Wil McLean

Name:

My Dad took me to a little place in town called “The Guitar Room” and bought me a $175 Gremlin bass and a Peavy practice amp—it was 1991 and I was 16. That was a long time ago, but I will never forget the faith my Dad had in me that I would actually learn the instrument. That faith helped me to always practice, even though I did abandon the bass a few times along the way. Since then I’ve played in several bands, playing many styles of music, including: hardcore, funk, rock, jazz, and finally Christian. I never thought I’d play Christian music, but it proves you never know what God has in store for your life when you let Him be the navigator. I learned a lot playing in different bands, and God is now using those experiences to help me hone the unique sound that is Jakob’s Night.

Gear:
Ken Smith BSR6MW: 6-string bass
Elrick e-volution: 5-string fretless bass
Ampeg B2R
Korg DTR-1000
SansAmp RBI
Eden 210MBX
MXR Auto Q
Boss DD-6
Boss BF-2

Influential Bassists:
Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Jaco Pastorius
Chris Wood (Medeski, Martin and Wood)
Maurice Fitzgerald (John P. Kee, Kurt Carr, Fred Hammond, Destiny's Child)
Verdine White (Earth, Wind and Fire)
Paul Jackson (Head Hunters)
Les Claypool (Primus)
Rocco Prestia (Tower of Power)
Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead)

Influential Albums:
Red Hot Chili Peppers: “Blood Sugar”
John Scofield with Medeski, Martin and Wood: “A Go-Go”
Beatles: “Rubber Soul” and “The White Album”
Jaco Pastorius: “Jaco Pastorius”
Earth, Wind and Fire: “Greatest Hits”
Fred Hammond and Radical for Christ: “Purpose by Design”
Frank Zappa: “Live at the Roxy and elsewhere”
Steve Coleman: “Def Trance Beat (Modalities of Rhythm)”
Herbie Hancock: “Head Hunters” and “Thrust”
Tower of Power: “East Bay Grease”

Favorite Authors: Poe, Tolkien, Lewis, Wolfe, Thompson, Orwell
Favorite Car: Ford GT 40
Favorite TV Show: Planet Earth