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Interview With Bassist Martín Méndez: Bass, Gear, Opeth, Favorite Bass Lines, and more
Photo courtesy of Martín Méndez
Martín Méndez is a Uruguayan and Swedish musician. He is the bassist of the progressive metal band Opeth and the second-longest-serving member of the band, behind frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt. He uses four-string fretted & fretless Fender Jazz Bass guitars as well as Sandberg bass guitars for Live and studio work. Around 2018, he got his signature bass with Sandberg and has been playing this bass ever since.
KB: Did you always want to be a musician growing up?
I have always been interested in music as a kid. But I felt that I wanted to become a musician when I discovered the bass guitar at the age of 11. When that happened, I really fell in love with the instrument.
I couldn’t think about doing anything else for the rest of my life; I just wanted to be able to play music.
KB: The Bass… Why did you pick this instrument? What is so special about it?
My father was a bassist as well. He stopped playing pretty much when I was born. Likely, he kept his bass in the house. So as I mentioned earlier, at the age of 11, I found that bass and started playing with it.
Back then, he did teach me the basics, all the notes on the neck, and some bass lines. But immediately, I felt I wanted to learn more about how to play the instrument, so I started to get lessons with different people during those years.
KB: Which basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
Since I started playing in Opeth, I have been using mostly Fender Jazz basses. Somewhere in between, I discovered Sandberg basses, so I been using those two in the studio and live for years.
Around 2018, I got my signature bass with Sandberg and have been playing this bass ever since. It’s a beautiful instrument, and I feel very honoured to be part of their family.
KB: Which gear and equipment do you use with the bass?
I’m using:
- EBS amps and cabinets, the 802 amp model with the Classic 810 cabinet
- EBS reverb, delay, and distortion pedals
- MXR pedals
KB: You have been a member of Opeth since 1997. How did you become part of the band?
I moved from Uruguay to Stockholm in February 1996, when I was 17 years old. Around the summer of the following year, I found out that Opeth was looking for a drummer and a bass player. At that time, for me, Opeth was one of the most interesting metal bands in the scene.
And here is a fun part of the story: those were pre-Internet days. Back then, the most common thing for bands to do when they were looking for new members was to leave a note with a telephone number in the music stores. When I saw that note, I immediately went to every music store in town and took away every single note. So I was pretty much the only one applying for the job. Haha!
During our first meeting, we jammed together for a while, and after that,t I got the job. Obviously, I told them about it after some time passed, and they found it hilarious.
Opeth was, without any doubt, the band I really wanted to be in; they had a lot of different influences in their music, which was not common in a death metal band.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
I don’t think I have a specific name to be honest, but I do love so many artists that any of them would be great to work with. I had the pleasure of playing a concert with Jon Lord once. That was a very special moment. I had the privilege to participate in a recording where, among others, Hugo Fattoruso is on it. He is a talented musician from Uruguay.
With Opeth, we have had great guest appearances on album recordings like Alex Acuña, Björn J:son Lindh, Joey Tempest, and Ian Anderson.
So any great music or artist that I love will always be a joy to participate with.
KB: Your 7 most favorite bass lines across all music genres… What would you pick and why?
This is a tricky question because there are so many great bass lines out there, but here are some of the ones that kept my attention from the first listen:
“Teen Town”: If I have to choose one bass player among all the greatest, I will probably choose Jaco. He was a game changer with the electric bass. When I heard this song for the first time, it just blew my mind.
“Visions” (Stevie Wonder): I just love this song. And the bass line is just perfect for the song.
“This Masquerade” (Ao vivo) by Nelson Faria and Arthur Maia: Arthur Maia plays just beautiful and it’s not an exception in this Live performance.
“Suffocation by Morbid Angel”: just love the sound of the distorted bass break on this song. This band was very influential for me in those early days.
“Manifest Destiny” by Jamiroquai: very cool bass riff intro on this song. Stuart Zender’s bass lines in Jamiroquai were also a big influence for me back in those years.
“The Chameleon” by Lars Färnlöf: beautiful song and killer bass playing.
“Circo Beat” by Fito Paez: very cool and groovy bass playing by Guillermo Vadalá. I grew up listening to this.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Right now, we are promoting our latest album, “The Last Will and Testament“. We just got back home from the NZ – Australia – Japan tour, and now we are taking almost two months off before we continue the next run, which will be February 2026 in America.
In between tours, I will enjoy being at home with my family, practicing, and hopefully write some cool music.
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Ron Carter is an American Double Bassist with a career spanning more than 60 years who has recorded over 2200 albums. This is a Guinness World Record. He is not only a musician, but also a teacher, a band leader, and an author. He won three Grammys and earned seven honorary doctorates. His new album “Sweet, Sweet Spirit”, with choirmaster Ricky Dillard and New G, was released on 6 February.
KB: Your new album “Sweet, Sweet Spirit”… What was the creative process?
I shared the recordings I made for my mom 30 years ago, and Dr. Dillard and I worked together (along with Zeke Listenbee) on the arrangements to weave the choir, instrumentation, and merge the jazz-gospel genres.
KB: Does the album title have a special meaning?
Aside from being the title of one of the hymns on the album, it embodies the spirit of my mother, and the inspiration and joy I hope everyone feels when listening to this music.
KB: What is the album’s story?
The story on my website tells it best:
The hymns on this album have an independent and deep history for the gospel community, in addition to having been integrated weekly into the life and musical development of the Carter family in the intimate Detroit church community they attended. A church that depended solely on the voices of the parishioners as instruments.
When Willie O. Carter was on bed rest toward the end of her life, she asked her son to sit with her and sing the hymns of his childhood to keep her spirits elevated in musical reminiscence. Mr. Carter promptly went home, recorded himself composing his bass lines integrated with the hymns, for his mother to enjoy during the final weeks of her life.
KB: You collaborated on this album with Dr. Ricky Dillard… How did this come about?
We met when Don Was (President of Blue Note Records) introduced us. He knew I wanted to do an album of hymns, and he knew that Dr. Dillard and I would make a formidable musical team. He and his choir were wonderful. We were able to meld jazz and gospel in a way that has never been done before.
KB: Which musicians are working with you on the album?
In addition to Ricky Dillard and New G, The Baylor Project is on “Farther Along”, Wendy Wyatt is incredible on “Softly and Tenderly”, Avery Sunshine on “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” and Tim White on “In The Garden”.
KB: Which basses and equipment did you use on the album?
Only my upright Juzek bass and Epifani amp.
KB: I did an interview with Brandi Disterheft, and she called you her mentor.
Brandi is a wonderful student starting to make some headway in the industry. I’m just the bass teacher.
KB: What are the rest of your plans for this year?
No tour plans for this album at the moment, although I’ve got a pretty busy recording and touring schedule this year.
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Please welcome Ellen and Hovak Alaverdyan!
Album cover artwork, Ellen Alaverdyan
Header Photo, Hovak Alaverdyan
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Photo: Ryan Stephens
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Here is Tim Nielsen.
Photos: Chris Neilsen, Carlton Freeman, Ted Lanthangue, and courtesy Tim Neilsen
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