen), Up (2002, Geffen, Real World) & Scratch My Back (2010, Real World, Virgin)

“Peter Gabriel is such a creative force, and his music was a big reminder that you can step outside your boundaries.

“Three of his records stood out to me during this process:

“So (one of my all-time favourite albums): It still sounds like it could have been made yesterday, even though it was released in the 1980s.

“Up: Another one I revisited a lot.

“Scratch My Back: A fully orchestral album that really struck a chord with me. Since I incorporated some orchestration into I Had a Name, it was inspiring to hear how he approached it.”

6. [Curveball] Ben Folds Five – Ben Folds Five (1995, Passenger)

“Ben Folds is a huge creative influence on me in general, but I thought about his work a lot while making this record.

“I first got into his music in the early 2000s when I had to re-teach myself piano. I took lessons as a kid but never really enjoyed them, so I didn’t care much about piano back then. Later, as I developed as a musician, I realized how valuable it would be to learn. Ben Folds’ music became a big part of that process.

“There’s a lot of piano on I Had a Name, and his influence is definitely in there. What I love about him is that, like the others on this list, he doesn’t put up walls around his creativity; he just does what he feels.

“Lyrically, he’s also unique. He writes in a very conversational style, often avoiding metaphor in favour of just saying things straight. That’s something I reminded myself of while writing my lyrics; sometimes, you just have to say the thing rather than trying to be clever.

“Thanks so much for the opportunity to share this! I really appreciate it. This was fun.”