John Spiker’s sudden rise to prominence started when he dropped out of Bowling Green State University at age 19 and split for Los Angeles in 2002. A Little over a year after that night he walked into the bar, he joined Kyle Gass’s band Trainwreck, which led to Tenacious D, a relationship with producer John King, and work on everything from Steve Earle’s Grammy-winning Washington Square Serenade to Beck’s Guerolito to an album of remixes from Herb Alpert’s classic A Taste of Honey. Now 27, Spiker, who just got off the road from months of work with Filter, is busy tracking new releases for both Filter and Tenacious D. Apparently, there’s scoring in a bar, and then there’s scoring in a bar.
What drove you to leave Ohio for Los Angeles, and what have you learned since you’ve been there?
I realized that the only way I would have a chance making a living playing bass would be to pack a suitcase and leave. I didn’t really have a plan; I just knew that I had to take a chance. Since I’ve been in L.A., I’ve learned that what you do when you’re not playing is almost as important as what you do when you are. It might sound antiquated, but it’s really important to make friends and be a good hang when you’re on gigs.
How did you get the gig with Filter?
Their management had heard about me through the grapevine and asked if I would come meet with Richard [Patrick]. He was trying out a few different bassists, but after we hung out and played together for an hour or so, he offered me the job! It’s a great gig. A lot of the songs are centered around a bass riff, but there’s still a lot of space to stretch out and try different stuff every night.
How did your relationship with producer John King impact your career?
I met John through Tenacious D, and I started working with him doing random engineering, editing, and programming on projects that would come along. Over time, we got really comfortable working together, and I ended up playing on quite a few records he produced. Getting to know a producer is a great way to get into session work, especially if that particular producer works a lot.
What was it like tracking with Steve Earle?
It was a real wake-up to being in the digital age. Steve loves New York City, and the whole record Washington Square Serenade had that city running through its veins. So he worked up demos at his home, and then we started tracking in L.A. using those demos as a roadmap. The rest of the record was recorded in New York at Electric Ladyland. I didn’t even meet Steve until the CD had been out for a few months and had won a Grammy!
What kind of bassist do you see yourself as, and what kind of players do you admire?
I’m into groove bassists—players who think about rhythm and locking in with the drummer before they’re worrying about how many notes they’re going to play. I spend a lot of time watching drummers. I’m always trying to be melodic, but at the same time not get in anybody’s way.
How do you think it is that you’ve ended up in such wildly varying gigs in such a short amount of time?
It’s all about not limiting yourself to a genre, and always being open to any gig that comes your way. I hate hearing people say things like, “I hate country music.” It’s so important to listen to everything that’s out there, and find something you like about it. If I’m playing in a rock band, I try to spend time practicing jazz to stay balanced and always be ready for anything that might come along.
Do your parents “get” Tenacious D?
[Laughs.] They try. Now, my grandparents, that’s a different story. I think it must be some kind of language barrier.
CAN BE HEARD ON
Tenacious D, The Pick of Destiny [2006, Epic] Steve Earle, Washington Square Serenade [2007, New West]
CURRENTLY SPINNING
The Beatles, Rubber Soul [1965, Capitol/EMI] “The bass is panned hard left the entire record!” D’Angelo, Voodoo [2000, Virgin] “Great example of Pino Palladino’s versatility.” Queen, News of the World [1977, EMI] “Skip the first two songs—you’ve heard ’em before. The rest of the record is amazing. Really smart bass lines.”
GEAR
Basses Fender Jazz and Precision Basses, Fender Tony Franklin Fretted Precision Bass (“Amazing bass!”), Fender Mustang, Ibanez Black, Danelectro Dano ’63 Long-Scale Live rig Gallien-Krueger 1001 RB-II head, Tech 21 SansAmp RBI, Gallien-Krueger 410RBH 4x10 and 115RBH 1x15 cabs
Effects “I like to keep it pretty simple in terms of effects, but I do keep a Fulltone Bass Overdrive around. I try different stuff from night to night. I have a bunch of weird/cheap pedals that are fun to experiment with. I get a kick out of experimenting with weird stuff in the studio. I have this ’80s Carvin head that I pull out from time to time, I like to use this old Ampeg 4x10 cab that I can’t believe still even works, and I’ve used a Crate GX-15 guitar amp. I don’t really have a go-to signal path, but I do always show up to sessions with a few different basses, and I usually have an Ampeg B-15 on hand.”