Steven Shane "Steve" McDonald (born May 24, 1967) is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musician, best known as the bass guitarist in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band

Redd Kross Redd Kross is an American rock band from Hawthorne, California, who had their roots in 1978 in a punk rock band called the Tourists, which was started by brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald while Steve was still in middle school. With the additio ...

. He is a founding member of the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band

Off! Off! (stylized as OFF!) is an American hardcore punk supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in late 2009 by Circle Jerks/ Black Flag singer Keith Morris, Burning Brides frontman Dimitri Coats, Redd Kross bassist Steven Shane McDonald ...

– serving as a member from 2009 to 2021 – as well as the current bassist for the

Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...

. McDonald has appeared in numerous film projects with his older brother

Jeff McDonald Jeff McDonald (born 1963 in Hawthorne, California) is an American singer and guitarist best known for being a co-founder of alternative rock band Redd Kross with his younger brother, Steven Shane McDonald. In the early 2000s, he played in Ze ...

, including the 1984 film '' Desperate Teenage Lovedolls'' and its sequel '' Lovedolls Superstar''; and the 1990 film ''

Spirit of '76 Spirit of '76 may refer to: * Spirit of '76 (sentiment), patriotic sentiment engendered by the American Revolution * ''The Spirit of '76'' (painting), a painting by Archibald Willard * ''Spirit of '76'' (album), a 1975 album by Spirit * Spirit ...

''.

Career

Steven McDonald began his career in 1978, when he and his brother Jeff were 11 and 14 respectively. During those times, they lived in

Hawthorne, California Hawthorne is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city region commonly called the South Bay. As of the 2020 US census, Hawthorne had a population of 88,0 ...

and were discovering underground music through ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential criti ...

'' and ''Rock Scene'' magazines. Their real inspiration for the punk rock music began with Black Flag. Despite their age, The Flag added them to their member list. Soon after, they formed a band

and performed their first show titled "Red Cross" at the eighth-grade graduation of one of their classmates. McDonald produced an album by

The Format The Format is an American indie rock band formed by Nate Ruess and Sam Means. Their style can be considered a mixture of indie, alternative, punk and folk music, with elements of 1960s and 1970s pop music. Though Means and Ruess are the foremost ...

, ''

Dog Problems ''Dog Problems'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Format, released on July 11, 2006, through their own label The Vanity Label. Following the release of their debut studio album, ''Interventions + Lullabies'' (2003), the band we ...

'', on which he played bass and sang backup vocals on a few tracks. He later produced, engineered, and mixed

fun. Fun (stylized as fun.) is an American pop rock band based in New York City. The band consists of Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train and Bleachers), Andrew Dost (formerly of Anathallo), and Nate Ruess (then-former lead singer of the Format). Fun fo ...

's debut album, ''

Aim and Ignite ''Aim and Ignite'' is the debut studio album by American indie pop band Fun. It was recorded at Appletree Studios. Background On February 4, 2008, The Format broke up. Soon after, vocalist Nate Ruess had called up Jack Antonoff, from the band ...

'', as well as performing as a bassist and backup vocalist on some of the songs. He was also one of the various band members on the original ''Tenacious D'' album, along with

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...

; keyboardist

Page McConnell Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish. In addition to having been a member of Phish since 1985, ...

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

; guitarist

Warren Fitzgerald Warren Fitzgerald (born September 15, 1968) is an American punk rock guitarist, songwriter, and record label owner. He is best known for being the guitarist of The Vandals and Oingo Boingo. He is also co-founder of Kung Fu Records, along with ...

with band frontmen

Jack Black Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''E ...

and

Kyle Gass Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, comedian and actor best known for co-founding—and being a member of—Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band. He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band, ...

. He appeared with Tenacious D on ''

MADtv ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...

'' playing "Lee" and "Tribute". McDonald also featured briefly on bass in Kyle Gass' side-project Trainwreck in 2002 and 2003, under the pseudonym "Slim Watkins", before being succeeded by

John Spiker Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenaci ...

. In the summer of 2002 he became so excited about

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums with ...

' new album, ''

White Blood Cells White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...

'', that he recorded bass lines to two songs of the typically bass-less duo's work. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' and other outlets reported on it and due to overwhelming demand he added bass to all of the songs, posted the new creation online, and allowed people to download the tracks for free. He called it an art project named Redd Blood Cells which reached a peak of 60,000 downloads in a single day, causing the server to crash from the traffic. In 2006, MacDonald joined Sparks on tour in support of their album Hello Young Lovers. In 2015, it was announced that McDonald would be joining the

. He recorded four songs with the band, which were first released on the limited edition EP ''War Pussy'' and later included on the album '' Basses Loaded''. Their first full release with McDonald, a double album titled '' A Walk with Love & Death'', was released on July 7, 2017. McDonald co-wrote "Embrace the Rub" with his wife Anna Waronker of

That Dog That Dog (styled as that dog.) is a Los Angeles-based rock band that formed in 1992 and dissolved in 1997, reuniting in 2011. The band originally consisted of Anna Waronker on lead vocals and guitar, Rachel Haden on bass guitar and vocals, her s ...

and

Josh Klinghoffer Josh Adam Klinghoffer (born October 3, 1979) is an American musician best known for being the guitarist for the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019, with whom he recorded two studio albums, '' I'm with You'' (2011) and '' The Getaw ...

of the

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 ...

Personal life

Steven is married to

vocalist Anna Waronker.

Partial discography

Redd Kross

* ''Red Cross'' (1980; EP) *'' Born Innocent'' (1982) *'' Teen Babes from Monsanto'' (1984; EP) *'' Neurotica'' (1987) *''

Third Eye The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is a mystical invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. In Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna (or brow) chakra. In ...

'' (1990) *'' Phaseshifter'' (1993) *''

Show World ''Show World'' is an album by rock band Redd Kross, released in 1997. Three singles were issued in the UK: "Get Out of Myself", "Mess Around", and "Secret Life". The US promotional singles were "Stoned", "Get Out of Myself", and "Mess Around". C ...

'' (1997) *'' Researching the Blues'' (2012) *'' Beyond the Door'' (2019)

Off!

*''

First Four EPs ''First Four EPs'' is the debut studio album by the band Off! which features former Black Flag and Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris. The four 7-inch EP vinyl box set collection was released on December 14, 2010, by Vice Records, the CD version ...

'' (2010) *''

'' (2012) *''

Wasted Years "Wasted Years" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the band's fourteenth single released and the first from their sixth studio album, '' Somewhere in Time'' (1986). It is the only song on the album that features no synthe ...

'' (2014)

Melvins

*'' Basses Loaded'' (2016; select songs) *'' A Walk with Love & Death'' (2017) *''

Pinkus Abortion Technician ''Pinkus Abortion Technician'' is the 23rd album by American rock band Melvins, released on April 20, 2018 through Ipecac Recordings. It features both "ongoing" bass player Steven McDonald and "occasional bottom ender" Jeff Pinkus, who receives ...

'' (2018) *'' Five Legged Dog'' (2021)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Steven Shane 1967 births American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Living people Redd Kross members Tenacious D members American punk rock bass guitarists Alternative rock bass guitarists Musicians from Hawthorne, California Melvins members Off! members 20th-century American guitarists Trainwreck with Kyle Gass members