Prepare to meet Thundercat, the epic bassist coming to Newport

Bass virtuoso, songwriter and musician’s musician Thundercat graces the stage of the newly rebranded MegaCorp Pavilion in Newport on Tuesday. Few bassists since the likes of Stanley Clark, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten have shown such undeniable potential as lasting visionaries on the instrument. We recently chatted about his early career, his authentic lyrical style and his extensive resume of collaborations, which includes jazz pioneer Kamasi Washington, R&B mogul Erykah Badu, producer Flying Lotus and preeminent rapper Kendrick Lamar.

Question: I listened to a little of your first band No Curfew, and you played in Suicidal Tendencies for five years. Both are rock-centric bands. How did you get involved with those projects and what did you take from them that informs your music now?

Answer: No Curfew is like my childhood. It was kind of a funny moment. I've always been involved with music, so it was just something that I could do in and around music. We just tried to have fun.

And then Suicidal Tendencies – Mike Muir taught me so much about music and life, and he introduced me to things really early on. I just invited him to the show at the SoFi Stadium. He's like my older brother in many senses. Mike kind of taught me everything. He taught me to stand out in front and be myself.

Q: With your lyrics and in your style generally, you never seem afraid to be vulnerable and to put yourself out there. Where did that confidence come from?

A: My heroes are, like, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald and Leon Ware and Gino Vannelli. I would hear a lot of who they were in their music. The music would tell you who they were. And I think one of the most important lessons I ever learned from Flying Lotus was to be honest in your music. I took that very seriously. It's something that developed along the way with having to write music lyrically.

Q: You have a really special bass. What’s the story of your instrument?

A: It was kind of like a Frankenstein that was created by Tak Hosono at the Ibanez custom shop along with Mike Orrigo and Mike Taft, and the rest of the guys at the shop, but it had to be hand-created by Tak. He thought I was crazy at first. My bass that I would sit at home and write with was very complicated to play and sing with. I needed something that I could see and feel, and that would force me to sing more.

I would play an MTD bass at first, playing out live, and it'd be really complicated. It'd be complicated to see. I would wind up feeling my way around to try to figure things out. I need something that’s out where I can see it and we milled about it. I needed a balance of how I would write and make music at home, and how I would perform live. Singing was a whole different dynamic.

Q: How are you celebrating the 10-year anniversary of “Until the Quiet Comes"?

A: That's a good question. I’ve got to ask Flying Lotus that. We’ve got to do something special. I take that as a compliment, too, because I worked on that really closely with him.

Q: You collaborate with a ton of people, and I want to ask about a few of them, but first, how do you choose who you collaborate with?

A: I was taught by my mom to follow my heart. A lot of the time, I just try to see how I feel about things. I'm very open to different things, and a lot of people pull me in different directions, especially now. It's a little harder than it used to be. I have to think a little bit more when it comes to stuff, and I'm always trying to keep my mind clear. But a lot of times, too, I just try to stick to the same thing my mom taught me.

Q: How did you get connected with Flying Lotus?

A: That started over a decade ago at South by Southwest. We ran into each other on the street, and we just knew we should work together. We didn't know how to do it, but we started working and it was really awesome. It became a really good friendship and a good partnership.

Q: You've recently released “Satellite” for the (HBO show) "Insecure" soundtrack. You've been dipping your toes in TV lately. What do you like about that medium?

A: It's another place for a creative mindset, and it's been fun. The things that I've gotten to do, like getting the chance to work with Ludwig Goransson. I was in the Star Wars TV show, “(The Book of) Boba Fett.” I would love to do more in the future.

Q: “To Pimp a Butterfly” is my favorite Kendrick Lamar album. You were central to those arrangements. How did that collaboration work?

A: There's something special that happens between me and Sounwave when we get to working. Some people, you just – you get to create cool magical moments with. Me and Sounwave are definitely on the same sound wave – on the same wavelength. You know what I mean?

Q: I hope that you have a lot of fun on tour – stay safe. I'm sure hanging with the Red Hot Chili Peppers is going to be great.

A: The Chili Peppers have been amazing. Flea is inspirational in so many different ways. And Anthony Kiedis, and Chad Smith – and to see John Frusciante back with them – it's beautiful to get a chance to watch it all the time.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Thundercat has been making big (sound) waves with his bass guitar