Kyuss’ Nick Oliveri was shortly replaced and bassist Scott Reeder became a key component in the slower, hazier sound of “Sky Valley”, and would remain with the band right up until its breakup in 1995. Speaking to Bass Player in a recent interview he recalled the Tool audition.
Scott Reeder opens up on Tool audition
Over the years, Reeder would play with a number of other outfits such as The Obsessed and Fireball Ministry, but in 1996, he got a unique invitation to try for the role of Tool’s new bassist. Recalling his narrow race with the band’s current bassist Justin Chancellor, Reeder said:
“I got a call saying, ‘Can you come over and jam with Tool?’
“We played for three days and I thought it went really well. They seemed pretty excited and called me and said, ‘It’s down to just two guys – you and this guy Justin Chancellor from England.’
“So I was sitting by the phone, getting really excited – but they called me and said, ‘Sorry, he just oozes Tool,’ which I understand because I’d gone down there and just been myself.”
Reeder also recalled how Kyuss’s sonic mix allowed for plenty of space to go wild with bass.
“In Kyuss, most of the guitar stuff was pretty simple, so there was room for the bass to weave around it. I’d taken theory classes and they really influenced where the bass went.”
