FA 65 - Leighton Kearns

The JoZ · 07-18-2005, 11:15 PM

When you think of a bassist in a modern rock/metal group, chances are, your expectations aren’t set very high. You might expect a heavily drop-tuned 4 string, or even a 5 string bass…where only the top two strings see any actions. You might expect rather simple root-noting around, following the guitar (which are overly distorted) mindlessly, and somewhat effortlessly.

But I’d like to talk about one of my favorite bassists who was part of a really unique sounding modern rock/metal band, that had so much promise…yet sadly ended before they could really hit it big. This man is number two on my influences list, second only to Justin Chancellor of Tool...and right above John Myung of Dream Theater. Unfortunately, this bassist is pretty much off everyone’s radar, and it’s a damn shame.

I bring to you today, the story of Mr. Leighton “Lats” Kearns, former bassist of the group Memento.

Early Days

Lats grew up in Australia. Unlike many proficient bassists, Lats’ childhood was not exactly inundated with music; he didn’t really take formal lessons, or study music much in school, and his parents weren’t exactly musicians themselves. As a kid, Lats listened to what his parents were in to, from the likes of Billy Joel to the Commodores. Not exactly heavy rock, and far from metal to say the least.

In 1994, Lats went to his first concert. He saw Pantera on their “Far Beyond Driven” tour, and was quite taken by the sounds of the band, and in particular, Rex Brown’s bass playing. The massive bass sound piqued Lats’ interests immediately, and he knew he wanted to be a bassist from that point on. When a friend of his started up a band, and needed a bassist…Lats immediately jumped at the chance to play. Lats went out, with a friend’s help, and bought a bass. Lats says that, in a way…Jason Newstead taught him how to play bass, as he’d sit in front of the TV, watching Jason play with Metallica in live videos, and would pick up skills and ideas from that. If you aren’t going to have formal lessons, the next best thing is to learn from the guys who are already professionals

Lats’ Influences

Lats’ biggest influences musically are Cliff Burton, Jason Newstead and Rex Brown, of Metallica and Pantera, respectively. But even then, Lats says he prefers paying attention to full bands, and sounds, as opposed to simply singling out the bassist. “All that shit bores me”, he said. “I like to just listen to bands and the overall sound and hear how good and tasteful or arrogant the bass players are.” While not citing them directly as influences, Lats listened to a lot of Metallica, Pantera, Prong and Helmet as he got older, and his tastes gravitated toward heavier music.

One of Lats’ first musical endeavors was a band in Australia called Devolved. While they may not have ‘hit it big’, in 2002, they were voted the Best Metal Band in Australia. Playing in a metal band helped open up Lats’ musical tastes, he said…but of course, he’s still a huge fan of metal.

Memento

It wasn’t until he got into Memento that Lats hit it big. Memento was essentially launched into success with the radio single “Nothing Sacred”. Their success with this song and other gigs got them a spot on the 2nd stage of 2003’s Ozzfest. Plenty of music magazines, TV shows, etc…put a spotlight on Memento. They were called “Artist to watch in 2003” by more than one entity (can’t remember them though), and many thought that a lasting music career was in their future. They combined crunchy distortion, great moving basslines, skillful drumming, and powerful, emotional vocals to create a sound that was not completely unheard of, but was not simply a carbon copy of anyone else already out. But these guys…were not afraid to experiment, and do things differently. On their debut (and sadly, only) album, Beginnings, several songs stick out from the beginning. “Reflections”, a nearly 2 minute long piano solo by vocalist/guitarist/pianist Justin Stewart Cotta; “Blister” a mournful ballad of a song, combining more piano, strings, and female guest vocals for a very powerful, but sad track. Without a doubt, their crowning achievement was “Figure 8”, a 13 minute long epic that could easily be called progressive. Honestly, if Dream Theater completely ditched the virtuosity for songwriting…they probably could’ve written this song. It has almost literally everything in it, but I won’t go into that just yet.

So Lats and his bandmates were riding high on the wave of success, right? Well, they were, till ‘creative differences’ split the band apart last year sometime. I don’t know full details, but I know that their former guitarist, Space, wanted to make completely different music…and I have no idea what Steve Clark, their drummer, wanted to do…but it was these two gentlemen who cause Memento to cease to be. Such really is a shame, because I would loved to have seen these guys grow and mature with passing records.

The Music

So, now you’ve read about Lats, and you want to know more about his music, right? Well, let me recommend you some key Memento songs I think you should all hear to check out this man’s work.

All songs come off their “Beginnings” album.

Nothing Sacred:
One of two singles they put out, this one is a straightforward hard rocker. Lat’s playing is a thick, solid line that really adds the foundation of the song. Simple, but effective.

Saviour
The other single they put out. Here, Lats gets a bit of cool sliding work in it that I really happen to like. It adds a very cool feel to the song, and really just sounds great over the guitar. Well, ok, it’s technically under the guitar, but we bassists know where it belongs

Shell
This song kind of combines the two elements of the first two songs. I honestly could see myself as having written this line, it reminds me of something I would do. The basis of this song is solid foundation, but cool fills here and there. Oh yeah, go listen to this track a second time and pay attention to Justin’s awesome singing in this song too

Figure 8
While I honestly can’t think of any standout bass moments on this track, you *must* hear this song if you have not. I really don’t want to talk about this song much, I want you all to be surprised by it. But I will say that not only is this song Lats’ (and my) personal favorite song on the album…but Lats did a lot of the writing on this one. Singer Justin was quoted once as saying that this song was “Lats’ baby” so…bear that in mind as you get lost in this awesome song.

Current Work
Lats is working with singer Nik Carpenter on a project he’s dubbed “The Killing Secret”. Go check out his hard rocking music on @ myspace.com/thekillingsecret and tell him I sent you

Gear

Annnnd finally, the obligatory gear section.

Lats uses Yamaha products for his bassing needs. His guitar is a [url=http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,6373,CNTID%253D2521%2526CTID%253D224200,00.html]Nathan East Signature Model 5 String[/url], his amp is a BBT500H…an amp I couldn’t find on the Yamaha site, but he said it’s a digital amp with a massive sound, and it fits in a backpack. The man uses Dean Markley strings as well.

I quite apologize for how long it took me to get this done, I really do. If you guys ever let me do a FA again, I won’t take nearly this kind of time to do it, I swear.

And if someone would take Mr Burbridge down and put Mr Kearns up top I'd appreciate that

Az_Holl · 07-18-2005, 11:35 PM

Congrats on finnally getting it done

Do you recommend any songs in particular?

Joelbassman · 07-18-2005, 11:45 PM

Very nice Mr Joz.

We can now forgive for taking so long

***Spaceman Spiff*** · 07-18-2005, 11:55 PM

Awesome, Joz.

I saw Memento live back in 2003 when they opened for CKY. I didn't know what to expect, but I really enjoyed their set.
I didn't know that they broke up, it's a shame.

CrookedFingers · 07-19-2005, 01:00 AM

Good FA.

Bump to keep this in the first page.

Jim Hull · 07-19-2005, 03:35 AM

Yeah good job Joz. I have never even heard of him. Well worth the wait to be introduced to a bassist that I didnt know about

Chris K · 07-19-2005, 06:26 AM

Very nice,I love those Nathan East Signature basses

Led_Zeppelin678 · 07-19-2005, 11:08 AM

twopelu · 07-19-2005, 03:58 PM

Great FA, as expected

Left Shoe · 07-20-2005, 05:26 PM

very nice, mad props for finding a bassist that we often look over

Radiobass81 · 07-20-2005, 05:44 PM

Nice FA

.

baggagebassman · 07-20-2005, 10:23 PM

Lats is insane! I didn't know his real name until now, but I saw him in a Yamaha ad and checked out Memento. Great FA, Joz!

janyeno · 07-20-2005, 10:31 PM

that guy kind of looks like low_end_communication from the boards here... in that picture anyway... well if i correctly remember how he looks...

i'll have to check out this guy's music...

da_s_man13 · 07-22-2005, 02:04 AM

An aussy player WOO!!

HELMET!!!!!

Jim Hull · 07-25-2005, 08:12 AM

I'll do the next one. (That is if no one else wants to... ive done like 3 already so if anyone who hasnt done one wants it, thats cool)

antooon · 08-04-2005, 07:40 PM

Id like to do one. Ive already thought of one guy who is great but not half of you know about.

willobassman · 08-06-2005, 01:21 AM

I went out and got the album

Knockout stuff.

Begginings is such an awesome song and so is Abyss, Justin has a a really good presence.

New Born · 08-06-2005, 08:01 AM

Is it just me or did we not have a FA for AGES? I thought we didn't do them anymore, but good to see they're back

I'd be up for doing one, whenever there's a turn free.

The JoZ · 08-07-2005, 10:15 PM

We didn't have one for ages because I was a slow, lazy bastard who took forever to get this one done.

Mango Kid · 08-07-2005, 11:27 PM

Very good read. Thanks man.

07-18-2005, 11:15 PM	#1
The JoZ Beyond The Divide Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Norfolk, Virginia, USA Posts: 12,452	FA 65 - Leighton Kearns When you think of a bassist in a modern rock/metal group, chances are, your expectations aren’t set very high. You might expect a heavily drop-tuned 4 string, or even a 5 string bass…where only the top two strings see any actions. You might expect rather simple root-noting around, following the guitar (which are overly distorted) mindlessly, and somewhat effortlessly. But I’d like to talk about one of my favorite bassists who was part of a really unique sounding modern rock/metal band, that had so much promise…yet sadly ended before they could really hit it big. This man is number two on my influences list, second only to Justin Chancellor of Tool...and right above John Myung of Dream Theater. Unfortunately, this bassist is pretty much off everyone’s radar, and it’s a damn shame. I bring to you today, the story of Mr. Leighton “Lats” Kearns, former bassist of the group Memento. Early Days Lats grew up in Australia. Unlike many proficient bassists, Lats’ childhood was not exactly inundated with music; he didn’t really take formal lessons, or study music much in school, and his parents weren’t exactly musicians themselves. As a kid, Lats listened to what his parents were in to, from the likes of Billy Joel to the Commodores. Not exactly heavy rock, and far from metal to say the least. In 1994, Lats went to his first concert. He saw Pantera on their “Far Beyond Driven” tour, and was quite taken by the sounds of the band, and in particular, Rex Brown’s bass playing. The massive bass sound piqued Lats’ interests immediately, and he knew he wanted to be a bassist from that point on. When a friend of his started up a band, and needed a bassist…Lats immediately jumped at the chance to play. Lats went out, with a friend’s help, and bought a bass. Lats says that, in a way…Jason Newstead taught him how to play bass, as he’d sit in front of the TV, watching Jason play with Metallica in live videos, and would pick up skills and ideas from that. If you aren’t going to have formal lessons, the next best thing is to learn from the guys who are already professionals Lats’ Influences Lats’ biggest influences musically are Cliff Burton, Jason Newstead and Rex Brown, of Metallica and Pantera, respectively. But even then, Lats says he prefers paying attention to full bands, and sounds, as opposed to simply singling out the bassist. “All that shit bores me”, he said. “I like to just listen to bands and the overall sound and hear how good and tasteful or arrogant the bass players are.” While not citing them directly as influences, Lats listened to a lot of Metallica, Pantera, Prong and Helmet as he got older, and his tastes gravitated toward heavier music. One of Lats’ first musical endeavors was a band in Australia called Devolved. While they may not have ‘hit it big’, in 2002, they were voted the Best Metal Band in Australia. Playing in a metal band helped open up Lats’ musical tastes, he said…but of course, he’s still a huge fan of metal. Memento It wasn’t until he got into Memento that Lats hit it big. Memento was essentially launched into success with the radio single “Nothing Sacred”. Their success with this song and other gigs got them a spot on the 2nd stage of 2003’s Ozzfest. Plenty of music magazines, TV shows, etc…put a spotlight on Memento. They were called “Artist to watch in 2003” by more than one entity (can’t remember them though), and many thought that a lasting music career was in their future. They combined crunchy distortion, great moving basslines, skillful drumming, and powerful, emotional vocals to create a sound that was not completely unheard of, but was not simply a carbon copy of anyone else already out. But these guys…were not afraid to experiment, and do things differently. On their debut (and sadly, only) album, Beginnings, several songs stick out from the beginning. “Reflections”, a nearly 2 minute long piano solo by vocalist/guitarist/pianist Justin Stewart Cotta; “Blister” a mournful ballad of a song, combining more piano, strings, and female guest vocals for a very powerful, but sad track. Without a doubt, their crowning achievement was “Figure 8”, a 13 minute long epic that could easily be called progressive. Honestly, if Dream Theater completely ditched the virtuosity for songwriting…they probably could’ve written this song. It has almost literally everything in it, but I won’t go into that just yet. So Lats and his bandmates were riding high on the wave of success, right? Well, they were, till ‘creative differences’ split the band apart last year sometime. I don’t know full details, but I know that their former guitarist, Space, wanted to make completely different music…and I have no idea what Steve Clark, their drummer, wanted to do…but it was these two gentlemen who cause Memento to cease to be. Such really is a shame, because I would loved to have seen these guys grow and mature with passing records. The Music So, now you’ve read about Lats, and you want to know more about his music, right? Well, let me recommend you some key Memento songs I think you should all hear to check out this man’s work. All songs come off their “Beginnings” album. Nothing Sacred: One of two singles they put out, this one is a straightforward hard rocker. Lat’s playing is a thick, solid line that really adds the foundation of the song. Simple, but effective. Saviour The other single they put out. Here, Lats gets a bit of cool sliding work in it that I really happen to like. It adds a very cool feel to the song, and really just sounds great over the guitar. Well, ok, it’s technically under the guitar, but we bassists know where it belongs Shell This song kind of combines the two elements of the first two songs. I honestly could see myself as having written this line, it reminds me of something I would do. The basis of this song is solid foundation, but cool fills here and there. Oh yeah, go listen to this track a second time and pay attention to Justin’s awesome singing in this song too Figure 8 While I honestly can’t think of any standout bass moments on this track, you must hear this song if you have not. I really don’t want to talk about this song much, I want you all to be surprised by it. But I will say that not only is this song Lats’ (and my) personal favorite song on the album…but Lats did a lot of the writing on this one. Singer Justin was quoted once as saying that this song was “Lats’ baby” so…bear that in mind as you get lost in this awesome song. Current Work Lats is working with singer Nik Carpenter on a project he’s dubbed “The Killing Secret”. Go check out his hard rocking music on @ myspace.com/thekillingsecret and tell him I sent you Gear Annnnd finally, the obligatory gear section. Lats uses Yamaha products for his bassing needs. His guitar is a [url=http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,6373,CNTID%253D2521%2526CTID%253D224200,00.html]Nathan East Signature Model 5 String[/url], his amp is a BBT500H…an amp I couldn’t find on the Yamaha site, but he said it’s a digital amp with a massive sound, and it fits in a backpack. The man uses Dean Markley strings as well. I quite apologize for how long it took me to get this done, I really do. If you guys ever let me do a FA again, I won’t take nearly this kind of time to do it, I swear. And if someone would take Mr Burbridge down and put Mr Kearns up top I'd appreciate that

07-18-2005, 11:45 PM	#3
Joelbassman MX Seal Appreciation Club Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nuu Zeelund Posts: 4,366	Very nice Mr Joz. We can now forgive for taking so long
	Digging: Emarosa - Relativity

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07-18-2005, 11:35 PM	#2
Az_Holl MX Zoids Pilot Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Planet Zi Posts: 10,174	Congrats on finnally getting it done Do you recommend any songs in particular?

07-18-2005, 11:55 PM	#4
*Spaceman Spiff* Hail to the king, baby. Moderator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Torontonio Banderas Posts: 26,504	Awesome, Joz. I saw Memento live back in 2003 when they opened for CKY. I didn't know what to expect, but I really enjoyed their set. I didn't know that they broke up, it's a shame.

07-19-2005, 01:00 AM	#5
CrookedFingers MX Squier Club Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 712	Good FA. Bump to keep this in the first page.

07-19-2005, 03:35 AM	#6
Jim Hull bigfellahull Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: London Posts: 2,248	Yeah good job Joz. I have never even heard of him. Well worth the wait to be introduced to a bassist that I didnt know about

07-19-2005, 06:26 AM	#7
Chris K We Supply Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Adventuring in RadioLand Posts: 9,516	Very nice,I love those Nathan East Signature basses

07-19-2005, 11:08 AM	#8
Led_Zeppelin678 myspace/golgotha Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 5,919

07-19-2005, 03:58 PM	#9
twopelu gettin used to be back Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Madrid Posts: 3,528	Great FA, as expected

07-20-2005, 05:26 PM	#10
Left Shoe 13 Crosses For Mod '10 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Boston Posts: 20,564	very nice, mad props for finding a bassist that we often look over

07-20-2005, 05:44 PM	#11
Radiobass81 El Cartero de Neruda Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 19,425	Nice FA .

07-20-2005, 10:23 PM	#12
baggagebassman Keep Cleaning The Mirror Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Unfortunately, not GSH Posts: 1,428	Lats is insane! I didn't know his real name until now, but I saw him in a Yamaha ad and checked out Memento. Great FA, Joz!

07-20-2005, 10:31 PM	#13
janyeno Eccentricity be thy game. Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,413	that guy kind of looks like low_end_communication from the boards here... in that picture anyway... well if i correctly remember how he looks... i'll have to check out this guy's music...

07-22-2005, 02:04 AM	#14
da_s_man13 MX Rockstand Club Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: The Outback, Maaaaate. Posts: 4,092	An aussy player WOO!! HELMET!!!!!

07-25-2005, 08:12 AM	#15
Jim Hull bigfellahull Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: London Posts: 2,248	I'll do the next one. (That is if no one else wants to... ive done like 3 already so if anyone who hasnt done one wants it, thats cool)

08-04-2005, 07:40 PM	#16
antooon Registered User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Sweden, Växjö Posts: 330	Id like to do one. Ive already thought of one guy who is great but not half of you know about.

08-06-2005, 01:21 AM	#17
willobassman Bleak Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 1,594	I went out and got the album Knockout stuff. Begginings is such an awesome song and so is Abyss, Justin has a a really good presence.

08-06-2005, 08:01 AM	#18
New Born Read FA#66 Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: London, England Posts: 368	Is it just me or did we not have a FA for AGES? I thought we didn't do them anymore, but good to see they're back I'd be up for doing one, whenever there's a turn free.

08-07-2005, 10:15 PM	#19
The JoZ Beyond The Divide Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Norfolk, Virginia, USA Posts: 12,452	We didn't have one for ages because I was a slow, lazy bastard who took forever to get this one done.

08-07-2005, 11:27 PM	#20
Mango Kid Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 2,447	Very good read. Thanks man.