Mike Hall (born October 23, 1989) is an American bassist from

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,937. Located along the Morris & Essex Lines, it is noted for Madison's historic railroad station becoming one ...

. Hall is best known for his bass playing style as a solo

instrumentalist A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

, primarily through a playing technique that blends the use of two handed tapping, slapping,

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

, and creating several solo bass instrumental arrangements.

Early life

Hall was born on October 23, 1989 and raised in

. While in elementary school, he began playing the cello as his first serious instrument. Upon entering middle school, Hall's orchestra teacher switched him onto the upright bass due to his poor posture from childhood

scoliosis Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not t ...

. After graduating from

Madison High School Madison High School may refer to: * Madison County High School (Alabama), Gurley, Alabama * Madison High School (Idaho), Rexburg, Idaho * Madison Consolidated High School, Madison, Indiana * Madison High School (Kansas), Madison, Kansas * Kentucky ...

in 2008, Hall elected to switch over to playing the bass guitar.

Musical career

Hall co-founded and managed the pop rock band ''Running Late''. In 2020, Hall left Running Late and pursued becoming a solo

under the artist name of "Mike Hall Bass". Following his departure from the band, Hall received critical acclaim for his hybrid bass playing style that combines aspects of two handed tapping, slapping, and

. Hall's creative approach towards arranging solo bass instrumental covers has also been the subject of education within the bass playing community.

Influences

Hall has cited numerous bassists as inspirations for developing his bass playing style, including

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from

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

Cliff Burton Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician who was the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica from 1982 until his death in 1986. He performed on ''Kill 'Em All'' (1983), '' Ride the Lightning'' (1984 ...

from

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Larry Graham Larry Graham Jr. (born August 14, 1946) is an American bassist and baritone singer, both with the psychedelic soul/funk band Sly and the Family Stone and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. In 1980, he released the single "O ...

from

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-i ...

, and

Victor Wooten Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the group's formation in 1988 and a member of the band SMV with two other ...

from

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá, derived from ''bílá'' (''whit ...

Education

Hall graduated from

Centenary University Centenary University is a private liberal arts university in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Founded as a preparatory school by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1867, Centenary evolved into a Junior College for women and later ...

as a double major in criminal justice and political science. He also graduated from

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

with an MBA in marketing.

Discography

Track list provided via

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

. * ''The Next Step'' P(2021) * "Fireflies: Owl City (Solo Bass Cover)" (single) (2021) * "You'll Be in My Heart (Solo Bass Cover)" (single) (2021) * "Californication (Solo Bass Cover)" (single) (2021) *"Heartless (Solo Bass Cover)" (Single) (2021) *"Everlong" (Single) (2021) *"Clair De Lune" (Single) (2022)

References

External links

DiscographyOfficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Mike 1989 births Living people Instrumental albums American pop guitarists American bass guitarists Flamenco Madison High School (New Jersey) alumni Musicians from New Jersey People from Madison, New Jersey