When Paul D'Amour walked away from Tool in 1995, during the recording of Ænima, he had one mission: to avoid letting his role in that band define him forever. Known solely at the time as the heavy-picking bassist behind powerful songs such as “Sober” and “Prison Sex,” D’Amour immediately began taking on projects that showcased his diverse range as a musician: He played guitar in the psychedelic pop band Lusk, formed a cover band called Replicants, flaunted his multi-instrumentalist chops with his solo project Feersum Ennjin, and composed music for movies and television shows.
But after years of redefining himself and sidestepping his identity as a bassist, the 47-year-old has come full circle. On the self-titled debut by his new band, Lesser Key, D’Amour is picking up right where he left off: coaxing signature tones from Music Man StingRay and Rickenbacker basses, and channeling elaborate rhythms and dark melodies in the pursuit of ultimate creativity.
I wish it had been a better vehicle for me to create in, but it just wasn’t. Their creative process is excruciating and tedious, and I guess I never felt the desire to play a riff 500 times before I can confirm that it’s good; that’s why it takes them eight years to write an album.
I always wanted to do other things, and it felt like I was too much in a box with that band. They’re set up where the bass player does the bass part and the guitar player does the guitar part and so on. I couldn’t be stuck in that paradigm– it’s too stifling. I’m not just a bass player; I’m a creator, I wanted to have a bigger role, and it just wasn’t happening in that situation. In the end, I knew leaving was the right decision.
I was just trying to find the power in the songs. The melodicism was already there, so I wanted the role of my bass to be powerful and make a big impact. I wanted to add that punchy “Paul D’Amour sound,” so I tried to do that thing, whatever that thing might be.
This record had to be done quickly, so I used guitar rigs for the basic sounds; a guitar amp can give you a nice tone and some warmth. My pick work dictates most of my sound. I can play through a lot of different basses and amps that are nothing alike, and it will always sound like me. If you could put a grand piano through a Marshall, that’s how I would best describe my sound.
I just follow the thread. I feel like songs write themselves if I stay open and become a channel for creativity. It comes from wherever it comes from, but I haven’t figured it out yet. It’s the universe, I guess. I keep finding that emotion and following it, and then it keeps building on itself. When I listen to my songs, even though they’re vastly different, I feel like there’s a common thread that connects them all no matter what the project is.
I’m not a background player. I never have been, and I never want to be the guy who hangs out by the drums and just walks the dog. I like to write impactful parts and rock them out. There’s no reason the bass shouldn’t be right up front. I always believe that my parts are more important than the guitar player’s.
LISTEN
Lesser Key, Lesser Key [Sumerian]
