Reader Spotlight: Zach Fowler

Zach Fowler

Meet Zach Fowler, a bassist living and working in Nashville. Zach got his start on bass thanks to his parents, who bought him a bass for Christmas as a kid, and decided since they spent the money, he should probably give it a shot. The rest is history.

Zach is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next). Here’s his story…

Bio:

A bassist and musician who brings an old-school creative mentality to a new musical environment, Zach Fowler is the complete package… a knowledgeable, groove-oriented bassist with a deep pocket, amazing technical ability, uncanny stage presence, and a soulful solidity. Born into a family that had a wide variety of tastes in music, Zach was exposed to countless genres of music growing up, allowing him to attain a natural sense of groove when he first started playing bass at the age of 14.

Less than a year after picking up the instrument, Zach was playing professionally, and was a standout jazz musician on both electric and upright bass, earning several soloist awards in high school. He went on to attend the University of New Mexico, where he minored in Double Bass Performance and was a member of the award-winning UNM Jazz Orchestra, while also maintaining a rigorous gigging schedule.

After an 11-year stint as bassist and musical director for the Albuquerque-based R&B group, The James Douglas Show, Zach moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he immediately started working with Warner Music Nashville recording artist, Dean Alexander. His first single, “Live a Little,” charted in the Billboard Top 50.

In his first six months in Nashville, Zach also performed with or contributed to noted Nashville artists and producers such as Josh Thompson, Jesse Keith Whitley, and Eric Lee Beddingfield, Sasha McVeigh, Trig County, Cody Purvis, Dusty Hundley, Blake Hall, and others. In 2015, Zach became the bassist and bandleader for Reviver Records country rock duo, LOCASH. Formerly known as the LoCash Cowboys, LOCASH has a string of hits while also contributing as songwriters to a #1 hit by Keith Urban (“You Gonna Fly”) and a Top 10 hit for Tim McGraw (“Truck Yeah”). LOCASH’s single, “I Love This Life,” climbed to #2 on Billboard’s Hot Country chart, and was also the #1 song on Music Row’s Country Breakout chart. The band’s second single, “I Know Somebody,” made a six-spot jump to reach #1 on the Billboard Country chart in late-2016. LOCASH’s most recent single, “Ring on Every Finger” (co-written by Thomas Rhett), is quickly climbing the charts after becoming the band’s third consecutive Top 40 single. LOCASH’s tour schedule easily surpasses 200 dates per year, including international dates. Zach has also appeared with LOCASH on The Today Show (NBC), Fox & Friends (Fox News), The Talk (CBS), and Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC). LOCASH’s monstrous tour schedule will continue well into 2017 as they headline the “Ones to Watch” Tour presented by LiveNation.

Location:

Nashville, TN, United States

Day gig:

Musician

Years experience:

20 years

Bands & Gigs:

Currently the touring bass player and musical director for Reviver Records country/rock duo LOCASH.

Gear:

  • Kiesel JB5 5-string Bass
  • Kiesel PB5 5-string Bass
  • Carvin JB5 5-string Bass
  • Carvin PB5 5-string Bass
  • Carvin Icon 6-string Bass
  • Carvin AG-50 5-string Acoustic Bass
  • NS Design NXT 5-string Electric Upright Bass
  • Epifani UL501 Bass Amplifier
  • Epifani D.I.S.T. 410 Bass Cabinet
  • D’Addario NYXL Bass Strings
  • D’Addario ProSteel Bass Strings
  • Two-Notes LeBass Preamp
  • Two-Notes Torpedo C.A.B. Speaker Simulator
  • Westone In-Ear Monitors
  • Lectrosonics Wireless Systems
  • Reunion Blues Gig Bags

Why I play the bass:

Got my first bass as a Christmas gift from my parents. Figured they probably spent a lot of money on this thing… I better learn how to play it!

My bass superpower/claim to fame:

I’m one of a very select few bass players who are also able to drive a tour bus. Not legally (yet), but in a pinch, I can get you where you need to go.

My influences:

Nathan East, Pino Palladino, Louis Johnson, Leland Sklar, Randy Jackson, Timothy B. Schmit, Mike Porcaro, John Myung, Ric Fierabracci, Victor Wooten, Adam Nitti, Steve Bailey, John Entwistle, John Paul Jones, Ron Carter, Sting, Freddie Washington, Jason Scheff, David Hungate, Brian Bromberg, Tom “T-Bone” Wolk, Verdine White, Gary Willis, Dave Holland, Melvin Lee Davis, Peter Cetera, Neil Stubenhaus, Damian Erskine, Rocco Prestia, Glenn Worf

More on the web:

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