Shaun Ross (musician)
Encyclopedia
Shaun Ross is a bassist
from Venice, California, and former member of Excel
, a band with he performed since 1985 until its dissolution. He took his first inspirations from very different kinds of music, like Rudimentary Peni
, Jungle Brothers
, Sly and the Family Stone and Deep Purple
. Also he released an EP
with the Thrash metal
group Hirax
in 2001.
, influenced by many different musicians and genres, from the punk
movement and hard rock
even to soul
, funk
and jazz
fusion bands. At the age 15 years he started playing bass and founded a graffiti crew called "Kings Stop at Nothing". In 1985 his friends Dan Clements
and Adam Siegel
told him they needed a new bassist
for their crossover thrash
group "Chaotic Noise", and he was the "best for the job". When Ross took over the four strings, "Chaotic Noise" changed its name to the one that he created in "Kings Stop at Nothing", Excel
. Clements printed posters to find a new drummer, and a few weeks later he received a call from Greg Saenz
, who would become the fourth member of the band. They recorded 3 demos between 1985 and 1986 (Sonic Decapitation,Personal Onslaught and Refuse to Quit), editing their first studio album
(Split Image
) in 1987 (the recording was paid by Mike Muir
and distribution was conducted by Caroline Records), the second one (The Joke's on You
) in 1989, and a tour in Netherlands
the same year with that line-up. In 1990 Adam Siegel
left Excel
to join the side project founded by Mike Muir
, Infectious Grooves
; when he returned in 1992, the band recorded a fifth and last demo titled Third album demos, then Adam Excel
left definitely th band together Greg Saenz
to form the power-trio My Head
. The group remained on a hiatus until 1995, when Clements hired Brandon Rudley (guitarist) and "Max" (drummer) to release a third studio album called Seeking Refuge
. Then Excel
broke up for good. In 2001 Shaun joined Thrash Metal
band Hirax
, he only participated in the EP
"Barrage of Noise".
(Shaun participated in all Excel's releases)
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...
from Venice, California, and former member of Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
, a band with he performed since 1985 until its dissolution. He took his first inspirations from very different kinds of music, like Rudimentary Peni
Rudimentary Peni
Rudimentary Peni are a British anarcho-punk/deathrock band formed in 1980.-Line-up:*Nick Blinko - guitar, vocals, artwork, lyrics*Grant Matthews - bass guitar, lyrics*Jon Greville - drums-History:...
, Jungle Brothers
Jungle Brothers
The Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop group that pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop and also became the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer. The group began performing in the mid-1980s and released its first album, Straight Out the Jungle, in July 1988...
, Sly and the Family Stone and Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
. Also he released an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
with the Thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
group Hirax
Hirax
Hirax is an American thrash metal band from Cypress, California. Starting in 1984 under the leadership of vocalist Katon W. De Pena , the band played in Los Angeles and San Francisco with the other new thrash metal bands of the area such as Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer...
in 2001.
History
Ross grew up in the western region of L.A.Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, influenced by many different musicians and genres, from the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
movement and 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...
even to soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
fusion bands. At the age 15 years he started playing bass and founded a graffiti crew called "Kings Stop at Nothing". In 1985 his friends Dan Clements
Dan Clements
Daniel Clements is a singer-songwriter from Venice, California, best known as the lead vocalist of Crossover thrash band Excel and the only member that remained in the group since its formation until its dissolution...
and Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and graphic designer from Venice, California, United States...
told him they needed a new 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...
for their crossover thrash
Crossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...
group "Chaotic Noise", and he was the "best for the job". When Ross took over the four strings, "Chaotic Noise" changed its name to the one that he created in "Kings Stop at Nothing", Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
. Clements printed posters to find a new drummer, and a few weeks later he received a call from Greg Saenz
Greg Saenz
Greg Saenz is a drummer from Los Angeles, California, currently based in Coachella Valley. He started playing for several groups around L.A., mainly inlfuenced by british performers like John Bonham, Keith Moon and Charlie Watts, later he joined Excel where he stayed for 7 years...
, who would become the fourth member of the band. They recorded 3 demos between 1985 and 1986 (Sonic Decapitation,Personal Onslaught and Refuse to Quit), editing their first studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
(Split Image
Split Image
Split Image is the debut album by Excel, released in 1987. It is the band's first album as Welcome to Venice is a split album with Suicidal Tendencies, Beowülf, No Mercy and Los Cycos.Like many Excel albums, the recording is out of print....
) in 1987 (the recording was paid by Mike Muir
Mike Muir
Mike Muir is the lead vocalist of the Venice skate punk bands Suicidal Tendencies Los Cycos and the funk rock band Infectious Grooves...
and distribution was conducted by Caroline Records), the second one (The Joke's on You
The Joke's on You
The Joke's on You is the second album by Excel, released in 1989. The song "The Joke's on You" was already released on the previous album, Split Image....
) in 1989, and a tour in Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
the same year with that line-up. In 1990 Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and graphic designer from Venice, California, United States...
left Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
to join the side project founded by Mike Muir
Mike Muir
Mike Muir is the lead vocalist of the Venice skate punk bands Suicidal Tendencies Los Cycos and the funk rock band Infectious Grooves...
, Infectious Grooves
Infectious Grooves
Infectious Grooves is a funk metal band led by Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir. It also features former Excel guitarist Adam Siegel, ex-Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo , and ex-Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins...
; when he returned in 1992, the band recorded a fifth and last demo titled Third album demos, then Adam Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
left definitely th band together Greg Saenz
Greg Saenz
Greg Saenz is a drummer from Los Angeles, California, currently based in Coachella Valley. He started playing for several groups around L.A., mainly inlfuenced by british performers like John Bonham, Keith Moon and Charlie Watts, later he joined Excel where he stayed for 7 years...
to form the power-trio My Head
My Head
My Head was a grunge/alternative rock power trio from Los Angeles, California, United States formed in 1993 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Adam Siegel and drummer Greg Saenz. Due to its member's past on Excel, My Head's sound was influenced by early 80's Crossover Thrash music, but also by the...
. The group remained on a hiatus until 1995, when Clements hired Brandon Rudley (guitarist) and "Max" (drummer) to release a third studio album called Seeking Refuge
Seeking Refuge
Seeking Refuge is the third and final album by Excel. It was released in 1995 and is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed album The Joke's on You ....
. Then Excel
Excel (band)
Excel was a punk/metal fusion band from Venice, California founded in 1983 by singer Dan Clements and guitarist Adam Siegel. They were influenced by famous 70's punk rock musicians like The Police and The Sex Pistols, and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Trouble, Slayer, Corrosion of...
broke up for good. In 2001 Shaun joined Thrash Metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Hirax
Hirax
Hirax is an American thrash metal band from Cypress, California. Starting in 1984 under the leadership of vocalist Katon W. De Pena , the band played in Los Angeles and San Francisco with the other new thrash metal bands of the area such as Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer...
, he only participated in the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
"Barrage of Noise".
Excel
See also: Excel discography and List of Excel demos(Shaun participated in all Excel's releases)
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1987 | Split Image Split Image Split Image is the debut album by Excel, released in 1987. It is the band's first album as Welcome to Venice is a split album with Suicidal Tendencies, Beowülf, No Mercy and Los Cycos.Like many Excel albums, the recording is out of print.... |
Suicidal/Caroline |
| 1989 | The Joke's on You The Joke's on You The Joke's on You is the second album by Excel, released in 1989. The song "The Joke's on You" was already released on the previous album, Split Image.... |
Caroline |
| 1995 | Seeking Refuge Seeking Refuge Seeking Refuge is the third and final album by Excel. It was released in 1995 and is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed album The Joke's on You .... |
Delicious Vinyl Delicious Vinyl Delicious Vinyl is an American independent record label founded by Matt Dike and Michael Ross in 1987 and based in Los Angeles. Throughout its history, the label has had distribution deals with [Island Records/[PolyGram]], Warner Music Group, EMI, Red Ant, Rhino and Universal Music Group.-Early... /Capitol Capitol Records Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine... |
Hirax
| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
| 2001 | Barrage of Noise | Black Devil/Deep Six | EP |