Tony Campos has had his hand in a lot of great heavy bands, playing bass for big-name industrial-metal bands Fear Factory, Ministry and Prong, as well as less-electronically-inclined outfits including Soulfly and Asesino. He’s probably best known for his efforts in Static-X, however — Campos was a member of the group’s original lineup, and he recently reunited with the other two surviving members of that lineup – guitarist Koichi Fukuda and drummer Ken Jay – to re-form the band, with a masked singer, named Xero, performing in place of the late Wayne Static. Their Wisconsin Death Trip 20th anniversary tour kicks off on June 18th in Tempe, Arizona.
None of this means that Campos only listens to crushing riffs and blasting beats all the time. Indeed, the bassist has a wide-ranging music taste, so we asked to share five songs that he loves that might surprise fans of his own headbanging fare. Here are the decidedly mosh-pit-unfriendly tunes that he spotlighted.
1. Journey – “Just the Same Way”
Growing up in the Eighties, Journey was the first real rock band I got into, but I never discovered their earlier stuff until I started jamming with the Static guys. I love Gregg Rolie’s vocals just as much as Steve Perry’s.
2. Prince – “1999”
I’m pretty sure I got my first boner when I saw Wendy and Lisa in the video for this song.
Duran Duran – “Save a Prayer”
Thanks to my older sister, I listened to — forced to, really — a lot of stuff that I would’ve at the time rather not have heard. Didn’t really appreciate the band, and John Taylor’s bass playing, until much later. This is probably my favorite JT bass line.
Michael Jackson – “Off the Wall”
Another artist I didn’t appreciate until much later. My older sister was really into Thriller, so I heard that a lot, but this record to me was just so much cooler. I love Louis Johnson’s bass line on this song.
Parliament – “Flashlight”
Nothing screams “Party!” like some P-Funk.
