Chris Wyse

Chris Wyse (born 15 July 1969) is an American bassist and vocalist. He is best known for his performances with Hollywood Vampires, Ace Frehley, The Cult and Ozzy Osbourne.[1][2] He is the vocalist and bassist for Owl, a band he founded in 2007.[3]

Chris Wyse
Background information
Born	(1969-07-15) 15 July 1969 Queens, New York
Genres	Hard rock, Alternative Rock
Occupation(s)	Bassist, Vocalist, Songwriter, Producer
Instruments	Bass guitar, upright bass
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Roadrunner Records, Cooking Vinyl, Overit
Associated acts	The Cult Owl Ozzy Osbourne Tal Bachman Jerry Cantrell Ace Frehley Lusk Hollywood Vampires
Website	owltheband.net

Early life

Wyse is a first-generation Irish American. He was born in Queens, New York. He discovered the music of Kiss, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin in grade school, and was inspired by Iron Maiden's Steve Harris to play bass. Performing with local bands in New York, he was profiled in Guitar Player Magazine at 17 and featured in Guitar For the Practicing Musician at 20.

Career

Bob Rock, The Cult

In 1990, prompted by the success of a studio session with musicians associated with Steve Vai, Wyse moved to Los Angeles,[4] where he devoted most of his time to playing with bands. After performing with artists including the band Lusk (with Guns N' Roses's Chris Pitman and Tool's Paul D'Amour), Wyse was introduced to acclaimed producer Bob Rock and became Rock's "go-to" bassist.[5] He played with Rock-produced artists including Tal Bachman, as well as artists unaffiliated with Rock, such as Scott Weiland.[6][7] In 2001, Wyse played on The Cult's well-reviewed album, Beyond Good and Evil,[8] which Rock produced. In 2003, Rock, who was then producing Metallica, urged Wyse to audition for the band. He was one of a handful of bassists selected to play with Metallica during the audition process, which was documented in the film Some Kind of Monster.[9]

In 2006, he became The Cult's full-time bass player, touring worldwide and recording two additional albums.[10]

Ozzy Osbourne, Owl

In 2004, Wyse was recruited for Ozzy Osbourne's band by drummer Mike Bordin after they met while playing as part of Jerry Cantrell's solo band.[2] He played on Ozzy's Under Cover album,[11] which was included on Osbourne's box set, Prince of Darkness.[12] Wyse also played on Jerry Cantrell's covers band Cardboard Vampyres.[13] Additionally, Wyse performed and recorded with Bob Rock's band, the Payola$.[14]

In 2007, Wyse founded Owl, an alternative rock band.[15] He is the band's singer, songwriter, and producer, and plays bass guitar and upright bass, sometimes creating "Hendrik-like effect on the upright bass" by using a bow.[16] Wyse formed Owl with his childhood friend, drummer Dan Dinsmore, and LA-based guitarist Jason Achilles Mezilis.[17] Described as "approaching timeless rock structures through a healthy amount of experimentation and instrumental intricacy"[18] Owl released their debut in 2009, followed by the album The Right Thing in April 2013. The first music video from the album, the title track's The Right Thing, premiered on Rolling Stone's website in March 2013.[19] Owl released their third album, Things You Can't See, in the summer of 2015.[20] Owl's third album, Things You Can't See, was released in summer 2015.[20] A video for the track

Ace Frehley, Hollywood Vampires

Wyse played bass guitar on Ace Frehley's album, Space Invader[21] He toured with Frehley following the release of Space Invader. Things You Can't See was released in 2015, as was Frehley's Origins Vol 1. Wyse played bass on the record, which featured Paul Stanley on vocals for the track Fire and Water.[22]

Wyse left The Cult in 2015, and has continued to tour and record with Frehley.[23][22] In January 2018 he played "New York Groove" with Frehley prior to the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field. The song is a staple at New York sporting events; it is played when the New York Giants score and when the New York Mets win.[24]

Wyse joined the Hollywood Vampires in 2018. A supergroup that includes Joe Perry, Alice Cooper, and Johnny Depp, Wyse performed with the Vampires on world tours in 2018 and 2019, and played on their sophomore album, Rise, released on Ear Music in 2019.[25][26]

Discography

Year	Artist	Project Title	Credit
1999	Scott Weiland's Big Blue Missile	The Spy Who Shagged Me OST	Bass
	Tal Bachman	Tal Bachman	Bass
2000	Nina Gordon	Tonight and the Rest of My Life	Upright Bass
2001	Owl	Flammable: A Tribute To The Red Hot Chili Peppers	Bass, Upright Bass Producer
	Various Artists	Broken Machine: A Tribute To Nine Inch Nails	Bass, Upright Bass Producer
	Mick Jagger	Goddess in the Doorway	Bass
	The Cult	Beyond Good and Evil	Bass
2005	Ozzy Osbourne	Under Cover	Bass
	Ozzy Osbourne	Prince of Darkness	Bass
2007	The Cult	Born into This	Bass, Songwriter
2008	Various Artists	We Wish You A Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year	Bass
2009	Owl	Owl	Vocals, Bass, Upright Bass Songwriter, Producer
2012	The Cult	Choice of Weapon	Bass, Upright Bass Songwriter
2013	Owl	The Right Thing	Vocals, Bass, Upright Bass Songwriter, Producer
2014	Ace Frehley	Space Invader	Bass guitar
2015	Owl	Things You Can’t See	Vocals, Bass, Upright Bass Songwriter, Producer
2016	Ace Frehley	Origins Vol. 1	Bass guitar
2019	Hollywood Vampires	"Rise"	Bass Guitar, Upright Bass Songwriter

Videography/Filmography/Television Appearances

Year	Artist	Song or Title	Appearance in or on
1999	Tal Bachman	"She's So High"	Music video
	Tal Bachman	"If You Sleep"	Music video
2003	Metallica	Metallica: Some Kind of Monster	Film
2006	The Cult	"Wildflower"	Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
	The Cult	"She Sells Sanctuary"	Jimmy Kimmel Live
	The Cult	Live at Irving Plaza	DVD
2009	Owl	Pusher	Music video
2010	Ace Frehley	Behind the Player	DVD
2012	The Cult	"Honey From A Knife"	Music video
	The Cult	"Love Removal Machine" "Wildflower" "She Sells Sanctuary" "For The Animals"	Jimmy Kimmel Live
	The Cult	"For the Animals"	Music video
2013	Owl	"Perfect"	Music video
	Owl	"Destroyer"	Music video
	Owl	"The Right Thing"	Music video
2015	Owl	"Who’s Gonna Save You Now"	Music video
2016	Ace Frehley	"Fire and Water"	Music video
2017	Owl	"Lake Ego"	Music video
2018	Owl	"Things You Can't See"	Music video
	Owl	"Believe"	Music video
2019	Hollywood Vampires	"Heroes"	Music video
	Hollywood Vampires	"Boogie Man Surprise"	Music video
	Hollywood Vampires	"Who's Laughing Now"	Music video
	Hollywood Vampires	"Heroes", "I Want My Now"	Jimmy Kimmel Live
	Hollywood Vampires	"Heroes", "I Want My Now"	The Late Late Show with James Corden

References

1. "Chris Wyse at All Music". Retrieved 6 March 2013.
2. "The Cult's Chris Wyse Interview". antiMusic. 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
3. Wang, K.S. "The Cult Bassist Celebrity Drive". Motor Trend. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
4. "Chris Wyse at LastFM". LastFM. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
5. "Profile: Chris Wyse". Ampeg. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
6. "5 Questions With Chris Wyse". The Viper Room. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
7. "Bob Rock at All Music". All Music. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
8. "Beyond Good And Evil". MetaCritic. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
9. "Some Kind of Monster at IMDB". IMDB. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
10. staff, Deanna Darr Journal. "Bassist Wyse juggles gigs with The Cult, Owl". Rapid City Journal Media Group. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
11. "OZZY OSBOURNE: Recording Lineup For 'Under Covers' Disc Revealed". Blabbermouth. 16 February 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
12. "Ozzy Osbourne". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
13. "Jerry Cantrell Forms New Band - Cardboard Vampyres". Glide Magazine. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
14. "#GuitarChat with Chris Wyse and Jason Mezilis of OWL – 16 April at 9pm ET". Guitarkadia. 16 April 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
15. Sciaretto, Amy. "The Cult's Chris Wyse Steps Out With Owl". Noise Creep. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
16. Newsome, Jonathan. "The Right Thing". 1 March 2013. Unsung Melody. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
17. "Chris Wyse at D'Addario Strings". D'Addario. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
18. Armador, Valery. "Owl Releases The Right Thing". Bass Player Magazine. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
19. "Owl Examines Consequences in the Right Thing". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
20. "CHRIS WYSE ON TOURING WITH ACE FREHLEY AND OWL'S THINGS YOU CAN'T SEE". Amps and Greenscreens. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
21. Hodgson, Peter. "Ace Frehley Working on New Album". 22 July 2013. Gibson. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
22. BP Staff (16 February 2016). "Ace Frehley Enlists Bassist Chris Wyse and All Star Lineup For Covers LP". Bass Player. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
23. Frazer, Bear (6 December 2014). "Chris Wyse Rocks With Ace Frehley, Preps New Owl EP". Arena. Arena. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
24. "Winter Classic will be in 'New York Groove'". NHL.com. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
25. "ALICE COOPER on HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES Bandmate JOHNNY DEPP: 'People Are Going To Be Very Surprised When They Hear Him Play'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
26. Magazine, Bass. "Watch Hollywood Vampires and Chris Wyse Perform "I Want My Now" On James Corden". Bass Magazine - The Future of Bass. Retrieved 12 January 2020.

External links

• Owl official website
• Frehley official website