Have you ever been handed a photo of a person standing in a room of their house? The first time you look at it you probably focus on the person. You might see the clothes, the silly smile and the perfectly coifed hair and feel somewhat familiar with the subject. But if you look at the photo long enough, you start to notice the items that are in the background of the shot, and that is when you learn who the person truly is. The books on the shelf, the art on the walls and even the color of the carpet tells you a great deal.

The same can be said about bassist James LoMenzo. If you were to see James on stage with Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society this summer, you might see the long beard, blue jeans and the Warwick Buzzard bass, and think that James is a slamming hard rock bassist. Well, he is that, but if you take the time to look deeper, you will find a truly gifted musician, an absolute gentleman and a devoted family man. In short, you find out what the music industry already knows – James is one in a million.

Below is a transcript of an all-to-brief discussion I had with James, who is currently on the OzzFest tour with BLS. Enjoy.

Right now you are part of the OzzFest tour, performing with Black Label Society. What do you think of the tour so far?
At first I was skeptical as to whether I'd dig getting on such a notoriously youth-oriented tour, sometimes I tend to fall out of the loop when it comes to new music. Of course I was very psyched to get out there with Zakk & BLS, but just the same, I moved ahead with some trepidation. Well I have to say that after the first show in Hartford, Connecticut all that was put to rest. This year’s tour is just bombastic in the best of all possible ways! Black Label has a great and faithful following at this point and the fans (referred to as Chapters) didn't let us down. Judas Priest and Black Sabbath were just annihilating. Watching their respective sets was really inspiring. Ironically, it stripped about twenty years off of my tired, old hide. Really awe-inspiring, this is a show that should not be missed!

How did you and Zakk first hook up?
I first met Zakk at a party in Manhattan around 1987. It was to celebrate the Platinum sales of Ozzy's "No Rest For The Wicked". I was in White Lion at the time and we were invited down by our booking agent, who was trying to get us on the up coming tour with Ozzy. I remember walking around the place checking out the jugglers and magicians, having drinks and socializing. After a while Zakk shows up and he's about to walk past me and I look at him and ("half in the glass") mention really loudly that he's much bigger than he looks in the magazines and by scale, I suppose that was a reasonable assertion. I guess it was something in the delivery because Zakky gave me that look, like "it's clobberin' time' (he confirmed later on that he, in fact, thought I was being a wise ass and was going to kick my wise ass all the way down 7th Avenue). A moment later one of the publicists at the party cuts between us and poses us next to each other for a quick picture. I didn't see him again till we were on tour a few months later. At that point, we just started hanging out before the shows getting in and out of trouble and then going out to bars and jamming with local bands, (well actually it was more like borrowing the local bands guitars and kicking them off the stage). Anyway, we were having such a good time that when the tour was over and we got back to LA where we live, we just started hanging out all the time. I became godfather to his daughter and as the song goes "We are family."

Are there any other bands on the OzzFest bill that you enjoy watching perform?
Again, I'd say Black Sabbath were probably my favorite. When I was young I remember seeing Geezer Butler playing and thinking to myself "that's the way you do it!" Man that guy can still tear it up. I also need to get over to the other stage and check out Slipknot. Monsters and musical mayhem is something I think I could go for.

After the OzzFest tour ends, do you have any other scheduled dates with Zakk?
There's some talk of dates after Ozzfest but I'm not at liberty to bring them up just yet. As soon as new dates are confirmed, though, I'll be happy to pass them on to Warwick’s news section.

Do you see yourself playing in BLS for some time?
Yes I do. I've been waiting for an opportunity to get back together to make music with Zakk, so it would be really hard to walk away from this. BLS is a great, honest heavy band and I think we can do some great things now and in the future.

How did you prepare for the BLS gig?
O.K. so I got together with Zakk, drank a bunch of Crown Royal & beer, went to the studio, recorded an album (Hangover Music Vol.VI) and then proceeded to dust some picks off (I very rarely use them) and pick out Zakk's Bass parts from three or four previous BLS releases. I found that, depending on the song, I could use a pick or my fingers, so I just approached it on a song-by-song basis. On some of the quicker riffs I consulted Zakk on his fingerings and almost always, without fail, I'd misinterpreted what I thought I heard. The faster riffs were always a lot more simple than what I thought I was hearing and the more complicated ones, well... practice practice.

You have been David Lee Roth’s main bassist for many years. How does playing with DLR differ from playing with BLS?
I've played with Dave for over 3 years now. I think the main difference between the two is intent. By that I mean, Dave's intention was to focus on the sound of the band and the arrangement of the musicianship to form a very specific, very homogenized base on which he could be Dave. I think it worked very well, but it required a lot of compromise for the greater good which, in my case, meant not using a tone that I would generally gravitate towards. It was great to challenge myself to open up to Dave's vision and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to be challenged. It was fun for me to try to "play it like Verdine White" as Dave would suggest. Putting on different musical hats is a lot of fun to me. Now, BLS on the other hand is the exact opposite. Zakk absolutely depends on his musicians to play as only they can. He gets off on me playing it like "James LoMenzo" or Craig (drummer for BLS) playing it like "Craig Nunemacher". Zakk doesn't care if I play with a pick (he prefers fingers), but I usually go for the pick if it will help the song sound like it does on the records. To get back to your original question, I guess in a nut shell, DLR=no treble, BLS=lots of treble.

The David Lee Roth band that you were part of had some absolutely monster players in it, and fans have commented that it may be the best band David has ever toured with. How does that praise make you feel, and did you enjoy touring with Dave?
Not to take anything away from Brian Young and Ray Luzier (and myself for that matter) but have the fans already forgotten Van Halen? They were pretty good. [Laughs] Seriously though, I don't disagree that we were one of Dave's best bands. Ray Luzier is flat out one of the best drummers playing today. Brian Young is an amazingly talented and well-rounded guitarist. And, of course Toshi Hiketa (I've always said this) is way overqualified for his roll as second guitar in Dave's band. These are all cream-of-the-crop musicians and having played with them and with Dave was a privilege that I'll never forget. Touring with all of them was a great experience, gentlemen all! And of course, I'm flattered to have been part of one of Dave most highly regarded bands. That's an extraordinary achievement.

You and some of the DLR band members got together to form The Hideous Sun Demons, which is an incredible rock/fusion project. Your playing is out-of-this-world on that disk!
You're too kind. Thanks.

Were there any tracks on that disk that you really had to shed to get ready for recording? (Please say, “yes”, because I have worn out my fingers trying to cop some of your licks!)
I'm really sorry to disappoint you Dale, but I've got this funky way of going about creating parts that goes against everything that great Bass Player/Educators such as yourself teach. Honestly, I'm a totally reactionary musician. For me, it's all and only about the moment. That is, I'm merely responding emotionally, measure by measure, to what I hear both rhythmically and chord-ally. I have no idea how I actually do it. On the legato parts of the song "The Mummy", for example, I simply let my fingers walk through what I can only describe as a vocabulary of notes that occur to me as the chords move along. They're probably based on songs with similar chord changes that I've heard and some how cataloged, because as I'm playing these parts, they truly feel like natural choices. There are some quick flurries on some of the songs; perhaps that's what you're describing. They're probably not proper scales but just a knee jerk reaction to a drum or guitar part. By the way, did you pick out the cool processed descending Slide bass under the main riff? Okay…that I planned!

You have quite a diverse music resume. From White Lion, to David Lee Roth, to Ozzy, to several blues and shred projects, you have covered a wide spectrum of musical genres. If you were to record a James LoMenzo solo CD, what would it sound like and whom would you want to play on it?
I think (based on music that I've been compiling on my own) that my CD would be a mix of R&B and perhaps some slightly eclectic pop/jazz. I enjoy jamming over a consistent groove and I love it when music is melodically obvious. For this job I would most certainly call on the Sun Demons, though I'd build a lot of the tracks myself (as I do). Say… you've given me a great idea! Thanks! By the way Dale, you're not off the hook.. who says I want to play all the bass on my CD?

Who are some of the dream gigs that you would love to get the bass chair for?
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Paul McCartney. The Who would also be a blast. I'm sure I could do that well I would also like to jam with Neil Young, Gov't Mule and Bruce Springsteen

Your schedule seems really hectic, what with your musical life and your family life. When you do get a chance to practice your bass, what do you normally work on?
Lately I've really been getting back to personal practice. For a long time I would only pick up the bass at a gig or in the studio. These days I'll make sure I allow myself some practice time at least 3 times a week or more. I'll usually run my fingers up and down the fret board to warm up - basic scales, arpeggios, double stops, octave hops. Then, I'll play along with some James Brown until I relax into the grooves and from there it's super-sonic meltdown, anything goes. This can last an hour or it can stretch to four.

How do you get yourself in shape for the rigors of the road?
I basically do some cardio workouts, bicycling, and swimming. That's really all I need.

When did you start endorsing Warwick basses?
In 1987 White Lion arrived in Germany and, on the bed in my hotel was a Warwick Dolphin Pro I that was left there by a rep for me to try out. At the time I'd never seen anything like it and quite frankly I wasn't sure if I liked the style, but as I played it the Dolphin grew on me. I tried it at our first show and fell in love with it. It possessed all the things that I loved about my favorite American basses at the time - neck through body, hard exotic woods, active pickups. I was sold, so I had another one custom-made to my specs and used it for the upcoming album and tour. I was so pleased with the way that they recorded and sounded live that I've been a Warwick man ever since.

You are the highest profile bassist who is currently playing the Buzzard LTD bass. What drew you to that behemoth?
Well, it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the late John Entwistle, but what actually brought the bass to my doorstep was my desire to freak-out a certain guitarist that was busting my chops about the shape of my Dolphin basses. He kept complaining about the non-traditional shape and I kept arguing "but they sounds great, and I like the way they look." So finally he got under my skin enough for me to step up and do something. One day I noticed on the back of my Rotosound string package a picture of John Entwistle playing this very obnoxious wooden plank, I remembered reading somewhere that this was a design that he came up with Hans Peter at Warwick. So I called up my friend at the company and asked him if he could send me one as a loaner so I could just pull it out of the case and antagonize my guitar player. He said no problem, but he'd need a few weeks. Well as it turned out, I quit that band before the bass showed up. A few weeks later, a Buzzard was delivered to my door! I remember thinking "you are too late" but I opened the case anyway to have a look. Well there it was, even more grotesque in person. I took it out of the case and started jamming on it and just couldn't put it down. When I plugged it in my amp I was sold. This was suddenly the most beautiful bass I had ever seen (strange how that happens). Anyway I went on to drag it around to gigs with Zakk and it just became my favorite bass. I used it on all the Pride & Glory recordings and, to this day, whenever I want to sound like "me" that's the instrument I have to play. Jumping to the present, when I found out that Warwick was reissuing the Buzzard I put in my order immediately. I've now got two beautiful black Buzzards out here with me, and when you come to see BLS that's all you'll see me play. The new ones sound f***ng amazing!

With BLS you have to use some alternate tunings. Just what are those tunings and how do you quickly go from one tuning to the next?
Well, so far were tuning the guitars a half step lower than standard (Eb, Ab, Db, Gb) for 2 songs out of the set, and a full step below (D, G, C, F) for the rest. I'm sharing Geezer Butler’s bass tech, a fine English gentleman named Sid Price (I call him Sid Price-less). He's great! He simply exchanges the differently tuned Buzzards between songs.

When your creative battery is running on empty, what do you do to recharge it?
I stop listening to music all together and get involved in something else. I paint, read a book, take a walk, and it works like a charm every time.

What are some of the things you would like to accomplish in the next five-to-ten years, both musically and non-musically?
Well I'd love to work on that CD that you and I are going to do. I'd love to see BLS become the behemoth that I think we have the potential to become. And I'd like to get involved in other creative endeavors such as musical production for movies. Also I want to be able to help my daughter in whatever creative endeavor she decides to focus on. (Right now it's cartooning and drumming.)

Be sure to beg-borrow-steal your way into the OzzFest this Summer so you can check out James and BLS doing what they do best – shaking the ground and blowing your mind!

To order a copy of the Hideous Sun Demons CD, go to http://www.rayluzier.com/HSDinfo.shtml