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| Biography | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2>
Tim Commerford was born on February 26, 1968 in Irvine, California and was the youngest of six children. His father, an aerospace engineer, worked on the Space Shuttle, and his mother was a teacher/mathematician. He is of French and Irish descent. In the fifth grade, he met future bandmate Zack de la Rocha. Around this time, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. Shortly thereafter, his father divorced and remarried. Commerford stayed with his father, while his mother moved to Sacramento, California to live with her sister while seeking treatment. During this time, de la Rocha introduced him to bass, and Commerford soon found an outlet in music and poetry. Commerford's mother died of brain cancer in 1988.
In 1993, Commerford was introduced to mountain biking by his future father-in-law, Jimbo Insko. Commerford is known as a biking enthusiast, having featured in Mountain Biking UK magazine issue 242. In 1995, Rage Against the Machine was forced to cancel a concert after Commerford broke his wrist in a biking accident. In 2006, he rode a bike from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara with a group of people (including John McEnroe) to see Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth play at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
In 2001, Commerford married his longtime girlfriend, Aleece Dimas, who is a medical professional and AIDS activist. They have two sons together, Xavier and Quentin, and the family lives in Malibu, California.
Commerford is also known for his numerous tattoos. His first tattoo was a solid black band around his left arm to remember his mother by. He soon had half of a face (a painting by graphic artist Mirko Ilic) tattooed on his back, and various other designs on his arms. In 1993, he began work on an intricate design on his left leg. By 1996 this tattoo covered over 65% of his body (covering his arms, left leg, chest, back, and two swirls on his posterior).
Commerford is also a vegan.[1]
[edit] Tags:Biographical Article,Citations,Verification,Reliable Sources,Irvine,California,U.s.,Genres,Alternative Metal,Rap Metal,Funk Metal,Alternative Rock,Hard Rock,Musician,Songwriter,Bass Guitar,Drums,Vocals,Labels,Interscope,Epic,Rage Against The Machine,Audioslave,Fender Jazz Basses,Music Man Stingray,Irvine, California,Bassist,Backing Vocalist,Supergroup,Edit,Aerospace Engineer,Space Shuttle,Teacher,Mathematician,Zack De La Rocha,Sacramento, California,Mountain Biking Uk,John Mcenroe,Pearl Jam,Sonic Youth,Santa Barbara Bowl,Aids,Malibu, California,Tattoos,Mirko Ilic,Vegan,Tom Morello,Lock Up,Brad Wilk,Grand Olympic Auditorium,Los Angeles,Soundgarden,Chris Cornell,Rick Rubin,Cuba,Rage Against The Machine Reunion Tour,Coachella Music Festival,Ezln,Alpine Valley Music Theater,East Troy,Wisconsin,Big Day Out,Australia,New Zealand,Reading And Leeds Festival,Europe,Lollapalooza,Chicago,Denver, Colorado,St. Paul, Minnesota,Democratic National Convention,Republican National Convention,Maynard James Keenan,Puscifer,V Is For Vagina,Fender,Precision Bass,Pickups,Badass Ii,Bridges,Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray,Fender Jazz Bass,Lakland,Ernie Ball,Rickenbacker 4001,Joe Osborn,Aphex,Boss,Dd-3 Digital Delay,Oc-2 Octave,Mxr,Phase 90,Dunlop,105q Bass Wah,Marshall,Guv'nor Distortion Pedal,Overdrive Pedals,Electro-harmonix,Distortion,Ampeg,Woodstock,Killing In The Name,Ashdown,Mesa/boogie,Pizzicato,Plectrum,Slapping, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rage Against the Machine (1991–2000) | 3>
Main article: Rage Against the Machine
In 1991, guitarist Tom Morello quit his band Lock Up, in the hopes of forming a new outfit. He began to frequent local clubs, and viewed Zack de la Rocha rapping. He soon called Brad Wilk, who had auditioned for Lock Up. Zack de la Rocha convinced Tim, who had been a longtime friend at school, to play bass for his new band. After frequenting the L.A. club circuit, Rage Against the Machine signed a record deal with Epic Records in 1992. That same year, the band released their self titled debut. They achieved a phenomenal amount of mainstream success and released three more studio albums.
In late 2000, after Tim’s stunt at the VMA’s, the disgruntled de la Rocha quit the band. On September 13, 2000, Rage Against the Machine performed their last concert at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The remaining members formed Audioslave with former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell.
[edit] | Tags: Audioslave (2001–2007) | 3>
Main article: Audioslave
After Zack de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine, music producer Rick Rubin suggested the three remaining members of Rage get together with former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, and "see what happens."
By May 2001, they had begun to work in the studio, writing their first song “Light My Way.” By April 2002, the newly formed band had split due to “outside” pressures, mainly from management companies. They soon got back together though, and on November 19, 2002 they released their eponymous debut, which would attain triple platinum status. Audioslave attained a large amount of success, and released another two studio albums. On May 5, 2005, Audioslave played a free concert in front of 65,000 Cuban fans, becoming the first American rock band to play a concert within Cuba.
On February 15, 2007, Chris Cornell officially announced his departure from Audioslave, thus disbanding the group.
[edit] | Tags: Rage Against the Machine reunion (2007–present) | 3>
Main article: Rage Against the Machine reunion tour
On April 29, 2007, Rage Against the Machine reunited at the Coachella Music Festival. The band played in front of an EZLN backdrop to the largest crowds of the festival. The performance was initially thought to be a one-off, this turned out not to be the case. The band played 7 more shows in the United States in 2007 (including their first non-festival concert in 7 years at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin), and in January 2008, they played their first shows outside the US as part of the Big Day Out Festival in Australia and New Zealand, and then at the Reading and Leeds festival in the summer of 2008, in England.
The band has since continued to tour around the world, headlining many large festivals in Europe and the United States, including Lollapalooza in Chicago. In 2008 the band also played shows in Denver, Colorado and St. Paul, Minnesota; the locations of the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention, respectively.
[edit] | Tags: Side projects | 3>
Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk contributed in Maynard James Keenan's side project Puscifer and his album "V" Is for Vagina on the track "Momma Sed."
[edit] | Tags: Basses | 3>
Commerford had been a major endorser of Fender basses since the mid 1990s, and is best known for playing personally-modified Fender Jazz Basses with Precision Bass necks,[2] hand-wired pickups and Badass II bridges. Commerford's main bass from the early days was an Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay, used almost exclusively until about 1995 when he switched to the Fender Jazz Bass.From the peak of his career in the mid-1990s, Commerford played Fender basses for 12 years, until he made his switch to Lakland in 2008. Tim also is an endorser of Ernie Ball bass strings.
[edit] | Tags: Current touring basses (Rage against the machine, 2008–present) | 3>
Lakland Black Joe Osborn Signature - Tim's main tour bass. It is Black and features a Dual Access Bridge (as do all of his other basses). It is used on the majority of songs.
Lakland 3-Tone Translucent Joe Osborn Signature - Tortoise Shell Pickguard and Rosewood fretboard.
Lakland 3-Tone Translucent Joe Osborn Signature - Pearloid Pickguard and Maple fretboard.
Lakland Blonde Translucent Joe Osborn Signature - Tim's latest bass. Has a Rosewood fretboard with Birdseye Maple blocks and a Black pickguard. Used as of August 2008.
The latest pictures show Commerford playing his Fender basses again. Various Fender Jazz Basses, white and sunburst, both equipped with Precision Bass necks with maple fretboards, and Hipshot D-Tuners.
[edit] | Tags: Effects | 3>
Tim is very secretive of his tone, even going so far as to put effects on his pedalboard that he doesn’t even use, making his own gear, and even removing the labels off some of his effects. Here are some effects which he has used during his career.
Aphex Punch Factory (Audioslave)
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss OC-2 Octave
MXR Phase 90 (RATM)
Dunlop 105Q Bass Wah
Marshall Guv'nor Distortion Pedal (RATM, 1991–1998)
Custom ABY Amp Selector
Homemade Overdrive Pedals
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi Bass Distortion
[edit] | Tags: Amplifiers and cabinets | 3>
Throughout his career, Commerford has used Ampeg amplifiers and cabinets live, and presumably in the studio. For his years in Rage Against The Machine, he used two Ampeg SVT-2PRO heads and two Ampeg 8x10 Cabinets. Both the cabinets and heads were mounted in road cases that have graffiti art work presumably done by Commerford himself. One was usually draped with an upside-down American flag which was occasionally burnt during concerts, most notably at the band's 1999 Woodstock performance during "Killing in the Name". For the recording of Audioslave and Out of Exile, Commerford continued to use Ampeg but switch to a 3 amp system: Each a SVT2Pro, a clean signal into an 8x10 and increasing levels of gain each into additional 4x10s. For the Out of Exile tour and recording of Revelations, Tim also used other equipment from Ashdown and Mesa/Boogie. The Mesa replacing his clean channel and the Ashdown ABM Evo replacing his most overdriven channel with an SVT2 taking care of the medium gain.[4] Currently, he used two Ampeg SVT-VR heads (as of May 2008) and his original two Ampeg Cabinets with graffiti from the 2000-era setup.
[edit] | Tags: Technique | 2>
Tim is most commonly known as a pizzicato player, as he has never played live with a plectrum, but has also played in the past using the slapping technique. The only songs to date where Tim's slapping is featured on are Take The Power Back and Know Your Enemy, off of Rage Against the Machine's debut self titled 1992 album, and he has not slapped since he destroyed his Music Man StingRay bass in the mid '90's. This coincides with his decision to switch to Fender Jazz basses, therefore not using the slapping technique anymore.[citation needed]
Here are some quotes about his technique from the Bass Player interview;
'Back in the early '90s, I was really into the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Brothers Johnson, and I loved to slap. But it became clear that if I slapped with Rage, we'd sound like another Chili Peppers clone band. I wanted to be in a band that sounded unique, so when we got into the second record, I made the decision to put the thumb up on the shelf and never use it again. I used to be good, but now I suck at slapping.'[citation needed]
'When I'd go see Rush (band) as a kid, I would wonder why Geddy Lee used one finger all the time. Did he do that because it made it easier to play while he was singing? I didn't get it. Later I realized that if you're just riding a note or trying to play a real straight part, it sounds more pulsating if you play with one finger. So I took every bass line and learned how to do it with one finger, and I started doing it that way as much as I could. Back then I thought I looked goofy, but now here I am using one finger whenever I can. One finger is ultimately the funkiest sound of all. If you can do it with one finger, you should. If you can do it with two fingers, you should choose over three.'[citation needed]
[edit] | Tags: Discography | 2>
Rage Against the Machine
Main article: Rage Against the Machine discography
Rage Against the Machine (1992) US 4x Platinum
Evil Empire (1996) US 3x Platinum
Live & Rare (1998)
The Battle of Los Angeles, (1999) US 2x Platinum
Renegades (2000) US 2x Platinum
Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium (2003)
Audioslave
Main article: Audioslave discography
Audioslave (2002) US 3x Platinum
Out of Exile (2005) US Platinum
Revelations (2006) US Gold
[edit] | Tags: References | 2>
^ "Tim Commerford is a vegan - Famous Vegetarians - Vegan Celebrities - by HappyCow". Happycow.net. 1968-02-26. http://www.happycow.net/famous/tim_commerford/. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
^ ”Tim Commerford: Audioslave’s bassist talks Fender, touring, Rage, Rush and the Police …” by Fender News
^ a b c d "Tim Commerford's Setup - TalkBass Forums". Talkbass.com. http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=484295. Retrieved 2011-06-30.
^ Tim Commerford With Audioslave
[edit] | Tags: External links | 2>
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rage Against the Machine
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Audioslave
Official Rage Against the Machine website
Official Audioslave website
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Rage Against the Machine
Zack de la Rocha
Tom Morello
Tim Commerford
Brad Wilk
Studio albums
Rage Against the Machine (1992)
Evil Empire (1996)
The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
Renegades (2000)
Live albums
Live & Rare (1998)
Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium (2003)
Demo albums
Rage Against the Machine (1991)
Video
Rage Against the Machine (1997)
The Battle of Mexico City (2001)
Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium (2003)
Singles
"Killing in the Name"
"Bullet in the Head"
"Bombtrack"
"Freedom"
"Year of tha Boomerang"
"Bulls on Parade"
"People of the Sun"
"Down Rodeo"
"Vietnow"
"The Ghost of Tom Joad"
"No Shelter"
"Guerrilla Radio"
"Sleep Now in the Fire"
"Testify"
"Calm Like a Bomb"
"Renegades of Funk"
"How I Could Just Kill a Man"
Other songs
"Know Your Enemy"
"Tire Me"
"Wake Up"
Tours
Rage Against the Machine Tour
1994–1995 Tour
Evil Empire Tour
The Battle of Los Angeles Tour
Reunion tour
Related acts
Inside Out
Lock Up
Audioslave
The Nightwatchman
One Day as a Lion
Street Sweeper Social Club
Related articles
Discography
Awards
Political views and activism
v
t
e
Audioslave
Chris Cornell
Tom Morello
Tim Commerford
Brad Wilk
Studio albums
Audioslave
Out of Exile
Revelations
DVDs
Audioslave
Live in Cuba
Singles
"Cochise"
"Like a Stone"
"Show Me How to Live"
"I Am the Highway"
"What You Are"
"Be Yourself"
"Your Time Has Come"
"Doesn't Remind Me"
"Out of Exile"
"Original Fire"
"Revelations"
Related articles
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Rage Against the Machine
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Name
Commerford, Tim
Alternative names
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Date of birth
1968-02-26
Place of birth
Irvine, California, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tim_Commerford&oldid=491072294"
Categories: 1968 birthsLiving peopleMusicians from CaliforniaAmerican heavy metal bass guitaristsRage Against the Machine membersAudioslave membersPeople from Irvine, CaliforniaAmerican vegansHidden categories: BLP articles lacking sources from June 2009Articles lacking reliable references from June 2009All articles needing additional referencesArticles with hCardsAll articles with unsourced statementsArticles with unsourced statements from April 2012Persondata templates without short description parameter
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