Chris Wyse

Chris Wyse
Background information
Born	(1969-07-15) July 15, 1969 Queens, New York
Occupation(s)	Bassist, Vocalist, Songwriter, Producer
Instruments	Bass guitar, upright bass
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Roadrunner Records, Cooking Vinyl, Overit
Associated acts	The Cult, Owl, Ozzy Osbourne, Tal Bachman, Jerry Cantrell, Ace Frehley
Website	owltheband.net

Chris Wyse (born July 15, 1969) is an American bassist and vocalist, known for his performances with Ace Frehley, The Cult, Ozzy Osbourne,^[1] Mick Jagger,^[2] Tal Bachman and Jerry Cantrell, among others. Wyse has played with The Cult from 2006 to 2015, and is the vocalist and bassist for Owl, a band he founded in 2007.^[3] Owl, who have been described as "approaching timeless rock structures through a healthy amount of experimentation and instrumental intricacy" ^[4] released their debut in 2009, followed by the album The Right Thing in April 2013. The first music video from the album, the title track's The Right Thing, premiered on Rolling Stone's website in March 2013.^[5] Owl will release their third album, Things You Can't See, in the summer of 2015.^[6]

Biography

Wyse is a first-generation Irish American, and was born in Queens, New York. He discovered the music of Kiss, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin in grade school, and was inspired by Iron Maiden's Steve Harris to play bass. Performing with local bands in New York, Wyse's ability and innovative approach to the bass was quickly acknowledged, and at 17, he was profiled in Guitar Player Magazine. At 20, he was featured in Guitar For the Practicing Musician. In 1990, prompted by the success of a studio session with musicians associated with Steve Vai, Wyse moved to Los Angeles,^[7] where he devoted most of his time to playing with bands. After performing with artists including Guns N' Roses's Chris Pitman and Tool’s Paul D'Amour, Wyse was introduced to acclaimed producer Bob Rock,^[8][9] and became Rock's 'go-to' bassist,^[10] playing with Rock-produced artists including Tal Bachman, as well as continuing to play with other artists, including Scott Weiland. In 2001, Wyse played on the Cult's well-received album, Beyond Good and Evil,^[11] which Rock produced. In 2006, he became the Cult's full-time bass player, touring worldwide and recording two additional albums. In 2004, Wyse was recruited for Ozzy Osbourne's band by drummer Mike Bordin. He played on Ozzy's Under Cover album, which was included in Osbourne's box set, Prince of Darkness.^[12] Additionally, Wyse performed and recorded with Bob Rock's band, the Payola$.

In 2003, Bob Rock, who was then producing Metallica, urged Wyse to audition for the band. He was one of a handful of bassists selected to play with Metallica during the audition process, which was documented in the film Some Kind of Monster.^[13]

In 2007, Wyse founded the current incarnation of Owl, an alternative rock band.^[14] In Owl, Wyse acts as singer, songwriter, and producer, in addition to playing bass guitar and upright bass, sometimes creating Hendrix-like effects on the upright bass by using a bow.^[15] Wyse formed Owl with his childhood friend, drummer Dan Dinsmore, and LA-based guitarist Jason Achilles Mezilis.^[16]

Wyse worked the on the third Owl record, Things You Can't See, in 2014. In addition, he played bass guitar on Ace Frehley's album, Space Invader ^[17] He toured with Frehley following the release of Space Invader. Things You Can't See was released in 2015. as was Frehley's Origins Vol 1. Wyse played bass on the record, which featured Paul Stanley on vocals for the track Fire and Water.^[18]

Wyse left the Cult in 2015, and has continued to tour and record with Frehley.^[19] In 2016, Frehley's Origins Vol. 1 was released. Wyse played bass on the record, which featured Paul Stanley on vocals for the track Fire and Water.^[18]

Discography

Videography/Filmography/Television Appearances

References

External links

• Owl's Website
• Owl On Facebook
• Owl on Twitter
• The Cult's site
• Frehley's site