Billy Gould
Encyclopedia
Billy Gould is an American
musician
and producer
. He is noted for playing bass
in the band Faith No More
.
in Los Angeles with future Faith No More keyboardist
Roddy Bottum
. His first band during these early years was named "The Animated," a genre-bending new wave
outfit that sounded something like a cross between The Buzzcocks, XTC and Michael Jackson. That band also featured future FNM vocalist Chuck Mosley on keyboards, and Mark Stewart (aka Stew) on guitar, of Negro Problem fame. In the early 1980s he moved to San Francisco
to begin his studies and got involved with several underground bands. At this time he met drummer
Mike Bordin
and guitarist Jim Martin. Soon after that Gould formed a band with Bordin, keyboardist Wade Worthington, (Quickly replaced with Roddy Bottum) and guitarist/vocalist Mike 'The Man' Morris named Faith No Man, which eventually became Faith No More once Morris was out of the band.
In the mid-nineties Gould began to work as producer
and in 1997 he co-produced Faith No More's last record Album of the Year with the former Swans
drummer Roli Mosimann
. Since then, he has become the CEO of Koolarrow Records
and worked on various projects as a producer or guest musician.
In February 2009, it was announced that Faith No More would reform for a tour and possibly recording.
band Brujeria
. He was also involved in several supergroups, such as Shandi's Addiction (with Maynard Keenan, Brad Wilk
and Tom Morello
) as well as Black Diamond Brigade (with Norwegian
rock musicians Euroboy
, Torgny Amdam, Tarjei Strøm
and Sigurd Wongraven
). Furthermore, he played with Wayne Kramer
and Fear Factory
, and produced CMX
's Vainajala
album. His guest appearances include recordings for Romanian band Coma, , and the production of "Living Targets" by German group Beatsteaks
, Slovenia's Elvis Jackson,and the album "7" for the German rock band
Harmful
, in which he also toured with them the whole year 2007 as guitar player.
In 2007, Gould joined up with the all star band Fear and the Nervous System
, formed by Korn
guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer. The band also features Bad Religion
drummer Brooks Wackerman
.
During the same year, Gould joined as bassist in Jello Biafra
's new band The Axis Of Evildoers along with Ralph Spight (Victim's Family
) on guitar, and Jon Weiss on drums. They made their debut at Jello Biafra's 50th-birthday celebration June 16 and 17, 2008 at the Great American Music Hall
in San Francisco. The band has since been renamed Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine
and an album Audacity of Hype
was released on October 20, 2009.
In 2011, he released an experimental album called "The Talking Book", a collaboration between himself and sound artist Jared Blum, known for his various projects on the Gigante Sound label.
He recently contributed in the production of the soundtrack for the documentary "The Sequential Art" http://www.thesequentialart.com, by Norwegian director Espen J. Jörgensen, coming in 2011.
bass, but started with an Aria in Faith No More's early days. In the music video for Evidence
, he can be seen with a Fender Jazz
. He began with Peavey amplifiers, then moved to Ampeg amplifiers. He is known for employing a wide variety of playing styles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and 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...
. He is noted for playing bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
in the band Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
.
Faith No More
Gould started playing the bass while he was at Loyola High SchoolLoyola High School (Los Angeles)
Loyola High School of Los Angeles is a Jesuit preparatory school for young men. It is the oldest high school in Southern California, and one of the oldest in California...
in Los Angeles with future Faith No More keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Roddy Bottum
Roddy Bottum
Roddy Bottum , is an American musician, best known as the keyboardist for the San Francisco rock band Faith No More...
. His first band during these early years was named "The Animated," a genre-bending new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
outfit that sounded something like a cross between The Buzzcocks, XTC and Michael Jackson. That band also featured future FNM vocalist Chuck Mosley on keyboards, and Mark Stewart (aka Stew) on guitar, of Negro Problem fame. In the early 1980s he moved to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
to begin his studies and got involved with several underground bands. At this time he met drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Mike Bordin
Mike Bordin
Mike Bordin is the co-founder and drummer of rock band Faith No More. He is also known for playing with Ozzy Osbourne. As a left-handed drummer, he notably plays with a right-handed kit with his ride cymbal on the left...
and guitarist Jim Martin. Soon after that Gould formed a band with Bordin, keyboardist Wade Worthington, (Quickly replaced with Roddy Bottum) and guitarist/vocalist Mike 'The Man' Morris named Faith No Man, which eventually became Faith No More once Morris was out of the band.
In the mid-nineties Gould began to work as 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...
and in 1997 he co-produced Faith No More's last record Album of the Year with the former Swans
Swans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
drummer Roli Mosimann
Roli Mosimann
Roli Mosimann is a drummer, electronic musician and record producer who has worked in genres ranging from industrial to pop. Originally from Switzerland, Mosimann first came to attention with the New York City no wave band Swans and later collaborated with Foetus leader J. G...
. Since then, he has become the CEO of Koolarrow Records
Koolarrow Records
Koolarrow Records is an independent record label based in San Francisco, set up by Faith No More's Bass Guitarist Billy Gould.- Current artists :The Talking Book*Como Asesinar a Felipes*Alexander Hacke*Brujeria*Don Cikuta*Dureforsog*Flattbush...
and worked on various projects as a producer or guest musician.
In February 2009, it was announced that Faith No More would reform for a tour and possibly recording.
Other collaborations
In the 1990s Gould was in the original line-up of the Mexican grindcoreGrindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
band Brujeria
Brujeria (band)
Brujeria is an extreme metal band formed in Tijuana, Mexico in 1989. Their name comes from the Spanish word for "witchcraft". Their songs, which are sung in Spanish, are focused on Satanism, anti-Christianity, sex, immigration, narcotics smuggling, politics....
. He was also involved in several supergroups, such as Shandi's Addiction (with Maynard Keenan, Brad Wilk
Brad Wilk
Brad Wilk is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the American rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave.-Family and early life:...
and Tom Morello
Tom Morello
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
) as well as Black Diamond Brigade (with Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
rock musicians Euroboy
Euroboy
Knut Schreiner , better known by his stage name Euroboy, plays lead guitar in Turbonegro . Noted internationally for the album Apocalypse Dudes. As Euroboy, Schreiner usually appears on stage in an all black attire, sporting a Schutz-Staffel Totenkopf officer's hat...
, Torgny Amdam, Tarjei Strøm
Tarjei Strøm
Tarjei Strom is a drummer for the Norwegian rock groups Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren band and Datarock.-Ralph Myerz and The Jack Herren Band:The band was formed in 1997 when Erlend Sellevold asked for people to play percussion with him during a party in Bergen. Thomas Lønnheim and Tarjei Strøm...
and Sigurd Wongraven
Sigurd Wongraven
Satyr is the vocalist, lead and rhythm guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Norwegian black metal band Satyricon. He was a founding member of Satyricon and have so far released 7 albums, 2 demos and a live DVD...
). Furthermore, he played with Wayne Kramer
Wayne Kramer (guitarist)
Wayne Kramer is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and film and television scorer....
and Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
, and produced CMX
CMX (band)
CMX, originally Cloaca Maxima, are a Finnish rock band. They originally played hardcore punk, but soon expanded to play a wide variety of rock formats, including progressive rock, heavy metal, and mainstream rock n roll. Throughout their career, they have been influenced by progressive rock bands...
's Vainajala
Vainajala
Vainajala is an album by the Finnish rock group CMX. Vainaja is Finnish for a dead person, Vainajala meaning a name of a place inhabited by the dead....
album. His guest appearances include recordings for Romanian band Coma, , and the production of "Living Targets" by German group Beatsteaks
Beatsteaks
Beatsteaks are a punk rock band from Berlin, Germany, formed in 1995.- History :Peter Baumann, Stefan Hircher, Alexander Rosswaag and Bernd Kurtzke founded the Beatsteaks in 1995. Shortly after Arnim Teutoburg-Weiß joined the band as a singer and additional guitarist...
, Slovenia's Elvis Jackson,and the album "7" for the German rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Harmful
Harmful
Harmful is a rock band from Frankfurt, Germany, founded in 1992 and frequently compared to early Helmet and more occasionally to Blackmail. The band has released eight albums to date, the first two and last three on independent labels , the third and fourth via...
, in which he also toured with them the whole year 2007 as guitar player.
In 2007, Gould joined up with the all star band Fear and the Nervous System
Fear and the Nervous System
Fear and the Nervous System is an experimental/industrial rock band formed by Korn guitarist James Shaffer.-History:In early 2008, Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer announced plans to release a new project entitled Fear and the Nervous System. The record was said to be released in late 2008,...
, formed by Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer. The band also features Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
drummer Brooks Wackerman
Brooks Wackerman
Brooks Wackerman is the current drummer for the American punk band Bad Religion and the younger brother of Chad Wackerman, formerly a member of Frank Zappa's band.-Career:...
.
During the same year, Gould joined as bassist in Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
's new band The Axis Of Evildoers along with Ralph Spight (Victim's Family
Victim's Family
Victims Family is a punk band formed in 1984 in Santa Rosa, California by bassist Larry Boothroyd and guitarist and vocalist Ralph Spight. Drummer Devon VrMeer completed the trio. Their sound blended punk, heavy metal and jazz, making them difficult to categorize into a single genre...
) on guitar, and Jon Weiss on drums. They made their debut at Jello Biafra's 50th-birthday celebration June 16 and 17, 2008 at the Great American Music Hall
Great American Music Hall
The Great American Music Hall is a concert hall in San Francisco, California. It is located on O'Farrell Street in the Tenderloin neighborhood on the same block as the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater...
in San Francisco. The band has since been renamed Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine
Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine
Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine is a punk rock band led by Jello Biafra. They released their debut album, The Audacity of Hype in October 2009.-Biography:...
and an album Audacity of Hype
Audacity of Hype
The Audacity of Hype is an album released on October 20, 2009 by Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine on Alternative Tentacles...
was released on October 20, 2009.
In 2011, he released an experimental album called "The Talking Book", a collaboration between himself and sound artist Jared Blum, known for his various projects on the Gigante Sound label.
He recently contributed in the production of the soundtrack for the documentary "The Sequential Art" http://www.thesequentialart.com, by Norwegian director Espen J. Jörgensen, coming in 2011.
Equipment and style
For most of Faith No More's career, he used a ZonZon Guitars
Zon Guitars is a manufacturer of bass guitars founded in 1981 by Joseph Zon.-Background:The company is known for its bass guitar models which feature non-traditional designs and materials. The brand is most closely associated with endorser and player Michael Manring, who collaborated with the...
bass, but started with an Aria in Faith No More's early days. In the music video for Evidence
Evidence (Faith No More song)
"Evidence" is a song by Faith No More, released as the third and final single from their fifth studio album, King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime. Like the other releases from the album, it failed to chart in the US; however, the song had moderate success in the UK and Australia...
, he can be seen with a Fender Jazz
Fender Jazz Bass
The Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic...
. He began with Peavey amplifiers, then moved to Ampeg amplifiers. He is known for employing a wide variety of playing styles.
Faith No More
- 1985: We Care a LotWe Care a LotWe Care a Lot is the debut studio album by American rock band Faith No More, originally released in 1985 and distributed through San Francisco-based label Mordam Records. On the original vinyl release, the band is credited as "Faith...
- 1987: Introduce YourselfIntroduce Yourself-Personnel:Band members*Mike Bordin – drums, congas, backing vocals*Roddy Bottum – keyboards, backing vocals*Bill Gould – bass, backing vocals*Jim Martin – guitar, backing vocals*Chuck Mosley – vocalsProduction*Steve Berlin – producer...
- 1989: The Real ThingThe Real Thing (Faith No More album)The Real Thing is the third studio album by the American rock band Faith No More. It was first released through Slash Records on June 20, 1989. It was the first release by the band not to feature vocalist Chuck Mosley, instead the album featured Mike Patton from the experimental band Mr. Bungle...
- 1992: Angel Dust
- 1995: King for a Day... Fool for a LifetimeKing for a Day... Fool for a LifetimeKing for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime is the fifth studio album by Faith No More, released in 1995. It was their first album recorded without longtime guitarist Jim Martin. The album showcased a greater variety than the band's usual heavy metal leanings, with Rolling Stone calling the end result a...
- 1997: Album of the Year
Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine
- 2009: Audacity of HypeAudacity of HypeThe Audacity of Hype is an album released on October 20, 2009 by Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine on Alternative Tentacles...
- 2011: Enhanced Methods of Questioning (EP)
As a featured musician
- 2005: Fear FactoryFear FactoryFear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
– TransgressionTransgression (album)-Credits:*Burton C. Bell – vocals, engineer, assistant, supervisor*Christian Olde Wolbers – guitar, bass, arranger*Raymond Herrera – drums, arranger, engineer*Byron Stroud - bass*Reggie Boyd – assistant*Tom Jermann – visual design...
, "Echo of my Scream", "Supernova" - 2006: Coma – Nerostitele, "Mai Presus De Cuvinte"
- 2006: Jeff Walker und Die FluffersJeffrey WalkerJeffrey Walker is a bass guitarist and vocalist from Windle, St Helens, UK. He is best known for his work with the death metal / grindcore band Carcass for which he is also the main lyricist. Before Carcass, he played in the punk band the Electro Hippies. After the demise of Carcass, he went on to...
- Welcome to Carcass CuntryWelcome to Carcass CuntryWelcome to Carcass Cuntry is a country metal album by Jeffrey Walker, of the metal band Carcass. The instrumentation is performed by notable heavy metal musicians, including Faith No More’s Billy Gould, H.I.M.‘s Ville Valo, Anathema’s Danny Cavanagh and Carcass members Bill Steer and Ken Owen...
Remixes
- 1995 "Engove" – instrumentalInstrumentalAn instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of "Caffeine", originally by Faith No More. Appeared on Metallurgy, Vol. 1 - 1997 "Pristina (Billy Gould Mix)", appeared on Last Cup of SorrowLast Cup of Sorrow"Last Cup of Sorrow" is the third track from Faith No More's sixth and final studio album Album of the Year. It was released as a single on August 5, 1997. It placed No. 14 on Mainstream Rock Tracks, No.62 on Australia Top 50, and No...
single. - 1998 "Du riechst so gut", remix is however credited to Faith No More
As a producer
- 1997 Naive — Post Alcoholic Anxieties
- 1998 CMX — Vainajala
- 2001 The Beatsteaks —"Living Targets"
- 2001 Kultur Shock —"FUCC the INS"
- 2009 Elvis Jackson — Against the Gravity