Christopher Pravdica (born October 2, 1975) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bass guitarist of American

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

band

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...

Biography

Pravdica is a member of the band Human Impact, along with former members of NYC based bands Cop Shoot Cop and Unsane. Ipecac Records released their first full-length album in March 2020. He was a member of New York-based

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

The Gunga Din The Gunga Din was an American rock band, formed in 1998 in New York City. Featuring vocalist Siobhan Duffy, guitarist/vocalist Bill Bronson, bassist Chris Pravdica, drummer Jim Sclavunos, and keyboardist Maria Zastrow, the band released two alb ...

, which was founded in 1998. The band released two studio album, ''Introducing'' (1999) and ''Glitterati'' (2000). He also puts out solo music under the name We Owe. He performed with

Flux Information Sciences Flux Information Sciences were a three-piece noise rock band based in Brooklyn, New York. The band was formed in 1996 by vocalist/guitarist Tristan Bechet (born in Portugal in 1973, raised in Brazil) and keyboardist Sebastian Brault (born in Madaga ...

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

, alongside fellow The Gunga Gin member Siobhan Duffy. After the break-up of Flux Information Sciences, Pravdica and former member Tristan Bechet founded the band Services, which released its debut album ''Your Desire Is My Business'' in 2005. In 2010, Pravdica joined Swans, which reunited that year. After the reunion, Swans released four studio albums with Pravdica: '' My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky'' (2010), ''

The Seer The Seer may refer to: Film and television * ''The Seer'' (film), a 2007 Italian thriller and horror film * "The Seer" (''Sliders''), an episode of the TV series * "The Seer" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the TV series * "The Seer" ...

'' (2012), ''

To Be Kind ''To Be Kind'' is the thirteenth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans, released on May 12, 2014. It was released as a triple LP, a double CD, and a two-CD deluxe edition that includes a live DVD of performances from Hellfest Ope ...

'' (2014) and ''

The Glowing Man ''The Glowing Man'' is the fourteenth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans, released on June 17, 2016 on Young God and Mute. It is considered the third and final part of a three-album "trilogy", the other two parts being ''The S ...

'' (2016). Pravdica was once also a

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but a ...

Artistry and equipment

Pravdica's rhythmic bass playing for Swans is characterized for its simple grooves, which takes up an important role in the band's music. The minimalist grooves are exemplified on the track "A Little God in My Hands" from ''To Be Kind'', with its 3 note bass line. His basslines are also noted for their "texture and loudness," which cut through the mix. Brice Ezell of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

described bassline of the track "She Loves Us" (''To Be Kind'') as a "gut-punch of a bassline" while stating: "Pravdica sounds like he could lead an army in a triumphant battle march." Ezell also similarly categorized the basslines of the tracks "Oxygen" (''To Be Kind'') and "Jim" (''My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky'') as "infectious" and "catchy," respectively. For his live performances for Swans, Pravdica uses a

Fender Precision Bass The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrum ...

with a pick, accompanied mainly by a

distortion In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...

pedal (Fulltone GT-500) and an Ampeg head and cabinet. He also occasionally performed on

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and Jew's harp on Swans recordings.

Discography

;We Owe * ''Small Truth'' (2021) ;With The Gunga Din * ''Introducing'' (1999) * ''Glitterati'' (2000) ;With Services * ''Your Desire Is My Business'' (2005) ;With Swans * '' My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky'' (2010) * '' We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head'' (2012) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Not Here / Not Now'' (2013) * ''

'' (2014) * '' The Gate'' (2015) * ''

'' (2016) ;Guest contributions *

The Vanity Set The Vanity Set is an indie rock group of mostly second-generation Greek-Americans formed in New York City in 2000. Led by Jim Sclavunos, the drummer/percussionist with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, they describe their music as a blend of "low ar ...

– ''The Vanity Set'' (2000) –

fuzz bass Fuzz bass is a style of playing the electric bass or modifying its signal that produces a buzzy, distorted, overdriven sound, as the name implies. Overdriving a bass signal significantly changes the timbre, adds higher overtones (harmonics) ...

, guitar, banjo, Jew's harp * The Vanity Set / Sally Norvell – "Jump in the Grave"/"

Exit Music (For a Film) ''OK Computer'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in Japan on 21 May 1997 and in the UK on 16 June 1997. Radiohead self-produced the album with Nigel Godrich, an arrangement they have used for their subsequ ...

" (2001) – guitar

References

External links

Young God Records official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pravdica, Christopher American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American rock songwriters American male songwriters Noise rock musicians American experimental musicians Swans (band) members Alternative rock bass guitarists Living people Guitarists from New York City American male guitarists Human Impact members 1975 births