Chris Ross
Encyclopedia
Chris Ross is an Australian musician from Erskineville
, New South Wales
. Best known for his former role as bassist and keyboardist of hard rock
band Wolfmother
, Ross was formerly a digital designer and has two children. He is somewhat known for his trademark stage antic of playing the keyboard at a slant or vertically.
(EP) in 2004. The EP was a commercial success, reaching number thirty-five in the ARIA Singles Chart
, and lead to the band securing a record deal with Modular Recordings
. The band's full-length debut, Wolfmother
, was released in Australia in 2005, where it reached number three in the ARIA Albums Chart
. Subsequently released internationally in 2006, the album reached number twenty-two in the American Billboard 200
albums chart and number twenty-five in the UK Albums Chart
. After a period of doubt surrounding the future of the band, Ross and drummer Myles Heskett
left Wolfmother in August 2008 due to "irreconcilable personal and musical differences".
In an interview, Chris Ross described the band as "a psychedelic, sonic, sexual tsunami. You can expect to see three guys getting up on stage, giving it everything they've got, pouring their hearts out, indulging themselves and trying to take the audience on a journey. I think we set out from day one to embarrass ourselves and fail gloriously and we're still trying to fulfill that vision."
Chris and Myles play as members of the Slew (a Kid Koala project) on their world tour.
4003 bass, a Fender P-bass (sunburst with maple neck), and recently a black Fender Jaguar Bass
. His keyboard is a 1979 Korg CX-3 organ. His bass and keyboard are amplified with Ampeg SVT-CL heads through SVT-8x10 cabinets with custom grille cloths. He has also been seen using Ampeg 610HLF cabinets.
Some effects pedals he uses on his bass include an Electro-Harmonix
English Muffin', Pro Co RAT, Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron, two Lehle Little switchers and an Electro-Harmonix
LPB-1 Booster. On his Keyboard, Ross uses an Electro-Harmonix
Black Finger, a Radial JDI and an Electro-Harmonix
Deluxe Memory Man.
are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA).
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2007
|| Andrew Stockdale
, Myles Heskett
, Chris Ross || Songwriters of the Year ||
|-
| "Joker & the Thief
" – Stockdale, Heskett, Ross || Song of the Year ||
Erskineville, New South Wales
Erskineville is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Erskineville is located about 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Best known for his former role as bassist and keyboardist of hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
, Ross was formerly a digital designer and has two children. He is somewhat known for his trademark stage antic of playing the keyboard at a slant or vertically.
Wolfmother (2000–2008)
Ross was one of the founding members of Wolfmother, formed in 2000. After "years of jamming in anonymity," the trio released a self-titled extended playWolfmother (EP)
Wolfmother is the debut extended play by Australian rock band Wolfmother. Recorded and mixed at Ghetto Studios in Detroit, Michigan, USA, it was released in Australia on 27 September 2004 and later in the United States and the United Kingdom...
(EP) in 2004. The EP was a commercial success, reaching number thirty-five in the ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, and lead to the band securing a record deal with Modular Recordings
Modular Recordings
Modular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
. The band's full-length debut, Wolfmother
Wolfmother (album)
Wolfmother is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Wolfmother, originally released on 31 October 2005 in Australia. The album was later released internationally at various dates in 2006, with the addition of "Love Train" and a rearranged track listing...
, was released in Australia in 2005, where it reached number three in the ARIA Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. Subsequently released internationally in 2006, the album reached number twenty-two in the American Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart and number twenty-five in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. After a period of doubt surrounding the future of the band, Ross and drummer Myles Heskett
Myles Heskett
Myles Heskett is the former drummer of Australian rock band Wolfmother.Heskett grew up in Sydney's Northern Beaches, attending Barrenjoey High School. His mother was a primary school principal and his father, who died in 2004, was an artist...
left Wolfmother in August 2008 due to "irreconcilable personal and musical differences".
In an interview, Chris Ross described the band as "a psychedelic, sonic, sexual tsunami. You can expect to see three guys getting up on stage, giving it everything they've got, pouring their hearts out, indulging themselves and trying to take the audience on a journey. I think we set out from day one to embarrass ourselves and fail gloriously and we're still trying to fulfill that vision."
Post-Wolfmother (2008–present)
Immediately following the 'breakup' of Wolfmother, it was announced that Ross and Heskett had decided to continue with their one-year-old side project, Doom Buggy. After little coverage of the band's progress, it was reported in April 2009 that the duo had joined vocalist and guitarist Matt Blackman (of Charge Group) to form a new band called Palace of Fire, described as "combin[ing] the toughness and versatility of Wolfmother with the more refined, cinematic approach of Charge Group and Blackman's former band Purplene." Palace of Fire supported Battles for their Opera House performances as part of Brian Eno's cration of the 2009 Sydney Festival.Chris and Myles play as members of the Slew (a Kid Koala project) on their world tour.
Equipment
Ross uses a RickenbackerRickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
4003 bass, a Fender P-bass (sunburst with maple neck), and recently a black Fender Jaguar Bass
Fender Jaguar Bass
The Fender Jaguar Bass is an electric bass guitar manufactured in Japan by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.-Design:In appearance, the Jaguar Bass is largely faithful to the original Fender Jaguar, with exception of the neck, bridge, and pickups taken from the Fender Jazz Bass...
. His keyboard is a 1979 Korg CX-3 organ. His bass and keyboard are amplified with Ampeg SVT-CL heads through SVT-8x10 cabinets with custom grille cloths. He has also been seen using Ampeg 610HLF cabinets.
Some effects pedals he uses on his bass include an Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....
English Muffin', Pro Co RAT, Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron, two Lehle Little switchers and an Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....
LPB-1 Booster. On his Keyboard, Ross uses an Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....
Black Finger, a Radial JDI and an Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....
Deluxe Memory Man.
APRA Awards
The APRA AwardsAPRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA).
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2007
APRA Awards of 2007
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2007 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards ceremony occurred on 16 June at the Sydney Hilton, they were presented by APRA and the Australasian...
|| Andrew Stockdale
Andrew Stockdale
Andrew James Stockdale is an Australian hard rock musician, he is the lead singer, lead guitarist and the only mainstay member of the rock band, Wolfmother which formed in 2000. In 2007, alongside his Wolfmother band mates, he won 'Songwriter of the Year' at the APRA Awards...
, Myles Heskett
Myles Heskett
Myles Heskett is the former drummer of Australian rock band Wolfmother.Heskett grew up in Sydney's Northern Beaches, attending Barrenjoey High School. His mother was a primary school principal and his father, who died in 2004, was an artist...
, Chris Ross || Songwriters of the Year ||
|-
| "Joker & the Thief
Joker & the Thief
"Joker & the Thief" is the sixth single from Australian band Wolfmother's debut album Wolfmother. It was released in Sydney, Australia on 28 October 2006 and in the United Kingdom on 20 November 2006...
" – Stockdale, Heskett, Ross || Song of the Year ||