Deadweight | |
|---|---|
| Origin | San Francisco, California |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1994 - 2005 |
| Members | Ben Barnes - electric violin and vocals Sam Bass - electric cello Paulo Baldi - drums |
Deadweight was an alternative rock trio from San Francisco, California. Members included Ben Barnes (electric violin and vocals), Sam Bass (electric cello) and Paulo Baldi (drums). Deadweight began as a duo of Barnes and Bass, who were graduates of San Francisco Conservatory of Music, later joined by Baldi.[1]
Their first demo (1994) was produced by Jason Newsted of Metallica.[1] Deadweight has toured both nationally and internationally and has opened for Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade.[2] Deadweight's third album, Stroking the Moon (2003), was released on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label. Playing the violin and cello through a variety of guitar effects,[2] their studio recorded material is hard rock. Live performances display an eclecticism that has conjured a variety of descriptions by critics. Examples include, "(howling) like something out of Beethoven's most twisted hallucinations,"[3] "Eastern European Gypsy songs sung in the back of a big rig driven across tornado country by the ghost of the Marlboro Man"[4] and "Charlie Daniels in hell playing a combination of Bartok and Zeppelin."[5] Barnes has stated both Jimmy Page and Charlie Daniels are influences for their sound.[2] Deadweight were winners of the SF Weekly's 1998 Wammy award for the category of "Beyond."[6]