Shinedown’s Eric Bass on New Music, Discusses Solo Project

Shinedown bassist Eric Bass joined Loudwire Nights on Tuesday (Nov. 19) to celebrate the recent news of his new solo project, Eric Bass Presents, and his debut album, I Had a Name. Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

“This whole process started, honestly, the first European tour we did on the Attention Attention record,” Bass said about the new project.

“I had a day off in Milan, Italy, and I just got done with a workout in my hotel room. I was listening to Biohazard‘s State of the World Address. I remember distinctly because I hadn’t listened to that record in a long time. I just got done with the workout, just shut off Biohazard, and honestly, man, this might sound crazy to some people — this voice in my head that didn’t belong to me said, ‘You might want to write this down.’ And I spent the next two hours writing in a journal, the genesis of what this story would be for this record.”

Bass said he already had a few pieces of music that he had started working on and, knowing that Shinedown wouldn’t be working on a new album at the time, decided to create what he calls his “silly rock opera.”

“The songs wrote some of the story and the story wrote some of the songs,” he told host Chuck Armstrong.

“I finished mixing it the day before Brent [Smith] and I started writing what would become Planet Zero, so it’s been done a long time. I wasn’t really sure I was ever going to release it because I made it for myself.”

New Shinedown Music Is Coming Soon

In addition to diving into I Had a Name, Bass did reveal some details about what fans can expect from Shinedown in 2025.

“[It’s] going to be a very big year for Shinedown, for sure,” he admitted, though he said he didn’t know when they’ll release their first single.

“I don’t know if it will be before the end of the year [or] if it’ll be early next year, but I’m super excited about everything we’re writing.”

READ MORE: Jerry Horton Says Papa Roach Have New Songs Nearly Finished

Bass acknowledged that the last couple of Shinedown records have been more concepts — and I Had a Name is a major concept album — but he said that’s not the direction they’re heading toward with the new music.

“We just want to make a rock record, so that’s what we’re doing.”

What Else Did Shinedown’s Eric Bass Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What – and who — pushed him to finally get to the point where he was ready to release I Had a Name
• The other significant time in his life where he heard a voice that wasn’t his speak to him
• The full story of I Had a Name and how it will be connected to a graphic novel and, likely, several more albums from Eric Bass Presents

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Eric Bass joined Loudwire Nights on Tuesday, Nov. 19; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.