Frank Bello has had his hand in a lot of great songs. As the longtime bass player in Anthrax (he replaced founding bassist Dan Lilker in 1983), he’s laid down the low end in many of the Big 4 thrashers’ most revered cuts. And as a member of the supergroup duo Altitudes & Attitude — with fellow thrash O.G. four-stringer David Ellefson of Megadeth — he gets to exercise his songwriting muscle even more, as heard on the band’s recently released debut full-length, Get It Out. “I’ve learned that writing songs is very cathartic,” Bello said ahead of the record’s release. “A lot of these lyrics are about the inner struggles of my life, and about the rage that has built up from my life experiences — my brother’s murder, my father abandoning my family when we were young, leaving us with no funds to pay the bills. … The ups and downs of life in general. I’ve always had an anger inside that music really helps me deal with.”
Considering his impressive résumé, we caught up with Ellefson to find out what he listens to when he’s not making his own music. Read on to find out everything the bassist extraordinaire enjoys for every mood, from his wake-up jams to what he turns to when he’s feeling down.
WHEN I’M PISSED OFF:
PANTERA – “COWBOYS FROM HELL”
Gets the steam out.
WHEN I’M FEELING DEPRESSED:
U2 – “WITH OR WITHOUT YOU”
Puts me in a better mood for some reason.
WHEN I GET UP IN THE MORNING:
THE BEATLES – “ELEANOR RIGBY”
Gets me going.
WHEN I GO TO BED:
LATE NIGHT TV
Soothing…
WHEN I’M HUNGOVER:
No songs, just aspirin.
WHEN I’M GETTING IT ON:
Don’t have a set list on that one …
SONG I MOST WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR:
Any song on the new Altitudes & Attitude record, Get It Out!
SONG I WISH I WROTE:
THE BEATLES – “HEY JUDE”
Beautiful song in every way.
SONGS I WANT PLAYED AT MY FUNERAL:
FRANK SINATRA – “MY WAY”
Title says it all!
