Dead American, a Southern California rock group, are gearing up for the release of their sophomore album in the summer of 2024. Known for their raw and energetic performances, the band has been actively touring and showcasing new material. In this interview with touring bassist Marshall Gutierrez, we explore his choice of equipment, his approach to live performances, and his thoughts on the band’s musical direction.
“Schecter has taken great care of me the past few years.”
Discussing his main bass guitar, Marshall Gutierrez said, “My main bass for Dead American is my Schecter J-4 Exotic. It has a super fast thin neck and a really balanced comfortable body. In the past, I’ve usually been a passive pickup guy, but the active EMG pickups rip and are super versatile, with tons of range from warm to aggressive, all being super usable. The zebrawood finish really stands out in my opinion, and I’m a sucker for black hardware. It’s held up well over the nightly abuse of touring. Schecter has taken great care of me the past few years.”
The Schecter J-4 Exotic bass boasts a roasted maple neck and fretboard with carbon fibre reinforcement rods, 21 narrow X-Jumbo frets, and Luminlay glow-in-the-dark side dot markers. The body is constructed from swamp ash with a zebrawood top, providing a robust and resonant sound. Equipped with EMG Metal Works LJ and SJ pickups, the J-4 Exotic offers a versatile tone controlled via a master volume, blend, and 2-band active EQ. Additional features include a Schecter High Mass Bass bridge, black hardware, and a 9-volt battery compartment for the active electronics. The instrument includes WSC KG400 tuners and a Graph Tech XL Black Tusq nut.
Marshall detailed his rig setup, saying, “Dead American have gone ampless as of late, so I’ve been utilising some of what Darkglass Electronics has to offer with their Preamp/DI boxes. I’m not really into menu diving and prefer knobs, so the digital amp modelling route has never really clicked for me. That being said, I still try to keep my rig as clean and simple as possible. I use a SansAmp as an always-on tone shaper and clean tone foundation. I use distortion/drive a lot; lately, it’s been a Darkglass X7 or sometimes the Darkglass Omicron. Since I use a lot of gain, the Decimator noise gate keeps everything tight and clean going to FOH. I also occasionally use a Boss OC-5 to add sub-bass synth vibes when needed.”
On his approach to performing live, Marshall explained, “The guitar players Chad Jordan and Steve Pollack cover a ton of ground with their use of effects. So I try my best to lock in with the drums and provide a solid foundation for the rest of the band to play over. A punchy distorted bass tone helps a lot to stick to the drums, but I always focus on maintaining a solid fundamental low end to fill out my role in the band. Power chords are a useful tool to help fill as much sonic space as I can.”
Reflecting on the band’s direction and live performances, Marshall noted, “The songs from the new record are a blast to play live. In particular, ‘A.D.D.’ is a banger and a heavily bass-driven song, so I get to let loose and get gnarly with that one. The band has always given me free rein to play and express myself musically on stage. I love that this band doesn’t take itself too seriously and is truly about having a good time every night.”
Following two years of touring with bands like The Used, Beartooth, Pierce The Veil, Sleeping With Sirens, and Scary Kids Scaring Kids to support their debut album ‘New Nostalgia’, Dead American are gearing up for their sophomore album. Produced by Joey Bradford of The Used, the new album will continue the ‘new nostalgia’ theme and is expected to release in the summer of 2024.
