Chris Joannou
Encyclopedia
Christopher John Joannou (born 10 November 1979) is a Macedonian Australian
musician, best known as the bass player for the successful alternative rock
band Silverchair
. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales
, he has a twin sister and an older sister. He has a nephew and two nieces. He was the first of the three band members to cut his long hair short. Joannou was nicknamed 'Lumberjack' by Silverchair fans for his love of trees, and plaid shirts. Chris' bandmate Ben taught him how to play bass guitar, making him the only Band member who did not know how to play an instrument. However, he learned quickly.
As well as being a well known bassist
, Joannou was the assistant producer
for The Mess Hall
albums Feeling Sideways
and the ARIA
award winning Notes From A Ceiling
.
He has used mainly G&L
and Fender Precision Bass
es, and almost exclusively uses Ampeg
B-15 Portaflex combos. As reported to gearwire.com, Joannou uses an Ampeg SVT-2 into and Ampeg 810 cabinet and a new Ampeg B15 combo in his live set-up.
In 2006 Joannou spoke at the launch of a mental health scholarship set up to honor his cousin Nathan Trepezanov who had committed suicide at the age of 21 in January.
Macedonian Australian
Macedonian Australians are Australians of ethnic Macedonian descent. Many have their origins in the 1920s and 1930s although larger numbers came to Australia after World War II and the Greek Civil War...
musician, best known as the bass player for the successful alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, he has a twin sister and an older sister. He has a nephew and two nieces. He was the first of the three band members to cut his long hair short. Joannou was nicknamed 'Lumberjack' by Silverchair fans for his love of trees, and plaid shirts. Chris' bandmate Ben taught him how to play bass guitar, making him the only Band member who did not know how to play an instrument. However, he learned quickly.
As well as being a well known bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, Joannou was the assistant producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall are a two-piece drums and guitar combo based in Sydney, Australia specialising in "raw, edgy bluesy rock." The band consists of Jed Kurzel and Cec Condon ....
albums Feeling Sideways
Feeling Sideways
Feeling Sideways, produced by Chris Joannou earned an ARIA music award for Best Independent Release. The same year, The Original Drummer, Anthony Johnsen left the band and was replaced with Cec Condon of The Tremors.-Track listing:...
and the ARIA
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
award winning Notes From A Ceiling
Notes From A Ceiling
Notes From A Ceiling is the second album from the Australian two-piece rock band The Mess Hall.The album won an ARIA Music Award for Best Engineer, was short-listed for the inaugural Australian Music Prize and was included in both Triple J and Rolling Stone's Top 50 of 2005.According to Jed Kurzel...
.
He has used mainly G&L
G&L
G&L is a guitar design and production company founded by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Dale Hyatt in the late 1970s. Fender sold his company named Fender in 1965. He designed and produced instruments for Music Man in the 1970s through his company CLF Research. When relations with Music Man...
and Fender Precision Bass
Fender Precision Bass
The Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
es, and almost exclusively uses Ampeg
Ampeg
Ampeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...
B-15 Portaflex combos. As reported to gearwire.com, Joannou uses an Ampeg SVT-2 into and Ampeg 810 cabinet and a new Ampeg B15 combo in his live set-up.
In 2006 Joannou spoke at the launch of a mental health scholarship set up to honor his cousin Nathan Trepezanov who had committed suicide at the age of 21 in January.