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“I like to consider myself a spine or backbone of the sound”: Cane Hill’s Ryan Henriquez on his impact in the band’s new tracks

Discover Cane Hill's latest tracks "Midnight Sun" and "Ecstasy in Grief" and details about their upcoming EU/UK tour from bassist Ryan Henriquez.

After six years since releasing a full-length album, the New Orleans-based band Cane Hill have introduced their latest single, The Midnight Sun, complemented by Ecstasy in Grief. Known for their robust fusion of post-hardcore and nu-metal, these releases signal a vigorous comeback, as the band gears up for their European tour, including key dates across the UK.

Bassist Ryan Henriquez detailed the musical equipment and strategies that shaped their latest offerings. “I’ve been using my tried and true ESP LTDs for about the past three years. On this record, I used three out of my collection of six—I think; I could be wrong. For ‘Midnight Sun,’ I used a modded B-1005. By that, I mean the plastic nut was switched out for bone and set up for drop F sharp,” said Henriquez. “All of my basses are updated with a bone nut and set up by the same person. I think having the consistency across multiple basses, given all the different specs of each one, is imperative to having different sounds while staying close to what makes me ‘me’. This bass uses different strings than the other five because it’s a multiscale; it requires D’Addario Super Long Scales. I’m using a .160 for my heaviest string.”

Ryan Henriquez also shed light on the integration of traditional and digital sound engineering methods. “For this collection of songs, we used my live rig in combination with ‘in-the-box’ modelers and blended the signals together with a clean tone. I ran my Darkglass Microtubes 900 V2 with an X7 before it. I took a DI from both units. I’ve found a sweet spot that allows me to cut through and be a very up-front, in-your-face sound while maintaining a refined tone that doesn’t fatigue the ears too quickly. That’s always been a prominent element of the Cane Hill sound,” he explained.

“heavy is my bread and butter, so there wasn’t much of a challenge”

Discussing the creative process, Henriquez emphasised the careful crafting of bass parts to mesh seamlessly with the efforts of his bandmates. “I usually listen to a demo or idea and sit on it for a bit. I like to become familiar with the progressions and technicality of the material. We tracked the bass almost last so that I could be as tight as possible with James and Devin on this record. ‘Midnight Sun’ was a blast to work on. The song was so powerful, and when the bass was added, it just took a whole new form in some places. ‘Ecstasy and Grief’ was more about hanging on as best I could with the ferocity of the rest of the group. Thankfully, heavy is my bread and butter, so there wasn’t much of a challenge, more so the dexterity to keep up with the pace. As far as writing parts, obviously we like to have aggression, but I don’t like to be too much or overbearing. It’s important to let all of the elements and dynamics have their moments. I like to consider myself a spine or backbone of the sound. The ‘base’, if you will.”

“There’s so much talent emerging, and it’s truly an amazing time to celebrate that”

With an optimistic outlook on the current music scene, Henriquez expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming tour and the industry’s creative surge. “I just hope people can enjoy the surge of amazing music being created and released. There’s so much talent emerging, and it’s truly an amazing time to celebrate that. I want people to enjoy the music with an open mind and reminisce on older sounds while showcasing growth. There’s a lot to be said that we can’t convey, so the album does that for us. It kind of packages it all up for the world to consume. I’m excited to play a good month’s worth of shows in familiar and new cities. I’ve not done a true EU/UK tour since before the pandemic. Very excited to play ‘Midnight Sun’ as you can expect, and another new tune I can’t unveil yet, but it might be my favorite of the batch.”

Cane Hill are set to embark on a tour supporting Resolve that includes stops at The Underworld in London on May 4th and concludes at Joiners in Southampton on May 10th.

Joel Costa
Joel Costahttps://bassempi.re
With over two decades of experience in the music industry, I've worn many hats - from running a record label and a PR agency to contributing to esteemed publications like Metal Hammer and Terrorizer. I've also authored books on iconic subjects such as Kurt Cobain's guitars and The Beatles. My journey led me to the editor's chair of Guitarrista, a print magazine dedicated to the crafts of guitar playing and building. Despite this diverse background, my true passion has always leaned towards the bass guitar. I have a particular fondness for offset basses and play a Thunderbird.
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