The success of Down’s previous albums and tours, which includes dates with Megadeth and Heaven And Hell (Ronnie James Dio plus members of Black Sabbath) and a sellout headlining run in Europe, proves that Down is no side project for Rex and company. With a special Down-only tour tearing through North America during the end of 2007—two solid hours of the purest, unadulterated Down—the band is poised to become a major force in metal.
Each track on the new album sounds like it has its own distinct bass tone to fit the song. How did you approach recording your parts?
I used my Ampeg SVT-4 PRO amps and an old SVT-II plugged into a bunch of different cabinets. I also used this old baffled cab. There were so many different amps in the studio, it was nuts. We used a bunch of different setups—different mics on different rigs for different songs. We got about six channels of bass, decided which ones we liked, and then blended it all together. I’m also using a lot more pedal-driven stuff than I ever have in the past.
During the main riff of “Three Suns and One Star,” you drop a couple of half-notes and add some heavy vibrato. What are you trying to do there?
I’m letting it breathe. If you just play riff, riff, riff, riff, it gets stagnant. Sometimes I also find a derivative, or a different note to play; It adds a different character to the song, and makes you more interested in where it’s going. It also gives the guitars space to move around. That’s what I strive for. It helps that I always know what Jimmy is going to do, so we’ll both change up the rhythm.
Do you have a background in music theory?
Yeah. I was sight-reading bass parts in junior high school, when I was probably 11 or 12. I actually got offered a scholarship to the University of North Texas, which is one of the best music schools in North America, but I was too stoned to take that whole ordeal. So I decided to play in a rock & roll band.
You’ve had some time off with Pantera breaking up and the various members of Down working on other projects for the past few years. Did you practice to keep your chops up?
I don’t practice. I just pick the bass back up when we go through rehearsals; after the first couple of days the fingers are back into shape. But it wasn’t like I stopped and didn’t play at all; I played on some different stuff with [Over the Under producer] Warren Riker—we had a production company going. We’d also try to sign bands and go through that whole rat race. It kept me busy, so I was always playing.
How did Down decide to come back together to record?
A lot has gone down with our bands in the last five years: surgery, personal tragedies, hurricanes. We finally got back together to jam and to get ready to play in Europe. We ended up selling out 21 days there, so we thought, Well, we’ve got to put out a record now.
What was Down’s songwriting process like?
The usual: Someone would come up with a riff, and everyone would jam on it. We had the advantage of Phil [Anselmo, vocalist] having Pro Tools and an engineer at his home studio out in the swamp. It was nice not having to go back and listen to everything and put it on a piece-of-shit 4-track like we’d always done before.
What did the band want to accomplish with this album?
We wanted to keep a constant focus on what the whole record sounds like, to keep the record as cohesive as possible. When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to get a record, put it on the turntable, and go. Like, when you listen to a Zeppelin record, you know what song is coming next. Those days are way over. Today it’s like you burn one song off iTunes instead of buying an album. But do you actually go to a concert because you’ve heard one song off iTunes?
What’s next for you and the band?
Right now we’re focusing on this tour and getting as many kids as we can out to the show—telling them, you know, go out and buy the damn record, get yourself a T-shirt, join the fun. It ain’t bad.
Beer Bottles, Bass & Bad Behavior: Rex In The Studio
During his time off between albums and tours, Rex increasingly has been in demand as a studio bass player and producer. Though he describes his production work as being more of the “Could you produce me a Coors Light over here?” variety, and he insists that he “isn’t like a session guy or anything,” his constantly expanding studio resumé suggests that he’s got a bit more going than he lets on.
Some of Rex’s recent work includes recording a bass track for the forthcoming album by Cavalera Conspiracy, the new project of Sepultura and Soulfly guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera and Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera. “They called me out of the blue and asked me if I wanted to do a track. I asked them to send me the song, and it was awesome—like [Sepultura albums] Chaos A.D. and Roots, that old stuff. It took me about 20 minutes to nail it,” Rex says.
Much of Rex’s other work comes from his partnership with producer Warren Riker. The two have worked together on Crowbar’s most recent album, Lifesblood for the Downtrodden, on which Rex shared production credit and played bass, keyboards, and acoustic guitar. The duo also recently collaborated on tracks for the bands Aeon Spoke and Silicon Fly, both of which also include Rex’s bass playing.
Can Be Heard On
Down, Down III: Over the Under [Down Records]
Crowbar, Lifesblood for the Downtrodden [Candlelight]
Rebel Meets Rebel, Rebel Meets Rebel [Big Vin]
Pantera, Reinventing the Steel [Elektra/Atlantic/Wea]
Currently Spinning
Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger [Lost Highway]
“After a year of listening to our new record, as heavy as it is, I’ve gone back to just listening to mellow shit—something good and poppy. I like the new Ryan Adams record for that mellow vibe.”
Gear
Bass Custom Spector NS4-style bass with EMG P/J pickups (live and studio); various Fender Precision Basses (studio); Fernandez 8-string (studio); C#F#BE and BF#BE tunings; Dunlop Tortex 1mm triangular picks; medium light Dean Markley Blue Steels
“My news Spector is warm and bright, with a crunch and bottom end that this band really needs. It’s been my workhorse—I play it onstage every night.”
Rig Ampeg SVT-4PRO head and SVT-810AV cab (live and studio); Ampeg SVT-II head, various other amps and cabs (studio)
Effects Morley PBA-2 Dual Bass Wah; Ashdown Bass Chorus Plus; MXR Phase 90; Musician Sound Design Earthquake Bass Wah; undisclosed distortion pedal
“I use this one distortion pedal that works more like a gain boost. But I don’t want to give away my secret weapon, because then everyone will go out and get it.”