It isn't very often that I get to see a musical hero play a solo set and talk about music. It's even more rare to see him for free, in a bass shop, and only have to drive 5 minutes to get there.

Bass San Diego is new music shop devoted to the discerning bass player. As part of their grand opening festivities they brought in Joe Zon of Zon Guitars and his longtime customer who happens to be one of the most phenomenal electric bassists of all time- Michael Manring.



I first heard his music about fifteen years ago, on his metal album, Thonk. I was a Primus junkie at the time, and here was an album that had Primus's drummer playing with a bunch of people I had never heard of before. At the time, I had an affinity for Les Claypool, he was fast, weird, and we had somewhat similar last names. I didn't think it was possible for a bass player to have more chops, until midway through the first song on Thonk, when I heard Michael do things on his bass that I had never heard before. Not only could he slap and tap, he could pull off a distorted fretless bass solo that would put most guitar shredders to shame. By the end of the song, my idea of a bass king had changed completely.



Michael travels the world and astounds crowds with ridiculous skills that always manage to serve the music. That's what I respect the most about him- he doesn't play these things just because he can, he plays them because that's what does justice to his compositions. I get pretty bored watching someone wank away meaninglessly, but I could watch Michael make music all day. Judging by the bass community that came out to see him and give him a standing ovation at the end, I wasn't the only one.



Some of my favorite band work of his is with Yo Miles!, an all-star jam band that focused on Miles Davis's 70's music. He doesn't do much except hold it down for everyone else, but he's still endlessly inventive in his supporting role.



He took the time to answer questions and take requests too. I was struck by his humility and his work ethic that keeps pushing him to work on his weaknesses, even though he's already surpassed 99% of his peers.

After the clinic, I had a strange feeling inside. On one hand, I might as well give up playing. Why bother plunking around on the bass when there's players like this in the world? But at the same time, I felt inspired to take my own music to the next level. 

See the full gallery of photos here.