Mike Silverman, better known as That 1 Guy, is an American musician based in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. He frequently performs and records as a
one-man band
A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical or electronic contraptions. One-man bands also often sing while they perform.
The simplest type of "one-man ban ...
, singing and using a variety of homemade
musical instrument
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 ...
s.
Career
Early career
Silverman is a classically trained double bass player who attended the
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students.
History
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgh ...
and developed a career in the progressive
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
scene in the 1990s, performing live and as a studio musician. He started out in a funk, rockabilly, jazz band called "The Fabulous Hedgehogs" before he developed his own style of solo playing and gained a reputation as a one-man rhythm section, incorporating traditional and slap-bass playing with percussive elements using the body of the instrument. When he began to feel limited by his instrument and a heavy schedule of playing and recording for other people, he started to devise a new instrument that would allow him the range to create his own music. At first he sought out professional help in building his instrument, but decided to make it himself because of the projected cost. The end result was the Magic Pipe, a collection of steel plumbing pipes and joints, orchestral bass strings, and electronics.
As That 1 Guy
![Bckethead & That 1 Guy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Bckethead_%26_That_1_Guy.jpg)
Since then, Silverman has developed a career as a
one-man band
A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical or electronic contraptions. One-man bands also often sing while they perform.
The simplest type of "one-man ban ...
under the stage name That 1 Guy, first playing his upright bass, and later singing and
beatboxing
Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. while playing his Magic Pipe,
musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is a hand saw used as a musical instrument. Capable of continuous glissando (portamento), the sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin. The musical saw is classified as a plaque f ...
, various percussive elements, and using digital looping and sampling to perform his songs. His musical influences include
Drums and Tuba
Drums & Tuba was an instrumental rock group. The band formed in Austin, Texas, before relocating to New York City. Their sound fuses electronic rock, progressive rock, jazz and occasionally industrial. They were signed to Righteous Babe Records.
...
,
Rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
,
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
,
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...
, and
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel (;["Seuss"](_blank)
'' Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
, and was invited to play saw (and subsequently bass) on tracks for Waits’
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards album.
He has a cult following in the United States of America, as well as in Australia, which he has toured several times, including performances at major festivals such as
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...
,
Pyramid Rock Festival
The Pyramid Rock Festival was an Australian New Year's Eve camp-out rock music festival at Ventnor on Phillip Island. The original festival in 2004 was organised by local resident, Angus Cameron, and his two cousins.
History
Beginning as a sing ...
, and
Woodford Folk Festival
The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia. Every year ap ...
. He has also played many shows alongside
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
guitarist
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...
, with whom he released a collaborative album under the name
Frankenstein Brothers in 2008.
He has received little mainstream recognition, but did garner attention after the use of his song "Buttmachine" (from his second album, ''
The Moon is Disgusting'') on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
’s original comedy series
Weeds, season 3, episode 9. He started a tour throughout the United States of America in early 2009, and performed at festivals in Canada and France.
Instruments
The Magic Pipe
The Magic Pipe, also known by his close friends as 'The Broken Bowflex', is a homemade, electronically rigged pair of machined aluminum pipes (previously steel in its first incarnation), connected by adjustable phosphorus bronze joints, with each pipe hosting an orchestral
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
string. The harp-shaped instrument is roughly seven feet tall and features 13 trigger points, which can be mapped to various musical sound effects or
samples. The front pipe uses a low C string, while the rear pipe's string is used to achieve more
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
ranged notes. The pipes themselves are employed to produce various percussive sounds while That 1 Guy slaps, plucks, or
bows the strings, as well as occasionally using a drum stick to sound the strings and the pipes at the same time. The creation of the Magic Pipe was based on Silverman's double bass experience, as well as borrowing from the concepts of the
gutbucket and the
diddley bow
The diddley bow is a single-stringed American instrument which influenced the development of the blues sound. It consists of a single string of baling wire tensioned between two nails on a board over a glass bottle, which is used both as a bridg ...
.
The Magic Boot
The Magic Boot is a scorpion-emblazoned
cowboy boot
Cowboy boots are a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a high heel that is traditionally made of stacked leather, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing. Cowboy boots are normally ma ...
, which is wired and fed through the Magic Pipe's audio lines. It is then played as a percussive instrument by tapping on the sole while pinching the boot's opening to achieve different sounds, similar to an African
talking drum
The talking drum is an hourglass-shaped drum from West Africa, whose pitch can be regulated to mimic the tone and prosody of human speech. It has two drumheads connected by leather tension cords, which allow the player to change the pitc ...
.
The Magic Saw
The Magic Saw is a
musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is a hand saw used as a musical instrument. Capable of continuous glissando (portamento), the sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin. The musical saw is classified as a plaque f ...
, which is wired into the main effects box. It uses a small adhesive speaker and is played percussively as well as with a violin bow. It sounds similar to a
theremin
The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...
when played and renditions of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" have been performed on numerous occasions.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Let's Hear That 1 Guy''
* ''Songs in the Key of Beotch'' (2000, re-released 2004)
* ''
The Moon Is Disgusting'' (2007)
* ''Mustaches Remix EP'' (2009)
* ''Packs a Wallop!'' (2010)
* ''Poseidon's Deep Water Adventure Friends'' (2014)
* ''Set the Controls for the Heart of the Buttnoggin'' (2020)
Frankenstein Brothers (with Buckethead)
* ''
Bolt on Neck'' (2008)
DVD
* ''Live in the Land of Oz'' (DVD, 2007)
References
External links
That 1 Guyofficial website
Righteous Babe Records pageInterview with That 1 Guy on Amped Up TV (VIDEO)
{{DEFAULTSORT:That 1 Guy
American musical instrument makers
San Francisco Conservatory of Music alumni
Living people
One-man bands
Place of birth missing (living people)
American male composers
21st-century American composers
21st-century American male musicians
Year of birth missing (living people)