Reader Spotlight: Timothy Seisser
Meet Timothy Seisser, a bassist from Chicago who started out on bass thanks to it being the only instrument left unchosen. He’s made the most of it in the years since, both playing and building basses.
Timothy is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next). Here’s his story…
Bio:
I started playing bass in junior high and continued more seriously through high school. I started recording and playing gigs at 16 and opted to be schooled in the Chicago scene instead of college. I’ve been playing professionally in Chicago now for almost 15 years. My journey in music has taken me on tour all over the USA and internationally. I’ve played at pretty much every venue in Chicago and with all the local heavies. I toured for a while with a slew of jazz musicians including Makaya McCraven, Marquis Hill, Greg Spero, Nick Colionne, Stephen Lynerd, Willerm Delisfort, Shawn Maxwell, and many others.
More recently I’ve primarily been touring with Progressive Rock group District 97. In 2020 I started work on my new trio record featuring a core of two of my best friends and incredible drummer Jonathan Marks and Keyboardist Andrew Lawrence. Our debut record is being produced by and features Tim Lefevbre as well as Donny McCaslin, Fareed Haque, and Howard Levy. In addition to all this, I also build high end custom bass guitars under the brand, LowDown Bass Guitars. I have been building for almost 10 years now and really enjoy supplying players with high-end, hand-crafted, musical instruments to help them explore new musical territory on the bass guitar.
Location:
Chicago, IL
Years experience:
20+ years
Why I play the bass:
I wanted to join a band with my friends and the only instrument left was bass.
Gear:
I use Markbass amplifiers, Bergantino and Markbass Cabinets. I play my own custom LowDown 6 string bass (made by me!) and I have a HUGE pedalboard which is way too much fun to use.
My Influences:
Jaco, Matthew Garrison, Gary Willis, Hadrien Feraud, Victor Wooten, Michael Manring, Paul Jackson, Les Claypool, Cliff Burton, Dave Holland, and many more.
My bass superpower/claim to fame:
Not only being one of the most technically proficient 6-string bassists on the scene but also, I freakin’ build custom bass guitars by hand. That’s pretty cool, right?
More on the web:
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