What The Hell Is He Doing With His Thumb? Interview with Ben Bennett of Xoth
As much as we here at TheBassChannel.net love interviewing our heroes and some of the biggest names in bass playing like Michael Manring, Paolo Rossi, and Nick Beggs, it’s important to remember that for every player that has climbed Rock Star Mountain to one of its many peaks, there are hundreds of thousands of us still on the ascent. Ben Bennett, bassist for Seattle-based tech death band Xoth, is one of those players. An incredibly talented musician who has developed a hybrid right hand technique that not only impresses everyone who gets a chance to see him play, but also perfectly suits the assault of Xoth as a whole, Ben took some time out of his day to talk about his playing, his speed chopper technique, and how to get the bass nice and high in the mix. (Spoiler- the answer is “produce”.)
image credit- Ben Bennett
Doug Robertson- Let’s start at the beginning- How did you get into bass? How long have you been playing? Was there a bassist or group of bassists who inspired you to pick up the instrument?
Ben Bennett- For some reason, when I was ten or twelve years old, my friend at the time told me about how “low” a bass guitar sounded. I can’t really tell you why, but that really sparked my imagination. My wonderful supportive parents decided to give me a bass for my 12th birthday. I was absolutely pumped. The first thing I learned was “Wild Thing”. Pretty soon I was obsessed with playing in a band. I spent most of my time at school imagining playing live shows, writing lyrics, and designing logos. From then I was determined to play bass like Bob Daisley off of the Blizzard of Ozz album. Besides being a freak for Ozzy Osbourne, I was really into RHCP and basic intro bands of rock like Kiss or System of a Down. I just wanted to play rock music, and the more I kept learning bass lines, the further into complex and technical music I went. I was always looking for something more extreme.
DR- What is your current set up? What is your main bass or basses? What does your signal chain look like? If you had to pick your Can’t Live Without gear, what would that be and why?
BB- Right now I am playing through a LH1000 Hartke head and the Hydrive 4x10 cab. For the longest time I was playing through an Ampeg SVT-VR with the matching cab. That amp sounded great but it was a constant disappointment. I had an ‘07 model. From what I heard, that was when they moved the manufacturing plant to Vietnam, and the quality control standards of the electronics started to slip. If I was playing at a bar or some dive there was never enough power to turn the thing off standby. I much prefer using my Hartke setup, because it is absolutely no frills clean. It doesn't hide poor playing. You need to be a clean player to operate that beast. I love the lightweight cab and head, especially as time goes on and I get older.
I have been playing my Fender American Precision Deluxe for 12 years. I am a one bass kind of guy. I might pick up a 5 string in the near future, but I am absolutely dedicated to my one bass. It just feels like home when I sit down with it. I’m a firm believer in a solid instrument warping (in a good way) to your style of playing. There is a reason that string instruments from hundreds of years ago are so valuable and sought after. The wood of a good instrument absorbs the essence and soul of the player. I can’t live without that baby.
image credit- Ben Bennett
If I had to pick one set up it would be my current set up. Bass, SansAmp (for some high clang to be heard over the chaos in an extreme metal band) and my Hartke LH1000. I would keep my 4x10 but I would add an additional 1x15 to really round out the low end. I have to send home a point here to gear nerds- Having a hobby and collecting boutique gear is awesome. There is nothing wrong with it. I was teaching at a [music] school for a few years, and the adult students would blow so much cash on high end gear. They were always bringing in the new Kemper amp or some $2,000 bass. They were obsessed with finding Tone. I would always laugh when I would pick up the shitty Ibanez small scale that had been beaten to hell by the kids and still sound like me through a PA. This is especially important to note with us bassists- the tone is 90% in your hands. We play a clean instrument and how you emote musically and how you attack the bass is how it’s going to sound. No pedal or amp is going to change that for you. This is a constant point of contention that I have with modern metal tones. I don't have any objection with using Darkglass electronics, but squishing your sound into a distorted fart and giving the low end to the kick and guitar is just useless. You might as well play a 7 string guitar. Natural is beautiful baby.
DR- Tell us about Xoth. How would you define the band? What is your role in the band? How long have you been together?
BB- Xoth is my best friends and I playing music. We have been together since 2014. These guys really understand my personality and let me be me with what I play. Besides being the bassist I am the producer. I also engineer, mix, master, and produce performances and ideas. I help out with organizing some of the compositions and I am also the roadie. The last album we put out [Ed. Note- Interdimensional Invocations] my good friend Joe Cincotta mixed. Joe is an absolute unit. He has produced Obituary and Suffocation among other death metal giants.
DR- I noticed in your “Invasion of the Tentacube” playthrough on YouTube that you incorporate a lot of double thumb (I think) and other non-traditional metal bass techniques. Can you talk about your physical approach to playing extreme metal and who you have been inspired by in this especially technical genre?
Watch this and the video above and you’ll see exactly why we had to talk to this dude.
BB- Ok. The one question that everyone asks- My weird style. First off, I don't recommend it, it really kills your hands. I am a massive fan of jazz music. When I was a kid I was obsessed with Stanley Clarke. I managed to meet him one time at his house and play on his RTF Romantic Warrior bass. Needless to say, I failed horribly. I will never forget that. The first releases with Xoth I was having an insane time trying to keep up with the 16th notes. I tried playing like Alex Webster but I think I am too stupid at math to break things down into groups of 3. I was always a slapper, so I would constantly play slapped 8th notes. I loved the attack and balls of it when it went along with a blast beat. One day I just said “fuck it” turned my hand towards my body, clenched my thumb against my fist and started to trem pick like a guitarist. Now, this is just how I play. I like to call it “Speed Chopper Bass”. I absolutely love brutal music, but besides Alex Webster there hasn’t been much “bass” inspiration in that genre. [Ed. Note- To the comment section, bass nerds! To respectful battle!] I always just want to be in the league of my favorite player Victor Bailey. I go through phases of what I listen to, but Frank Zappa is my all time favorite. I am a freak for that guy. I draw inspiration from whatever inspires me and throw it into the medium that I am best at playing- Extreme Metal.
DR- Going from playing the parts to writing the parts- How challenging is it to fill that bass range in a band with so much going on musically and how do you think about taking up the musical real estate that belongs to bass? Is there a lot of conversation between you and your drummer about locking in with him when he’s playing blazing double bass? Or with your guitar players when their tuning might start intruding on our territory?
BB- Alright, this is going to sound goofy but here it is- I improvise almost everything. Besides what needs to be united between the three string players I just play. I write most of my lines in the studio (aka my bedroom). I will loop parts and whatever is the most interesting part that comes out of my improvisations is what I stick with it. I am not someone to methodically write parts out. I take the philosophy that bass is the instrument of the soul. Souls don’t think, they just act. It’s surprising how much you can accomplish in life by using your intuition. Your gut usually is right about things. Me and my wonderful drummer, Jeremy Salvo, kind of just instinctually work together. It just is. I love my friends in this band. We all have a role and a job. We just know what works and it comes out that way. Chemistry is the most important thing besides skill in a band scenario. You can't have something authentic if it’s a one man show and you're just floating there in the footsteps.
DR- The bass on Interdimensional Invocations is very clear in the mix, making it easier to hear the work you’re doing than it might be in a lot of other extreme music where bass is often buried. I notice that you’re also listed separately as the producer on that album (“Produced by Xoth and Ben Bennett” is the credit.) Coincidence? Or is that the secret to getting ourselves higher in the mix?
BB- Like I said in one of the previous questions, producer Joe Cincotta is a very close friend of mine and a bassist. I was having a hard time staying objective with our second album and I trusted him on where the bass should sit. I produced the performances and made the party happen. I think that all bassists really have that role of the middleman between the strings and the drummer. We are strange half breeds that don't have a place on either side. I think that this puts us in a very good position to arrange and organize things, bring the best out of our bandmates, and put the heart into things.
Speaking of my work on the producing end, if anybody is interested in having their albums mixed, edited, or mastered, I am open to work with anybody at reasonable prices. Just email me at benlorenzbennett@gmail.com I am really trying to broaden my portfolio and get out of construction work.
DR- Do you ever wish that you wrote parts that let you ride the root note and shovel eighths? Or at least one song? Just to have a break in the set?
BB- Believe it or not, the song “Hauruspex” was the track I decided to ride out. Maybe I just can’t live like that. I was commissioned to record for a (he will remain unknown) rock star earlier this year. He kept sending back tracks to me saying to keep it simple. I said “fuck it” and recorded a literal one note song (well, 90% if it was one note). It was actually challenging to perfectly time one slap on the E string for quarter notes for 5 minutes. I think I was losing my mind. Needless to say, it didn't work out between us due to contractual reasons. My two cents here for anybody working with signed artists- Send the contract to a lawyer and have them look it over. You probably don’t understand legaleeze.
DR- More seriously, is there a secret to learning to play at the speed and technicality that you play beyond “Practice more”? Who do you look to when you want to be inspired to practice more or learn that new thing? When you learn covers, what are you learning?
BB- Jazz music is where it's at. Right now I am trying to really understand non-functional harmony and breakthrough to the bizarre realm of music. I love experimentation. Kings of old determined what the great composers would play, and unfortunately we still exist within their musical rules. Jazz music broke through this. It’s a lifelong goal to really be a jazz player, and I don't think I will ever be satisfied at where I am. I feel that a lot of players just get complacent with what they are doing and kind of just exist. I can't live like that. I need something bigger every day. For playing fast, I have to sound like the same broken record of other teachers. Learn your modes, learn sequences, learn arpeggios, learn all the basics, and then practice to a metronome increasing by 5 bpm every time you can play it cleanly ten times in a row or so. I practice mostly on my cheap Ibanez acoustic bass. That’s how you really build endurance. For coming up with interesting ideas on the fly, put on jazz backing tracks and play your heart out.
DR- How is the scene in Seattle when it comes to shows for bands like yours? We’ll pretend for this question that the entire planet isn’t shut down right now.
BB- The Seattle scene is great for traditional metal, indie-rock, hip-hop, electronic, and punk. The scene is terrible for Tech Death. There are a few homies here I will name drop, The Devils of Loudun, Aetherius, and Vitriol. Right now the PNW is really focused on doom music, or cheap low-fi black metal. That style of music has a very specific look and atmosphere that kind of embodies the misanthropic hipster lifestyle of area here. We just make our own way. We play corporate events. We want to show regular people that it's about passion. We have played weddings, corporate parties at breweries, birthdays, and block parties. The kids love us. We have a yearly festival called Hail Santa that really kicks ass. It’s a Christmas fest. I highly recommend checking it out when the shut down is over. It's going to be bigger than ever for the next one.
DR- How has the band been weathering The Great Stay Home of 2020? Have you been able to safely be in a room together and move air with loud amps?
BB- The band has been doing good. We are writing our third album and rehearsing for the great comeback of 2021. I really miss playing live, and I am sure most of you do too. The last show I saw was Ike Willis from Frank Zappa's classic 80's line up. We hung out, talked, and he even humored me by playing “Cyborg” at sound check. When this thing is over, I am not going to take shows for granted. I miss live music.
DR- What can people do to support Xoth right now and going forward?
BB- We are constantly updating our store with merch. Visit Xoth.bandcamp.com and place some orders. Like I said previously, I am a music teacher and am always looking for new students. Feel free to personally reach me at benlorenzbennett@gmail.com and we can talk about whatever you want. Besides lessons I am open to mix and produce records. Don't worry, I know what it's like to have limited funds and I am willing to work out killer deals. So, if you like the Xoth stuff we can work together on mixing your band, or I can always help with production tips. For whatever reason whatsoever, feel free to e-mail me. I love all you guys.
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I really appreciate Ben sitting down at his computer to chat with me, and highly suggest the headbangers among our readers (and also anyone with good taste) head over to Xoth’s bandcamp and YouTube and check them out. Ben also has a YouTube and Instagram where he demonstrates his style and goes over songs and technique. So throw him a follow on those. Xoth now has black, clear, blue, and green colored vinyl of their latest release- Interdimensional Invocations- on sale at their Bandcamp. I found them because I like to open my Bandcamp app, go to the metal section, and click on band’s with interesting album covers or names until I find something that turns me on. Xoth hit me right between the eyes. This is a fun way to spend pandemic-induced insomnia evenings if you’ve already watched all of YouTube. That speed chopper thumb style, as he calls it, makes my hand hurt to watching it.
Doug Robertson is the editor of The Bass Blog, the blog component of The Bass Channel, your one stop YouTube channel for all things bass. His number one is a Mexican Geddy Lee Signature Jazz and his boomer is a BEAD tuned T-Bird. Find books by Doug here. If you’re interested in contributing to The Bass Blog please reach out to Doug at doug@thebasschannel.net. We would love to hear from you.
