Marty O'Brien is an American bass guitarist. He plays professionally for
live touring musical acts,
recording sessions, television, and film scores all of which encompass a range of genres such as pop and rock, thereby collaborating with various musical artists. O'Brien's discography is generally diverse yet also maintains a notable background and standing in the
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
and
metal music
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...
genres.
O'Brien's live credits include tours with bands such as
Disturbed
Disturbed may refer to:
Books
* ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author)
Film and TV
* ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell
* "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs''
* "The Disturbed", a 20 ...
,
MTV News, Joe D'Angelo, January 12, 2001; O'Brien to Fill Kmak Spot for Disturbed European Tour Tommy Lee,
Static-X
Static-X is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long-held constant with band founder, frontman, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until his ...
,
Methods of Mayhem,
Lita Ford,
Daughtry, and
Steven Adler
Steven Adler (born Michael Coletti; January 22, 1965) is an American musician. He was the drummer and co-songwriter of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s. Adler was fired from Guns N' Roses ...
, among others. He has performed on three different
Ozzfest tours, each time with a different band (Ozzfest's 1998, 2000, 2002). Also a busy session-bassist, most of this work taking place in his current home base of Los Angeles, O'Brien has recorded with numerous artists such as
Celine Dion,
Chris Cornell,
Brian McKnight,
Tommy Lee,
Jason C. Miller
Jason Charles Miller is an American musician, singer and songwriter known for his solo career as well as being the lead vocalist and guitarist of the industrial rock band Godhead. He is a voice actor, appearing in various animation and video gam ...
,
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...
,
Gus G.
Kostas Karamitroudis (born 12 September 1980), better known as Gus G, is a Greek heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind. He has also played in Mystic Prophecy, Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil and Ozzy Osbourne ...
, Lita Ford, and
Kelly Clarkson.
[ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/marty-obrien-mn0000120274/creditsMarty O'Brien Credits via AllMusic.]
Early life
Born and raised in
Pawtucket, Rhode Island, O'Brien started playing bass at the age of 13. By age 16, he had joined his first local rock band, and by 19, was playing local live shows in
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, as well other cities along the east coast such as Boston and New York City.
Career
Kilgore
O'Brien's professional career began in 1998 when a local
Providence, Rhode Island based band,
Kilgore asked him to join their lineup as their new bassist. A few weeks after joining, the band embarked on the
Ozzfest 98 summer festival tour, where the band shared the stage with such bands as
Ozzy Osbourne,
Tool,
Incubus,
System of a Down,
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...
, and
Motörhead. Next came a North American tour supporting
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
and
Fear Factory, then a European tour in the winter, supporting
Fear Factory. In January 1999, vocalist
Jay Berndt quit the band, which eventually led to the end of
Kilgore.
Methods of Mayhem
In April 2000, O'Brien moved to Los Angeles, and just three weeks later was asked to audition for Tommy Lee's new band
Methods of Mayhem. O'Brien was offered the job the same day as the audition, and the band left for Europe eight days later and spent the summer playing some of the biggest festivals across Europe. (
Dynamo Open Air,
Rock Am Ring
The (German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at the Zeppelinfeld ...
,
Rock Im Park,
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
). Next, the band spent the rest of the summer touring the U.S. on the
Ozzfest 2000 festival, sharing the main-stage with bands
Ozzy Osbourne,
Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...
,
Godsmack,
Static-X
Static-X is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long-held constant with band founder, frontman, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until his ...
,
Incubus,
P.O.D.
P.O.D., an initialism for Payable on Death, is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of drummer and rhythm guitarist Wuv Bernardo, vocalist Sonny Sandoval, bassist Traa ...
,
Queens of the Stone Age, and
Disturbed
Disturbed may refer to:
Books
* ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author)
Film and TV
* ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell
* "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs''
* "The Disturbed", a 20 ...
.
Disturbed
In early 2001, the multi-platinum selling metal band
Disturbed
Disturbed may refer to:
Books
* ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author)
Film and TV
* ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell
* "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs''
* "The Disturbed", a 20 ...
asked O'Brien to join them on tour after their bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak had broken his ankle in a fall from a fire escape outside the band's rehearsal complex. O'Brien spent two months playing bass for
Disturbed
Disturbed may refer to:
Books
* ''Disturbed'', a 2011 novel by Kevin O'Brien (author)
Film and TV
* ''Disturbed'' (film), a 1990 film starring Malcolm McDowell
* "Disturbed" (''Numb3rs''), a 2009 episode of ''Numb3rs''
* "The Disturbed", a 20 ...
on an extensive tour throughout Europe, opening for
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
.
Static-X
In the summer of 2001, the multi-platinum selling band
Static-X
Static-X is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long-held constant with band founder, frontman, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until his ...
called upon O'Brien to fill-in on tour after their bassist
Tony Campos had fractured his collar-bone in a motorcycle accident. After having only one rehearsal with the band, O'Brien toured with
Static-X
Static-X is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long-held constant with band founder, frontman, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until his ...
on the "Extreme Steel Tour" which also included the legendary pairing of the bands
Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...
and
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
. This would ultimately be Pantera's last tour ever.
Tommy Lee
Between 2002 and 2005,
Tommy Lee recorded and released two solo albums. In 2002, ''Never a Dull Moment'' was released, on which O'Brien has a songwriting credit, and 2005's ''Tommyland: The Ride''. From 2002 to 2005, during the promotion of both those records, O'Brien played bass on both world tours and performed on several TV shows, including ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'', ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show'',
The Celebrity Roast of Pamela Anderson, and a handful of European TV shows, including ''
Top of the Pops''.
Recording career
In 2004, O'Brien chose to focus more on recording sessions in Los Angeles. Over the next few years, O'Brien quickly accumulated an impressive resume of artists that he has recorded with, such as
Celine Dion,
Chris Cornell,
Brian McKnight,
Mýa,
Tommy Lee,
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...
, and
Kelly Clarkson, including her number-one single, "
Because of You Because of You may refer to:
Music
Albums
* ''Because of You'' (James Darren album), 2001
* ''Because of You'' (Ne-Yo album), 2007, and the title song (see below)
* ''Because of You'' (Tony Bennett album), 1952, and the title song, a cover ...
", on the grammy-award-winning album,
''Breakaway''.
We Are the Fallen
In 2009 O'Brien became a member of the new band
We Are the Fallen
We Are the Fallen is an American hard rock band consisting of Irish singer and former ''American Idol'' contestant Carly Smithson, guitarist Ben Moody, guitarist John LeCompt, drummer Rocky Gray, and bassist Marty O'Brien. Moody, LeCompt, and ...
, along with former
Evanescence members
Ben Moody,
Rocky Gray
William Rocky Gray (born July 2, 1974) is a drummer and guitarist who has been part of the Arkansas metal scene since the early 1990s. He is best known as a former drummer of the rock band Evanescence from 2003-2007. He is the lead guitarist ...
, and
John LeCompt
John Charles LeCompt (born March 10, 1973) is an American guitarist who has been part of the Little Rock metal music since the mid-1990s. He played rhythm guitar for the rock band Evanescence from 2003 to 2007. One of LeCompt's main collaborato ...
, featuring
American Idol runner-up
Carly Smithson on vocals. The band was launched on June 22, 2009, at a press conference in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
, CA, and soon signed a deal with
Universal Republic Records. Their debut album was released on May 11, 2010, and the band toured extensively throughout that year, supporting the band
HIM, as well as playing many summer festivals in Europe such as
Download Festival
Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...
and
Rock Am Ring
The (German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at the Zeppelinfeld ...
.
Lita Ford
In early 2012, O'Brien joined
Lita Ford's touring band. The band toured extensively in 2012 as the opening act for
Def Leppard and toured the world in 2013 in support ''
Living Like a Runaway
''Living Like a Runaway'' is the eighth solo studio album from American rock-musician Lita Ford, released in June 2012. This is the first album of Ford's to be released on SPV/Steamhammer Records. "SPV gets who I am, my work, and what it takes to ...
''. O'Brien played bass on Lita Ford's 2013 live album ''The Bitch Is Back...Live''.
Daughtry
In May of 2022, O'Brien left
Lita Ford and announced that he would be playing bass on
Daughtry's "Dearly Beloved" tour throughout 2022.
Recording discography
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Marty
American bass guitarists
Living people
We Are the Fallen members
Year of birth missing (living people)
People from Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Guitarists from Los Angeles
Methods of Mayhem members
Heaven Below members