Robbie Merrill has offered the low-end for heavy rock icons Godsmack for many years. Fashioned by vocalist and former Strip Thoughts drummer Sully Erna and Merrill in 1995, the Boston-based band launched their unbiased debut album All Wound Up… in 1997, earlier than the next yr’s self-titled album gave them a large breakthrough, going 5 occasions Platinum within the US alone. They’ve launched an additional seven albums since, all reaching the US Prime 20, whereas their hit singles embody “Voodoo,” “I Stand Alone,” and “Bulletproof.” With a vinyl reissue of 2010 fan favourite album The Oracle accessible now, uDiscover took the prospect to speak to Merrill about his life in music, the gear he can’t reside with out, and the secrets and techniques behind Godsmack’s highly effective reside sound.
Order Godsmack’s The Oracle on vinyl now.
EARLY DAYS
What first attracted you to the bass?
My dad performed guitar and my uncle performed the bass, so I all the time watched them play. Then I moved to a brand new city once I was in all probability 13 years outdated, and I had a neighbor who performed guitar and was beginning a band. He had a drummer and wanted a bass participant, so I traded my practice set for a bass.
Had been you a quick learner?
I performed by ear and thought I used to be good, however I actually wasn’t. At the moment, I used to be enjoying Rush and Led Zeppelin, and my dad advised me, if I needed to make a dwelling at it, I needed to be versatile. So I acquired into a rustic band, then a ’50s and ’60s covers band – that’s the place I actually discovered what music was about, as a result of I did the whole lot by ear. Then I’d take a few classes, after which as I’m enjoying reside, I’m going, OK, now I do know the place a serious seventh is, or a minor chord. I’d work it out from listening to the notes. After which, through the years, I simply studied and performed with all types of cats from Berklee Faculty of Music. I simply saved going. I used to be enjoying in a marriage band and making nice cash. However then I ended up becoming a member of an authentic band and that’s the place I acquired hooked, that’s the place I grew to become broke! It took me years and years, I went by so many various bands.
How did you type Godsmack?
Then once I met up with Sully in 1995, we began simply jamming. I knew he was a extremely good drummer. I’d seen him play with Strip Thoughts and thought, “Wow, if you can do that out front, I’m in.”
Had been there any bassists who you particularly seemed as much as?
Victor Wooten (Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, SMV) was the massive one. I noticed him play and I went, Oh my God. That’s why I began enjoying in Godsmack – as a result of I wasn’t going close to that expertise [laughs]. One other one was Will Lee, who’s an excellent bassist, he was a session man who performed with everyone then went on to be in the home band on The Late Present With David Letterman. And on the time I used to be listening to folks like Joe Satriani and all these instrumental bands.
What advantages are there to enjoying left-handed however being right-handed?
I used to be born with a defect to my left hand which limits using the center finger. So I put my bass the other way up, restrung it, and began enjoying lefty. It undoubtedly makes my sound distinctive. I’m studying from the opposite facet of my mind. I had discussions with Tye Zamora, who performed in Alien Ant Farm and was my bass tech for some time. He graduated from Berklee, prime of his class – on the time, I used to be like, “What the hell am I doing? He’s gonna be listening to me every night!” However we talked about that stuff – it makes your enjoying smarter since you’re working either side of your mind. Once I hearken to music, it’s as a fan, not a musician – I don’t realize it. I’ve to strap the bass on after which it comes naturally. After which once I do play, the whole lot could be very compartmentalized into sections – even with Godsmack stuff, I’ll be enjoying the verse and I received’t know the refrain till it comes alongside after which I simply play it, it’s loopy.
GEAR
What picks do you utilize to present your enjoying such a particular sound?
I’ve two fingers I take advantage of to choose and I’m very anal with it. However the hand that I choose with is crooked, so my index finger and ring finger hit different strings, which doesn’t sound constant. Then in 2003, I began enjoying with Dunlop D finger picks, so now I can play with each fingers on the similar time they usually sound the identical. They make my fingers sound slightly bit extra like a choose, in order that they lower by extra on stage. I all the time performed with my fingers and I’d actually dig in, so once I put the picks on, at first I assumed, no approach, as a result of I couldn’t really feel the string. However then I acquired used to it and it acquired to a degree the place I all the time put on them. On our Vibez tour final yr, the place we performed some acoustic songs, I wasn’t going to play with my picks, however then me and the sound engineer listened again to the tape, and we’re like, “oh yeah, it just cuts through better.”
What have been your basses of alternative through the years?
My first actual lefty bass was a Fender Precision which I acquired in 1981, I nonetheless have it. I believe I recorded the very first Godsmack demo, which is mainly the primary file, with it. I additionally had an Ibanez that I had purchased in 1988 and I performed reside with that early on. Really, I used to be enjoying that bass in our first video, “Whatever.”
An Ibanez rep noticed that video and he referred to as me up. Then I used to be utilizing Ibanez basses for some time, till our sound man Frank Sgambelone launched me to Spector. We had been enjoying with Metallica in 2004 and after we confirmed up in Maryland, there have been a few Spectors sitting there backstage. I picked them up and I went, “No way.” They had been actually heavy. Additionally, I’m all the time a bolt-on man and these items had been neck by. I plugged it in and began enjoying, and I’m like, “Holy shit!” Metallica’s sound man was leaving, and when he heard the bass he got here again down. He goes, “What’s up with the bass?!” I purchased two of them proper there after which.
I used to be with them up till final yr. I used to be up in Canada and Dingwall confirmed up with a few lefties. I knew a bit about them as a result of I’ve been utilizing Darkglass Electronics’ Tone Capsule preamp since about 2017. I actually love the mid-low, mid-high factor that Darkglass have, as a result of quite a lot of the time, your treble could be hissy and I hate that. So Dingwall use these of their pick-ups. They sound identical to Darkglass, as a result of you may go energetic or passive. I haven’t performed passive in eternally and needed a change, so I acquired a few these basses and I’ve been enjoying these since. I wasn’t actually seeking to change bass corporations, it simply fascinated me, how good they sounded, due to the fanned frets the low strings are longer and the strain is tighter. So whenever you’re enjoying in low keys, like I play in drop C, you don’t get that wobble – the tone is strictly what I’ve been on the lookout for.
What sort of strings do you favor to make use of?
I used to be a D’Addario man, even earlier than I used to be signed. Then through the years, if I had a brand new bass tech, if they’d a man at a string firm, they might name them up and use their strings. I simply knew that I had 45-`105s and for my drop C, I used 110s. Then once I switched to Dingwall, I wanted extra-long strings, and the one firm that does that with the gauge is D’Addario. So I really referred to as him up a pair weeks in the past and stated, “Listen, I lost touch with you guys and I’m in a pickle. I need some strings and I’m willing to buy them.” They usually set me up with them.
GODSMACK – IN THE STUDIO AND LIVE
You’re identified on your inventive and melodic basslines, the place do they arrive within the writing and recording course of?
At first, Sully all the time stated to me and Tony, “Listen, I know you guys can play, but play for the song.” Godsmack often file drums and guitars first, then bass. So I get a scratch vocal observe once I’m figuring out my half and I’m going from there. Usually Sully’s lyrics will encourage me, like on “Love-Hate-Sex-Pain” [from The Oracle] – I used to be enjoying round, listening to what Sully was singing and responding to it. I often begin off actually easy after which if it requires one thing extra difficult, like “One Rainy Day” [from Godsmack IV, 2006], I actually go for it. We solely performed that one after we recorded it within the studio, then after we did it on the Vibez tour final yr I had to return and relearn it. I’m like, “Wow, what the hell was I doing?” It was actually good! However quite a lot of it’s proper there on the fly.
Godsmack has had some nice drummers through the years, what has your relationship been like with Sully, Tommy Stewart and Shannon Larkin?
I’ve all the time simply locked in with the kick, the push and pull. In the event that they run a click on observe within the studio, I don’t wish to hear it. I’ve tried however can’t do it, I’ll simply observe the drummer. Dwell, Shannon and I are actual tight, I lock in with the kick and the snare and the hi-hat – that’s just about it.
You make it sound so easy!
Yeah, it’s that human connection and chemistry you develop through the years. And the best way that Sully writes stuff on the drums, in case you shut your eyes and hearken to it, regardless that it’s simply the drums, you may hear the riff on the guitar. After which he pushes and pulls on objective. He doesn’t care if folks assume he has a shitty meter, it’s acquired nothing to do with that. The temper of the track depends upon that pushing and pulling and if it stays on the clicking, it doesn’t work. After we drag stuff, we do it on objective. Individuals will say to me, “You guys dragged the chorus of ‘Awake’” – yeah, we fucking do it on objective, each time, each night time.
How vital is it to you that you’ve got an excellent reside sound?
If I ever noticed an enormous band in an enormous area, my criticism all the time was, “You can’t hear the fucking bass.” After which after we’d play large rooms, I’d say to my engineer, “Did you hear my mistakes? Well, if not, you’re not fucking doing it right!” I need you to listen to my errors.
Since I acquired into the massive arenas, I’ve turn into a scholar of the sound, and have been asking, “How do I get this bass to translate in the big room? How do I get the best tone and not fuck it up?” I all the time discuss with my bass tech and my monitor engineer. We put on in-ears and I attempt to give him my tones. I’ve three channels, one utilizing the preamps as a result of I just like the pick-ups. Then one with slightly little bit of filth, and one other one which’s all filth, after which I simply have them blended. After which out entrance, the blending engineer has the chance to make use of all three. That distortion channel doesn’t sound good by itself, however whenever you combine all of them collectively in an enormous room, it has that readability I’m on the lookout for.
Order Godsmack’s The Oracle on vinyl now.
