Johnny April

Band: Staind
Gear: SVT-4PRO
Website: www.staind.com/main/index.html

Discovered by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, post-grunge alt metal group Staind took their lead from the Seattle sound, refined the ponderous approach with evocative melody and self-examining lyrics, and hit commercial pay dirt in 1999 withDysfunction. Staind crushed the pack of nu-metal bands by selling more than seven million copies of their 2001 follow-up album, Break The Cycle and its five hit singles, including the chart-busting “Outside” and “It’s Been Awhile,” which topped both the mainstream and modern rock charts, making it one of the rare, double #1 rock singles of all time.

Staind’s gloomy posture is reinforced by Johnny April’s deep bass modalities. Using a 5-string Carver, April is able to make it sound as moody as the band itself. His expressive work on “Right Here” and “So Far Away” is the groundwork for Staind’s emotionally desolate material.