Robert Trujillo

Robert Trujillo
Trujillo performing in London in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Roberto Agustin Trujillo
Born	October 23, 1964 (1964-10-23) Santa Monica, California, USA
Genres	Heavy metal, thrash metal, funk metal, grunge, hardcore punk, hard rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Bass, guitar, vocals
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Warner Bros., Elektra, Megaforce
Associated acts	Metallica, Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Mass Mental, Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne, Jerry Cantrell, Glenn Tipton, Himantha Kumarasinghe
Website	www.metallica.com
Notable instruments
Fernandes Gravity 5-string Music Man Stingray 5-string Warwick Basses Fender Precision Bass Rickenbacker 4001

Robert Trujillo (Spanish pronunciation: [roˈβerto tɾuˈxiʎo]; born Roberto Agustin Trujillo^{[citation needed]} on October 23, 1964) is an American bassist who currently plays bass in Metallica. He has also played in Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Black Label Society, and with Jerry Cantrell and Ozzy Osbourne.

Biography

Early life

Robert Trujillo was born in Santa Monica, California.

Career

He was a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band for a number of years starting in the late 90s. Trujillo was the subject of controversy for re-recording Bob Daisley's bass tracks for reissued versions of Osbourne's albums Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman because of Daisley's claim of not receiving proper royalties.^{[citation needed]} During this time, Trujillo formed an experimental supergroup, Mass Mental, with then Dub War singer Benji Webbe, whose "ragga-punk-metal" outfit had just disbanded. The band released one studio album (exclusively in Japan) and one live album of their performance in Tokyo before disbanding. Zakk Wylde, a personal friend and bandmate from the Ozzy days, also recruited him to play with Black Label Society for a few shows.

Robert Trujillo began playing electric bass for Metallica on February 24, 2003. The band consists of James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Lars Ulrich. He had previously met and befriended his future bandmates when Suicidal Tendencies supported Metallica during the Nowhere Else to Roam tour in 1993, and again during the Shit Hits the Sheds tour one year later. Trujillo received one million dollars from the band as an advance for joining Metallica. His audition and hiring appear in the documentary film Some Kind of Monster. As the current bassist for Metallica, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside all current members of the band, as well as Jason Newsted (who left the band in 2001) and the late Cliff Burton on April 4, 2009.

In 2003, Trujillo was seen playing an upright bass in the Nickel Creek music video, "Smoothie Song". However, he did not play bass for the band during the song's recording.

Personal life

Robert is married and has a son and daughter, Ty and Lula. His girlfriend (now wife) Chloé did a pyrography (woodburning) design of the Aztec Calendar for him on his bass guitar. Years later when Rob heard Chloé had moved to Los Angeles, he called her from a pay phone while on a surfing trip in Tahiti in a determined effort to reconnect. They have been together for the past seven years and are now married. His wife has her own website called "Chloe in art".

Technique

Trujillo is primarily a fingerstyle player, but has been known to play with a pick in some recordings and while playing live. Trujillo's predecessor in Metallica, Jason Newsted, was almost exclusively a pickstyle player, while Cliff Burton, Newsted's predecessor and bassist on Metallica's first three albums, played fingerstyle exclusively.

Trujillo also uses the slap bass technique, seen mostly in his work with Suicidal Tendencies and especially Infectious Grooves. At many of the shows during Metallica's 2004 Madly in Anger with the World Tour, Trujillo would often play an extended bass solo (dubbed "Jungle Essence" on recordings) which made extensive use of slap bass and other techniques and effects.

For recording purposes, Trujillo uses his own code for writing down bass arrangements. Inspired by an article by Pino Palladino, he developed this during the recording sessions for Jerry Cantrell's Degradation Trip which, according to Trujillo, had him working from "little hoodrat demos" with nearly inaudible bass.

Equipment

With Metallica, he is most often seen playing Fernandes Gravity 5-string basses, particularly a model with a silver finish, blue flame decals, and EMG pickups. He has a Warwick Signature Streamer bass that was released in March 2010. He also has a signature bass model, the Sonus RT, manufactured by Zon Guitars. Prior to Metallica, he was most often seen playing Tobias, ESP and MusicMan basses (all 5-strings), as well as a Fender Precision Bass with Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne. Trujillo has been seen in concert playing a Yamaha TRB5-P2 5-string bass, a customized green Rickenbacker 4001/4003 4-string bass fitted with EMG pickups, various Nash P-Bass Copy guitars, and both a classic Fender Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass. For amplification, he uses Ampeg amplifiers and cabinets. Trujillo recently collaborated with Jim Dunlop to create his new Icon signature bass strings - these strings are taper-core stainless steel, with a non-tapered B string in gauges 45-130 (5-string).

Trujillo is also the custodian of the "Bass Of Doom" - a defretted mid-1960s Fender Jazz Bass that was formerly owned by the late Jaco Pastorius and which was extensively used on his recorded works. The bass had been seriously damaged, but has subsequently been restored and refinished. Trujillo acquired it from its previous owner, with the intention of having the bass remain with him, in trust for the Pastorius family. He has, however, been seen playing it onstage with Metallica.

Effects

Trujillo's pedal board consists of an Electro Harmonix Q-Tron, a Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI, a Tech 21 XXL, a MXR m-135 SmartGate, a Morley Mark Tremonti wah pedal, and a Boss OC-2 Octave Pedal; all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power.

Acting

Trujillo has made appearances in films and a TV show and TV film, he appeared in the 1978 film House Calls, and the 1992 comedy film Encino Man. He made a guest appearance in the hit TV series CHiPs and appeared in the TV film Scout's Honor.

Almost comically, he was in a Pacific Bell Smart Yellow Pages commercial that aired in the '90s. When asked to think of something that couldn't be found in the Pacific Bell Smart Yellow Pages, he mentioned that he was looking for a kilt because he was going on tour and apparently wanted to wear one.

Discography

Jerry Cantrell

• Degradation Trip (2002)
• Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 (2002)

Black Label Society

• 1919 Eternal (2002)

Infectious Grooves

• The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move...It's the Infectious Grooves (1991)
• Encino Man Soundtrack (1992)
• Sarsippius' Ark (1993)
• Groove Family Cyco (1994)
• Mas Borracho (1999)
• Years Of Cycos (2008)
• Funk It Up - Live In France 1995 (2010)
• Mad Mad Muir Musical Tour (2011)

Suicidal Tendencies

• Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà Vu (1989) (credited as "Stymee")
• Lights...Camera...Revolution! (1990)
• The Art of Rebellion (1992)
• Still Cyco After All These Years (1993)
• Suicidal for Life (1994)
• Years Of Cycos (2008)
• Mad Mad Muis Musical Tour (2011)

Glenn Tipton

• Baptizm of Fire (1997)

Mass Mental

• How to Write Love Songs (1999)
• Live in Tokyo (2001)

Ozzy Osbourne

• Down to Earth (2001)
• Blizzard of Ozz (reissue) (2002)
• Diary of a Madman (reissue) (2002)
• Live at Budokan (2002)

Metallica

• Some Kind of Monster (2004)
• Death Magnetic (2008)
• Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México (2009)
• Six Feet Down Under (2010)
• The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (2010)
• Six Feet Down Under (Part II) (2010)
• Live at Grimey's (2010)
• Lulu (2011)
• Upcoming Metallica Studio Album (201?)
• Beyond Magnetic (2011)

Various artists

• "The Blackest Box" (2002)
• "A Song for Chi" (2009)

Videography

• St. Anger live bonus DVD - 2003
• Some Kind of Monster Metallica documentary
• The Videos: 1989-2004 Video compilation DVD
• Français Pour Une Nuit Live DVD from the concert in Nîmes
• Orgullo, Pasión Y Gloria - Tres Noches En La Ciudad De México Live DVD from the concerts in Mexico City

References

Preceded by Jason Newsted

Metallica bassist 2003-present

Succeeded by Current

External links

• Robert Trujillo at the Internet Movie Database