Robbie Merrill
Encyclopedia
Robbie Merrill is an American bass guitar player, best known for his work with the heavy metal
band Godsmack
.
Robbie was one of the founding members of Godsmack, meeting Sully Erna
through Sully's sister they became roommates and friends. In February 1995, Erna decided to start a new band as the lead singer after playing the drums for more than 23 years. His new band The Scam formed with Erna on vocals, Robbie Merrill on bass, local guitarist and friend Lee Richards on guitar, and Tommy Stewart
on drums. The Scam quickly changed its name to Godsmack, after recording one demo.
Robbie is also a founding member of the band Another Animal
along with Shannon Larkin
, Tony Rombola
, Lee Richards, and Whitfield Crane
. Excluding Whit Crane all have been members of Godsmack presently or in the past.
Merrill was featured in the IMV "Behind The Player
" DVD series, in his DVD he gives an intimate behind-the scenes look at his life as a musician, he then gives in-depth lessons for how to play Speak and Voodoo by Godsmack on bass and jams the tracks with Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin.
, Merrill started to play bass at age 14 and only played bass. He traded in his train set for a bass, and used his dad's amp. He has played in a country, blues, reggae, prog, and '50s/'60s cover band. Before joining Godsmack, Merrill was a self-employed carpenter which is a trade he shared with Tony Rombola
.
Merrill and his wife Heather have two daughters, Niannah and Nakiah.
Merrill currently lives in Auburn, New Hampshire
. Although he is a left-handed musician, Merrill actually writes right-handed due to a birth defect that makes him unable to move the middle finger of his left hand.
In his off-time, Merrill has a farm which he puts many hours into; he also enjoys some hockey and the typical family stuff. He has a dirtbike track as well. However, he stated that his family is still the number one priority.
In order to warm up before every show, Merrill usually plays his fretless bass and gets his fingers moving. Then he likes to go out and watch Rob Zombie play and get all amped up. Then he paces back and forth for a while too.
When Merrill sees bands, it bums him out when he can’t hear what the bass player’s doing. When Godsmack first started, he had a ratty sound just to blend with the guitars. Over the years, he has refined it.
According to Merrill, when he is in the studio, he runs a Line 6 guitar POD direct for growly, midrangy distortion, and he blends that with miked cabinets."
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
.
Robbie was one of the founding members of Godsmack, meeting Sully Erna
Sully Erna
Salvatore Paul "Sully" Erna , is an American vocalist and primary songwriter for the American heavy metal band, Godsmack. Erna is also a guitarist and drummer, performing these both on albums and during live shows. He has a daughter named Skylar Brooke Erna and an older sister named Maria.-Early...
through Sully's sister they became roommates and friends. In February 1995, Erna decided to start a new band as the lead singer after playing the drums for more than 23 years. His new band The Scam formed with Erna on vocals, Robbie Merrill on bass, local guitarist and friend Lee Richards on guitar, and Tommy Stewart
Tommy Stewart
Tommy Stewart is an American rock drummer, currently for the rock band Lo-Pro. He is probably best known for his stint with heavy metal band Godsmack...
on drums. The Scam quickly changed its name to Godsmack, after recording one demo.
Robbie is also a founding member of the band Another Animal
Another Animal (album)
Another Animal is the self-titled debut album by the musical group Another Animal. It was released on October 2, 2007. The song "Amends" appeared in the closing credits for the 2008 zombie horror film Insanitarium .- History :...
along with Shannon Larkin
Shannon Larkin
Shannon Larkin, born James Shannon Larkin on April 24, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, is a musician best known for being the drummer of the heavy metal band Godsmack. He replaced the previous drummer Tommy Stewart in June 2002...
, Tony Rombola
Tony Rombola
Tony Rombola is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist for the Boston-based heavy metal band Godsmack since the mid-1990s...
, Lee Richards, and Whitfield Crane
Whitfield Crane
William Whitfield Crane IV was born on January 19, 1968 in Palo Alto, California. Whit was a founding member and lead singer of the rock band Ugly Kid Joe, which formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1997...
. Excluding Whit Crane all have been members of Godsmack presently or in the past.
Merrill was featured in the IMV "Behind The Player
Behind The Player: Robbie Merrill
Behind The Player: Robbie Merrill is an Interactive Music Video featuring Godsmack bassist Robbie Merrill. Released on November 1, 2008 by IMV, the DVD features Robbie giving in-depth bass lessons for how to play "Speak" and "Voodoo" by Godsmack and an intimate behind-the scenes look at his life as...
" DVD series, in his DVD he gives an intimate behind-the scenes look at his life as a musician, he then gives in-depth lessons for how to play Speak and Voodoo by Godsmack on bass and jams the tracks with Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin.
Biography
Born in Lawrence, MassachusettsLawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
, Merrill started to play bass at age 14 and only played bass. He traded in his train set for a bass, and used his dad's amp. He has played in a country, blues, reggae, prog, and '50s/'60s cover band. Before joining Godsmack, Merrill was a self-employed carpenter which is a trade he shared with Tony Rombola
Tony Rombola
Tony Rombola is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist for the Boston-based heavy metal band Godsmack since the mid-1990s...
.
Merrill and his wife Heather have two daughters, Niannah and Nakiah.
Merrill currently lives in Auburn, New Hampshire
Auburn, New Hampshire
Auburn is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,953 at the 2010 census. The town was called by WMUR News 9 as number one of "New Hampshire's Most Beautiful Towns" in July 2010. It was also named 18 in The New York Times' "Top 200 Towns To Raise a Family."-...
. Although he is a left-handed musician, Merrill actually writes right-handed due to a birth defect that makes him unable to move the middle finger of his left hand.
In his off-time, Merrill has a farm which he puts many hours into; he also enjoys some hockey and the typical family stuff. He has a dirtbike track as well. However, he stated that his family is still the number one priority.
In order to warm up before every show, Merrill usually plays his fretless bass and gets his fingers moving. Then he likes to go out and watch Rob Zombie play and get all amped up. Then he paces back and forth for a while too.
Musical style
Merrill crafts a sound that’s as soulful as it is cutting—gravelly, but with a clear high-end sheen. Some of that clarity comes from a relatively new technique at the fore of his tone equation: fingerpicking. Robbie tried playing with fingerpicks at the suggestion of his tech during the band’s last tour and has decided to use them exclusively, using Dunlop Clear "D" plastic fingerpicks on his plucking-hand index and ring fingers. "At first I hated the feel, but once you get over the hump of not feeling the string beneath your finger, you eventually don’t even realize they’re on and you come to feel the strings again," he says. For Merrill, fingerpicks provide the best of both worlds. "When you play with your fingers, it’s harder to get the consistent sound from a pick hitting the string. With fingerpicks, I can get that sound but still keep that fingerstyle."When Merrill sees bands, it bums him out when he can’t hear what the bass player’s doing. When Godsmack first started, he had a ratty sound just to blend with the guitars. Over the years, he has refined it.
Godsmack
- 1998: GodsmackGodsmack (album)-Controversy:The album caused controversy due to its profane lyrics without a Parental Advisory Label. After listening to his son's copy of the album, a father in the U.S. complained to Wal-Mart, who sold him the album, that the lyrics were offensive. Wal-Mart and Kmart took the album off the...
- 2000: AwakeAwake (Godsmack album)-Track listing:Japanese bonus tracks-Personnel:Godsmack*Sully Erna - vocals, rhythm guitar*Tony Rombola - lead guitar, backing vocals*Robbie Merrill - bass, backing vocals*Tommy Stewart - drums, backing vocalsAdditional performances...
- 2003: FacelessFacelessUK bonus tracks-Personnel:* Sully Erna - rhythm guitar, vocals, producer* Tony Rombola - lead guitar, back-up vocals* Robbie Merrill - bass, back-up vocals* Shannon Larkin - drums, percussion* Tommy Stewart - Drums on "I Stand Alone"...
- 2004: The Other SideThe Other Side (Godsmack album)-Sales:The Other Side debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, selling 98,000 copies in its first week, and the album would go on to sell over half million copies in the United States...
- 2006: IVIV (Godsmack album)-Track listing:-Godsmack:* Sully Erna - rhythm guitar, vocals, producer* Tony Rombola - lead guitar, backing vocals* Robbie Merrill - bass guitar* Shannon Larkin - drums, percussion-Others:*P. R...
- 2007: Good Times, Bad Times... Ten Years of GodsmackGood Times, Bad Times... Ten Years of GodsmackGood Times, Bad Times... Ten Years of Godsmack is a greatest hits collection by heavy metal band Godsmack. The collection includes all of Godsmack's singles, with the exception of "Bad Magick" and "Bring It On"; and a DVD of the band's acoustic performance in Las Vegas, Nevada at The House of...
- 2010: The OracleThe Oracle (Godsmack album)The Oracle, formerly known as Saints & Sinners, is the fifth studio album by American hard rock band Godsmack, released in the U.S. on May 4, 2010....
Gear
- Bass Spector Euro 4LX-35.
- Fretless Spector 4-string D’Addario XL strings tuned DADG or CGCG; Dunlop Clear "D" fingerpicks.
- Rig SWR 750x heads and SWR 4 x 12" 12-STACK cabs.
- Effects Line 6 PODxt (studio), Line 6 Bass PODxt (live).
- Strings Aurora Strings.
- On the back cover of the April 2010 Bass Player magazine issue, Robbie is now an official Gallien-Krueger user. It shows him with a Fusion 550 amp and a NEO412 cabinet
According to Merrill, when he is in the studio, he runs a Line 6 guitar POD direct for growly, midrangy distortion, and he blends that with miked cabinets."
External links
- Robbie Merrill bass solo - YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- IMV Trailer: Robbie Merrill, bassist for Godsmack - YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....