Mike Ness
Mike Ness | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Michael James Ness |
Born | Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S. | April 3, 1962
Origin | Orange County, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter, producer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Years active | 1978–present |
Labels | Time Bomb, Epitaph |
Member of | Social Distortion |
Formerly of | Easter |
Website | mikeness |
Michael James Ness (born April 3, 1962)[5] is an American musician who is the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1979.
Early life
Ness was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on April 3, 1962. His family relocated to Orange County, California, later that year, and he grew up in Fullerton. As a child, he idolized gangsters such as John Dillinger and Bonnie and Clyde. At a young age, his parents divorced and he was later kicked out of his father and stepmother's home in Fullerton when he was around 15 or 16 years old for incorrigible behavior.[6][7]
During his early years, Ness was raised on the blues, country and early rock and roll, and he grew up listening to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, the Supremes, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, David Bowie, ZZ Top, Kiss and Bad Company.[8][9][10][11] As he drifted around Orange County, Ness became involved in the punk rock scene.[12]
In the 1980s, Ness was the original renter of the one-bedroom apartment described in
Career
This section of a poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Mike Ness" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2022) |
Inspired by
Ness was featured in the independent film
Ness performed in the band Easter from 1986 until 1988 and appeared in the music video for the songs "Slipping Away" and "Lights Out". In 1989, Social Distortion signed a deal with Epic Records and released three albums with that label: Social Distortion (1990), Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992) and White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996).
The band left Epic Records after White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996) and Ness formed
In 1999, Ness released his first solo album, Cheating at Solitaire. Although some of Social Distortion's songs paid homage to country music artists, Cheating at Solitaire was an unalloyed expression of Ness' country influences. Solitaire included guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Brian Setzer, Billy Zoom and Josh Freese, as well as members of Royal Crown Revue. Springsteen had touted Social Distortion's Heaven and Hell as his favorite record of the year in a Rolling Stone interview in 1992.
Ness continued in this vein, releasing a compilation of country covers entitled
Childhood friend and founding member of Social Distortion guitarist
Social Distortion went back to work in June 2000 on the album Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll. Many of the songs on this new album are dedicated to Danell, such as "Don't Take Me For Granted", "Reach for the Sky" and "Angel's Wings". At an October 2010 concert in New York City Ness dedicated "Don't Take Me For Granted" to Joey Ramone.[17]
In 2003, Social Distortion recorded a live DVD called Live in Orange County at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California which was released in 2004 along with Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, both of which were released on Time Bomb Recordings.
These efforts marked the first recordings with a line-up consisting of Ness on guitar and vocals, Wickersham replacing Danell on guitar, and Quintana on drums. It also consisted of a number of songs co-written by Ness and Wickersham. This is the first time Ness collaborated with another songwriter since his 1990 self-titled album, on which he and then bassist John Maurer wrote "So Far Away". The band's lineup changed twice after Maurer left the band, just a month before the release of Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll.[citation needed]
In February 2006, Ness broke his wrist while skateboarding in Las Vegas. He continued to perform vocals on the tour while T.S.O.L. guitarist Ron Emory filled in on guitar until Ness recovered from the injury.[18] On January 18, 2007, former Social Distortion bass player Brent Liles died after being hit by a tractor trailer truck. Ness dedicated a performance at the Anaheim House of Blues to him shortly after.[citation needed]
Despite earlier reports that the band would begin recording their next studio album by 2008, Social Distortion took a hiatus from touring and recording, when Ness was on tour with his solo band which is composed of two current members of Social Distortion, Brent Harding and Jonny Wickersham.
Also touring with Ness were
On May 17, 2008, Ness and his band were joined on stage by
On April 16, 2009, Ness joined Springsteen and the
On April 7, 2023, Ness and Social Distortion posted to their Instagram pages that pre production on the band's next album was completed and that they would begin recording on April 17. The album was expected to be released in early 2024.[19][20] However, in June 2023, recording was postponed due to Ness being diagnosed with tonsil cancer. On December 12, 2023, Social Distortion announced that they would be doing a co-headlining tour with Bad Religion in April and May 2024 and they will perform Mommy’s Little Monster in its entirety to celebrate the album's 40th anniversary. Social Distortion will also do their own headlining tour in September and October 2024.[21]
Personal life
Ness currently lives in
In a 2015 interview with Eric Walden, he said in reference to the song "Ball and Chain", "It was basically, 'I've seen God,' I guess if you will — God of my understanding; I'm not a religious guy; I do consider myself a spiritual man."[24]
On June 7, 2023, Mike Ness announced that he was diagnosed with stage one
Equipment
Electric guitars
Early in his career, Ness was seen using Gibson SGs and SG Juniors but he currently uses 1970s Gibson Les Paul Deluxes (a 1971 sunburst, a 1975 sunburst, a 1975 goldtop and a 1976 goldtop). His 1976 goldtop is his favorite and most used guitar currently, however his 1971 sunburst was his main guitar for many years, especially through the 1990s. Ness uses Eb Standard tuning and usually uses a capo on the second fret while using his goldtops. He has used Seymour Duncan P-90 pickups in all of his guitars since touring with Neil Young in the early 1990s (Ness recalled seeing Young's guitar tech take the stock mini humbucker pickups out of a Les Paul Deluxe, throw them in the trash and replace them with the P-90s). Ness' goldtops have maple necks which he says contribute to his tone especially when using a capo on the second fret.[26] He also once used a non-reverse Gibson Firebird, as seen on the back cover of Social Distortion's 1983 debut Mommy's Little Monster, and a white Gibson Les Paul Custom in the videos for "Ball and Chain" and "Story of My Life".
Acoustic guitars
In an interview with Guitar.com Ness said: "The guitar that I write on is a 1940 Gibson J-45. I have three of them – I searched high and low for them. I had a 1940 Martin D-18 that I sold last year; I'm just a Gibson guy. I gravitate to the Gibson J-45 every time I write. It's a balladeer's guitar".[27] Ness also plays a 1939 Gibson J-35, that he says "...very rarely leaves the house...".[28]
Amplifiers
Ness uses Fender Bassman amps modified by Fred Taccone of Divided by 13 through Marshall 4x12 slant cabs with Celestion Greenback speakers. Most of his touring amps were modded by Billy Zoom of the band X. Zoom's modifications include a wattage switch to select between 40, 20 or 10 watts, replacing the bass channel with a higher gain channel. The only effect pedal Ness uses live is an overdrive, previously a Boss SD-1 and currently a Klon Centaur, though he has used various delays in the studio.[26]
Discography
Solo
- Cheating at Solitaire (1999)
- Under the Influences (1999)
Social Distortion
- Mommy's Little Monster (1983)
- Prison Bound (1988)
- Social Distortion (1990)
- Somewhere Between Heaven And Hell(1992)
- White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
- Live at the Roxy (1998)
- Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll (2004)
- Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
Other appearances
- The Band Easter (1980)
- Another State of Mind (1984)
- Frezno Smooth
- Easter (1986–1988)
- Live at the Hootenanny, Vol. 1 (2000)
- Live in Orange County (2004)
- Punk's Not Dead (2007)
References
- ^ Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ Ferris, D.X. (October 10, 2019). "Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness on 40 years of living the punk life". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- San Francisco Gate. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "Mike Ness – Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Mike Ness". Facebook. April 3, 1962. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (May 8, 1990). "Looking Back on the Darkest days". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ "Mike Ness | News, Music Performances and Show Video Clips". MTV. November 30, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- ^ "Social Distortion's Mike Ness The Exclaim! Questionnaire". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ Grow, Kory (July 22, 2015). "Mike Ness Talks 25 Years of 'Social Distortion'". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Gibson Brands News". Gibson.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ Ferris, D. X. (October 10, 2019). "Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness on 40 years of living the punk life". Altpress.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Ness". Vh1.com. April 3, 1962. Archived from the original on November 15, 2002. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "A BRIEF HISTORY OF SOCIAL DISTORTION". Archived from the original on May 11, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- OC Register. October 27, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- ^ "Social Distortion Bio | Social Distortion Career". Vh1.com. February 29, 2000. Archived from the original on June 28, 2002. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "ARCHIVED SOCIAL DISTORTION NEWS". Archived from the original on July 5, 2006. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Celebrity Gossip". My Way. October 6, 2005. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Featured Content on Myspace". Profile.myspace.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Social Distortion on Instagram: "After 5 weeks of hard work we finished the pre-production for our new record today. We start tracking on April 17 and this record should be hitting stores early 2024."". Instagram.com.
- ^ "Mike Ness on Instagram: "So stoked finished preproduction today for new album!!!! Start in studio April 17 gonna be a great album. Want to thank the guys for 5 solid weeks of hard work it's paying off. And my dogs like it too, especially Bitsie ❤️"". Instagram.com.
- Consequence of Sound. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ "Black Kat Kustoms". Black Kat Kustoms. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Black Kat Kustoms". Black Kat Kustoms. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Walden, Eric (August 30, 2015). "Q&A with Social Distortion's Mike Ness". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
- Yahoo. June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "Mike Ness' Gearbox". Social Distortion: Punk At The Wheel. Premier Guitar. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
- ^ "Hard Time and Nursery Rhymes – An Interview with Mike Ness". Guitar.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Social Distortion Love their Gibsons". .gibson.com. September 24, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2015.