Matt Freeman
| Matt Freeman | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roger Matthew Freeman |
| Also known as | Matt McCall |
| Born | April 23, 1966 |
| Origin | California, U.S. |
| Genres | Punk rock, ska punk, street punk, hardcore punk, psychobilly |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Bassist |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Associated acts | Basic Radio, Operation Ivy, Downfall, MDC, Rancid, Shaken 69, Devil's Brigade, Social Distortion, Auntie Christ |
| Notable instruments | |
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Squier Matt Freeman Signature Precision Bass Fender Jazz Bass |
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Matthew "McCall" Freeman (born Roger Matthew Freeman on April 23, 1966) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his bass guitar work with the punk rock bands Operation Ivy, Rancid and as the frontman of Devil's Brigade.
In an interview streamed from the Rancid website before the release of Rancid (2000), he revealed that his style was heavily influenced at an early age by John Entwistle, bassist for The Who. He typically uses a hard pick but sometimes will fingerpick.
Freeman's playing style is considered atypical in the punk rock world due to his frequent use of scales and arpeggios as opposed to "motoring" through a chord progression's root notes as is typical of punk bass playing. Freeman's solos in the songs "Maxwell Murder", "White Knuckle Ride", and "Axiom" are among his most lauded.
Although Armstrong and Frederiksen are the principal singers in Rancid, Freeman has taken the lead vocal duties in a number of gritty sounding songs through the years, including the songs "Black and Blue", "Rigged on a Fix", "Black Derby Jacket", "Tenderloin" and, "L.A. River". He is known for possessing a deep and raspy singing voice. Freeman was also the co-lead vocal for the first Rancid album, before Frederiksen joined the band.
Freeman plays Fender Precision and Jazz basses. His 1977 Fender Precision was used as the basis for the 2011 Squier Matt Freeman Signature Bass.
In May 1987, Freeman and Armstrong formed the band Operation Ivy. After Operation Ivy broke up in May 1989, they formed a new band, Downfall, which included all but one member of Operation Ivy and two additional members. Downfall recorded a 10-song album which has never been released, then broke up. Freeman and Armstrong next formed Generator, who played a number of shows, but are not known to have recorded anything. After that, Freeman played with the political punk band MDC for about a year.
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