I’m pretty sure that David Ellefson does not sleep. The Megadeth bassist and entrepreneur has a plethora of irons in the fire and does a fantastic job of keeping them all glowing hot. David took a few minutes out of his day to chat with Metal Wani’s Chuck Marshall about his latest adventure called Basstory. The event combines interactive storytelling with a bass clinic offering fans of all levels something to enjoy.
We asked David if he was going to follow a set format for each show in the Basstory tour or customize each experience based on fan input. David said “I personalize them. It’s one of those situations where I can walk in and read the room and be a little bit improvisational with it. Granted there is a bit of a repertoire of songs and discussion.” He added “I think with this, to have it be improvisational and have there be moments that are intuitive; that’s part of the fun, part of the charm of the whole Basstory event.”
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The western leg of Basstory has David flying solo. However, in the Midwest, David is bringing along power thrash bands Green Death and Wrath. Both bands are on the Combat label and have deep Midwest roots. We wanted to know what influenced bringing these powerhouse metal bands on the road with him. David replied “As we were talking about launching this, I wanted to try include as many of the family members as possible. In this case EMP / Combat bands, Ellefson Coffee, you know bring my whole life and my whole cache of everything I have together as one night out. Sort of like an intimate evening with David Ellefson kind of thing.” David continued to tell us about the latest venture for him which is Ellefson Touring Agency (ETA). David added “if I can use the wide swath that I’ve been blessed with to open some doors and help walk people in the room behind me, I’m happy to do it.”
Being selfish, I asked David if there were plans to extend the Basstory tour as there is currently no Detroit gig booked. David said “Now that you mention it, I will bring it up to my agent! I happen to know the agent, because he works for me (laughs).” David went on “With Basstory we are realizing it’s something we can do all around the world. It’s really a good timing to do this.” He also complimented his fans saying “Quite honestly, the fans ask me the best questions.”
Speaking of storytelling, David Ellefson also has another memoir called ‘More Life With Deth’ coming out in November. The new book covers that period of time after Ellefson left Megadeth before rejoining in 2010. We asked David if writing this book opened up any old wounds or was it more of a cathartic experience. David mentioned that it was a little bit of both. He continued “Honestly, I’ve come to terms with that stuff years ago.” David then mentioned that the time outside of Megadeth helped him to achieve greater self-awareness and confidence. Speaking of that time out of Megadeth “It really forced me into a one day at a time mindset.”
We took a little time to talk about the upcoming Metal Allegiance album called ‘Power Drunk Majesty’ which is coming out on September 7th. They will be doing at least one show at the Gramercy Theatre in New York on September 6th with cast of outstanding metal vocalists including John Bush and Bobby Blitz. We wondered if David plans to tour with Metal Allegiance. David indicated that there will be a few select shows.
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Finally, we wanted to know if the rumors of new Megadeth in 2019 were true. David responded “That’s the goal” He continued saying “We are at a point in our career where we can still make really great compelling music. But, it’s also important to take our time and really make it as great as we possibly can.”
Stream The Entire Interview Below:
Tickets and limited VIP’S are available for purchase at davidellefsonbasstory.com