One of the best things about doing this here website is that I am always discovering some amazing and talented people that you may not even be aware of. While it’s exciting to get the opportunity to talk to such legendary bands as Exodus, Megadeth, and Dream Theater, it’s also a real thrill to discover some new, young talents like Holy Grail, Gypsyhawk, Kyng, and Bonded by Blood. Over the past year or so, I struck up a friendship with Bonded by Blood bassist Jessie Sanchez and I couldn’t wait to catch this guy sitting still long enough to do an interview for The Great Southern Brainfart.
Jessie is a really talented bass player who has played (and still plays) many genres of music but metal is where his heart and his roots lie. I was lucky enough to catch my boy Jessie just before he and Bonded by Blood were about to leave town for the Jeff Loomis/Soilwork tour. Jessie was in rare form and we shared laughs and bonded over a conversation about his love and passion for metal, bass guitar, and why it really isn’t “weaksauce” to play bass guitar with a pick. This was a really fun interview I hope you will have a good time getting to know Jessie Sanchez of Bonded By Blood.
Hi, can I speak with Jon Leon please?
[laughs] Yeah. You’re talkin’ to him. [laughs] What’s up Don?
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Not a whole lot man. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this man.
Any time man. Your timing is perfect. I just got back from picking up some merch for this tour with Soilwork.
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That’s awesome. Are you pretty pumped for the tour?
Yeah, I’m also pumped to be back home from picking this shit up. It’s crazy traffic and it’s raining like hell out there [laughs]. But yeah, we’re really pumped to hit the road with Soilwork. We played with them on Barge to Hell so it’ll be cool to actually tour with them. We all got along really well and I became really good buds with their drummer.
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Bonded by Blood had a hell of a year in 2012. What was the highlight of the year for you?
Touring with Death Angel for me was a really great experience. I got to make a lot of friends with not just Death Angel but with the other bands on the bill as well. I got influenced a lot on that tour from just getting to see how they run their band and how they operate on and off stage. It was really kind of like going to the School of Rock. Death Angel are master masons. Those guys were bringing it every night and just made us want to play even harder.
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I was so bummed I missed that show when you guys were here. I was sick as hell that 
night. Didn’t Death Angel play “The Ultraviolence” in its entirety on that tour?
Yeah man. That was just epic. That album has so many great sections and solos and seeing it played live just kicks it up a notch.
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You guys played the Barge to Hell. What is it like having that many metal heads on a boat in the middle of the fucking ocean?
It was like a fucking modern day pirate ship [laughs]. It was funny because we showed up on Day 1 and it looked like a bunch of ex-felons piling onto the boat with long hair and shit. People were hammered before they even boarded the boat [laughs]. There was another cruise boat beside ours that was loading their passengers of like families and clean cut people [laughs]. All these long haired people are like mooning the other ship and giving them the finger and screaming obscenities [laughs]. It was a sight to see. It was a really cool experience for us and it was like getting a free vacation [laughs].
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When I first met you, you were playing bass in Holy Grail. How did you go about getting that gig and why did that union not last?
Man, it’s been that long? [laughs] Actually, that gig was always set up as a fill in situation. I was actually doing a lot of local session work in LA and I had a bunch of ads out and James J. LaRue saw one of my ads and asked if I would be willing to fill in on bass for a couple of months. They gave me five songs and asked me to pick three out of those to learn but I learned all five in two days and just sent a tape into them to show them that I was really interested and that I have a lot of drive. He liked it and they gave me a chance. I got to tour Europe with them and do the Exodus tour and it was really cool.
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That tour with Exodus you guys did also had Bonded by Blood. Is that how you got connected with them?
Yeah. I was kicking it with them a lot on that tour. Me and James LaRue were always having lunch with them and we just clicked really well. I kept in touch with those guys after the tour and when Bonded by Blood lost Ruben Dominguez (former BBB bassist), Carlos gave me a call and asked if I wanted to try out. I had the same mentality about that gig as I did with Holy Grail. I really liked their music and their attitude towards the business. I also felt more comfortable playing their style of music so I got in with them. Yeah, the Holy Grail gig really opened some doors and was a great learning experience.
I definitely feel like I can do this more naturally. I’ve played in a lot of genres of metal over the years doing session work and whatnot but thrash metal is my roots. That was always my foundation. I started learning Megadeth covers right away when I first picked up the bass and tried learning their whole catalog. I would just learn as much metal as I could like Metallica, Anthrax, all kinds of shit. That was always my foundation so when I started my first band back then, I was writing a lot in the same style as the music I was listening to. I took a break from that when I started playing with bands like Holy Grail and Black Oil and it broadened me into different styles. When I joined Bonded By Blood it was like coming back home to my original roots. It just felt natural when I started writing with the guys. It was like coming around full circle.
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Do you feel more grounded in Bonded By Blood as opposed to feeling like just a member like on some of your past projects?
Yeah. I see Bonded By Blood as my home base. It’s a comfortable situation and I get along with everyone really well. I feel like theres a really good bond and chemistry in this lineup and I am just really happy to be in this situation. I feel totally interested in playing other styles and genres so any chance I get I still try to do session work to get out there and play different things. As for a writing home base, I am definitely happy working with these guys.
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Bonded by Blood has had some pretty big lineup changes. Your original singer left and then Alex Lee left to join Holy Grail. Was that kind of a shock to you guys when he moved over to Holy Grail?
Everything happened pretty unexpectedly. When I was in HG and we did that Exodus run with BBB, Alex Lee was hanging a lot with Holy Grail, especially Eli and Luna. It seemed like they were bonding really well.
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I was really surprised with The Aftermath and found it to be a really cohesive and stellar thrash album. It didn’t sound like a band who had gone through some serious line up changes. It just sounded like a new and improved band.
I really appreciate hearing that man. That’s pretty much how we felt when we were writing it. There was a lot of creative elements and anger in that room with us and there was a lot of inspiration. We just really wanted to push ourselves and I think we did a good job and the fact that The Aftermath came out as good as it did just happened naturally. I think a lot of that attitude and chemistry is still there. We’re all just creative and driven people. I think it’s just going to get easier to write songs together. It’s only going to a lot better from here on out.
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How do four guys survive living in a van without killing each other?
It ain’t easy dude [laughs]. It’s not easy living in a van. It’s a cramped situation and you get that cabin fever after a couple of weeks. We’ve been handling it well and we’ve just learned to be patient and give each other space as much as possible. We all love hanging out with each other. Don’t get me wrong but when you’re in a cramped situation like that, it’s great to get out and just go for a walk or something. I like to go for a walk or a jog around the venue right before the gig. The van situation can suck but it is what it is. We’re fucking road dogs [laughs].
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So since this interview is about you, let’s go back to the beginning. What made you want to be a musician?
Growing up, as a kid I was always surrounded by music. My dad was always playing music around me. I was always hearing bands like the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and even funk bands like Earth, Wind, & Fire. As a kid, I just loved hearing that stuff. My grandpa was always playing songs from 40’s like Louis Armstrong and all those big band songs. I had all that in my head too so I was just subconsciously leaning towards being a bass player. I was hearing all this great music that was bass driven and rhythm based. I wanted to take guitar lessons byt my dad didn’t want me to. He wanted me to pursue trumpet [laughs].
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What the fuck is it about the trumpet? My dad did the same thing. I wanted a guitar and he got me a trumpet.
[laughs] Why would parents push their kids to play instruments that are going to get your ass kicked? [laughs]
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It’s like the instrument that will get you laid the least, if at all.
[laughs] Exactly. I took a couple of classes in elementary school and I hated it. My lips would turn blue and I just didn’t like it at all. I stopped music for a while and pursued other things.
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What did you pursue outside of music?
I got into acting for a while and I actually got into comedy. I did stand up a little while I was in high school. I’m actually getting back into it. I still write a lot of comedy shit that I put on my YouTube channel. I’m always writing material that I hope to do something with someday. That has always been inside of me. Just being a writer and writing comedy. It also made writing music easier for me because I’ve always been into creative writing and English so it all just tied together.
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So what made you pick the bass guitar?
When I was 16, my buddies had a band and needed a bass player. They asked if I wanted to learn bass and I told them I didn’t even know how to play guitar. They said, “Man, it’s not that hard.” [laughs] I learned that it really wasn’t that hard until you start challenging yourself with technique and learning theory but in the beginning when you’re just playing punk shit like I was in the beginning, it’s not that hard.
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Who do you feel is the greatest bassist of all time?
Oh man, there are so many great bass players in different styles and different genres. I mean, Larry Graham is always going to be one of my grandfathers of inspiration. He pretty much invented slap bass. If you don’t know him you’ve got to look him up. Charles Mingus is another one and he’s fucking awesome. I love him not just because he’s an awesome bass player and composer but because he was a fucking intense personality. If you watch interviews with him you’ll see that he was off his fucking rocker [laughs]. I saw this interview with him when I was in a music class in high school and in this documentary; he’s doing an interview in his apartment in NYC. In the middle of the interview he has this riffle and he just shoots a single shot right into the ceiling of his fucking apartment like casually [laughs]. Before the interview is even over the police come to the apartment, the manager of the apartment shows up and they evict him. They threw all of his shit out, thousands of dollars of musical equipment and just throw it all in the street. Dude, it would be like if you were interviewing me right now and just I just out of nowhere shoot the fucking ceiling of my apartment [laughs]. He was off his fucking rocker but he was brilliant.
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If you could have a 30 minute bass lesson with any bassist alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Oh man, that’s a hard one. Lately I’ve been trying to challenge myself more and more with slap bass and different techniques so I would love to have a session with the man Larry Graham himself or even with someone like Victor Wooten. Wooten is so experimental and he just thinks outside of the box. I would probably get a lesson from Victor Wooten because he’s so diverse and that’s kind of more my style. I think he would be able to teach me some really cool exercises and stuff.
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If you could play bass for any band for just one night, who would it be?
Goddamn dude [laughs]. I have a whole fucking list. Man, there are so many genres and awesome metal bands that I would love to play. Playing in a high energy bands like Rob Zombie would be fun because it’s a really good show and I like showmanship. It would be easy music to play [plaughs]. Nine Inch Nails would be cool too. I was always a big Nine Inch Nails and Ministry fan growing up so filling in for bands like that would be a dream come true.
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I have a buddy who thinks that playing bass with a pick is weaksauce. What do you think?
Man, I wouldn’t agree with that. I hear that theory a lot. You just get a different tone with a pick attack. I actually do both. I’m faster with a pick and I use a pick for a lot of areas but then there are sections where I like the full sound of the bass so I use my fingers for that. I just like to change it up depending on what sound I’m trying to get. Hell, even Flea has used a pick once in a while. There’s nothing wrong with that. A lot of great bass players use picks but no matter what, metal is metal. There are no rules in metal.
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What is the greatest metal album of all time?
Megadeth’s Rust In Peace. That’s the one. It’s just one of those records that every time I listen to it, it’s like listening to it for the first time. Every goddamn song on that record is perfect. It’s always been a super influential record for me. When I was starting out on bass I learned that whole record and it was a great exercise for me. It’s so well thought out and it’s just goddamn perfect.
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Word association time. I’m going to name 5 bassists and I want you to tell me the first word that comes to your mind:
1. Cliff Burton: Animal.
2. Nikki Sixx: [laughs] Nikki Suxx.
3. Ian Hill: Oh man, I know that name.
He’s from Judas Priest.
[laughs] That’s so fucked up. I just totally made that rumor true that nobody ever remembers the bass player’s name [laughs]. I’d have to say he’s rad [laughs]. I know people are going to give me a lot of shit for forgetting his name [laughs].
Yeah, the bassist in Bonded By Blood. Jessie who?
[laughs] Jessie Sanchez? Is he like, good with gardening or something [laughs].
4. Jaco Pastorious: Brilliant
5. Steve Harris: Machine
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Finish this sentence: If I wasn’t a musician, I would be…
Unemployed [laughs].
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What do you think about bands charging fans to meet them?
Man, I can see both sides of the coin. When you’re on the road, obviously, there’s no money in record sales so you’ve got to find other ways to make money. Is it an honest way to make money? I can’t really answer that. What bothers me is when they ask for an outrageous fee for a meet and greet. If I was a fan, I would still pay like maybe $50.00 for a ticket to a meet and greet or maybe even $100.00. If you really want that intimate experience and want to pay for it, than I don’t see anything wrong with that. You have an option of whether you want to go to something like that or not.
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So how much would it cost me to meet you?
[laughs] A ham sandwich dude [laughs].
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Ok, I’m so bringing you a ham sandwich next time you’re in town.
[laughs] Oh hell yeah dude.
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Finally, what’s in store for Bonded by Blood and the fans in 2013?
Well, we’re writing a new record. I don’t know if it’s getting released this year or not but we’re definitely going to try and finish writing it. We’re going to keep playing gigs to try and support The Aftermath. I feel like The Aftermath wasn’t promoted as much as it should’ve. I think it should’ve got pushed harder so we’re going to just keep spreading the word that it’s out there. I still meet people at gigs that don’t even know that we have a new record [laughs]. We just have to keep playing.
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Jessie, thanks again for doing this man. It was great to finally catch up with you brother.
Thank you man. I really appreciate you shedding some light on this whole fucking journey we’re going through. You’re an underdog for the underground!
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Oh wow. I’m so going to use that! Maybe even get it tattooed on my stomach in Old English font.
[laughs] Yeah dude, but you gotta spell dog D-A-W-G [laughs].
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Jessie, you’re awesome and again, thanks for doing this . Good luck out there with Soilwork.
This was a lot of fun dude and I’m glad we got to do this. Thanks for just getting the word out there.
For more on Jessie, check out his Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/JessieSanchezHQ. For more on Bonded By Blood, visit http://www.facebook.com/OfficialBondedbyBlood
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