Reader Spotlight: Sean Bellamy

Sean Bellamy

From where I sit, it sure looks like bassist Sean Bellamy is living the dream. For starters, he lives in Music City, has steady gigs, and interned with Victor Wooten and Chuck Rainey.

Sean is the No Treble reader in the spotlight for the week of October 26th, and here’s his story…

Bio:

Sean Bellamy is a bassist and vocalist from Nashville, TN. He has had the pleasure of studying under some of the finest musicians in the area including Victor Wooten and Sean O’Bryan Smith. Sean has interned with both Victor Wooten and Chuck Rainey in the summers of 2014 and 2015. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2015 studying Music Industry with a focus on jazz bass. For the past five years, he has played with many bands on Nashville’s famous Broadway entertainment district, including The Matte Gray Band, The Andrew Velez Band, The Front Porch Playboys, The Nashville Nobodies and many others. He is currently touring with the Goldy lockS Band playing bass and singing background vocals as well as playing many sub gigs with Nashville-based artists and bands.

Location:

Nashville, TN, USA

Day gig:

Music is my career and my life!

Years experience:

14 years

Bands & Gigs:

I am the bassist for two bands here in the Nashville area. My main gig is with The Goldy lockS Band, a rock/pop group that I’ve been playing with since March 2015, where I also sing background vocals and the occasional lead vocal.

I also have a recurring gig every Monday night on Broadway here in town with my band the Front Porch Playboys; a southern rock/country group where we play anything from Alan Jackson to Michael Jackson.

I also sing both background and Lead vocals for this group. In addition, I fill my schedule with sub gigs with many bands from the Nashville area.

Gear:

  • Bluesman Vintage ’62 Deville (custom) P/J
  • Electra Phoenix (Double Reverse P)
  • Markbass Little Mark Tube 800
  • Form Factor Cabs

Why I play the bass:

I’ve always been drawn to the way the bass sits in the mix of my favorite records. Something about the lower frequencies just resonates with me (no pun intended). When asked why I played bass and not guitar, I jokingly answer, “I get paid the same amount as the lead guitarist but play half as many notes!”

My bass superpower/claim to fame:

I do everything I can to bring my unique flair to every gig I play; be it a rock, jazz, country, blues or funk show. I have a lot of jazz influences that come through in my playing even if I’m just holding down a 1-4-5-1 groove for 8 minutes. I try to use my knowledge of chord structures in a way that helps to fill out the song but at the same time not over-step my bounds ass a bassist.

My influences:

Victor Wooten, Sean O’Bryan Smith, Jaco Pastorius, Chuck Rainey, Marcus Miller, Donald “Duck” Dunn, P-nut, Pino Paladino, Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, Billy Cox, Tom Hamilton, Stu Hamm, Christian McBride, the list goes on and on…

More on the web:

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