bass guitar

dwayne began playing the bass approximately 13 years ago. an autodidact, he wanted better technical ability and decided to take lessons from a professional named Chris Madlan. He explains, " Chris and I explored various bass styles starting with the basic rock tune. we then moved toward more complex styles and finished with jazz."

In 1995, dwayne was introduced to a band called the Jeepneys. After coffee and a discussion he was added to the roster. A funny coincidence in fact is that upon dwayne's arrival to the Jeepneys, Arthur had just decided to leave the band and go solo.
The Jeepneys consisted of current Arthur Yoria drummer Ilya Kolozs, Usep on vocals and guitar, and dwayne on bass. He offers, "When we released our first demo CD our songs were of a linear pop-sound, but had hints of venturing into a more experimental jazzy/pop direction." Shortly afterward the Jeepneys released a second CD exploring a more experimental sound. He explains, "My challenge would include playing either off-kilter, jazzy, funk, or straight pop bass lines that would interact with the ethnically charged beats of Ilya's drumming and Usep's eccentric melodies." The Jeepneys third CD was a move toward a more pop centered sound. Alien Kool-Aid, an instrumental track, took a Kraftwerk inspired beat blended with a high end, "enveloped", repetitive bass line, and a dash of an overdriven hollow-bodied guitar sound to create a dance drone tune. After 4 1/2 years the Jeepneys called it quits shortly after a west coast tour.

In 2000, Usep had started a new project with Jaime Sralla and drummer John Stoddard. After hearing the demo tapes Usep was working on, dwayne decided to join the band. The band became known as The New Guinea Pigs. It was a relatively short lived project; 1 year.

After the New Guinea Pigs dwayne explains, "I was at a crossroad. At that time, I was fairly set on playing a very aggressive style of music." However, in the beginning of 2001, he received a call from fellow Jeepney alumnus, Arthur Yoria. He says, "Arthur explained that he felt I would be a good bass player for the band being that Ilya and I had worked quite well together in the past. We agreed to meet and go over the music they had been recording. I was fairly amazed, to say the least, at the quality of work. After listening to the CD over and over for a few days, I came to the decision that this was an opportunity that I did not want to miss. I also felt that Arthur, Ilya and Matt, were a team that I definitely wanted to work with. I called Arthur and agreed to take the spot." dwayne's part in the Arthur Yoria context is for the most part to play a range of styles from alternative-pop, rock with fuzz , and an R&B funk-like style.

email: dwayne@madrat.com