Biography:
Bassist
Stefan Lessard is the youngest member of Dave Matthews Band, by a good seven
years. In fact, he was just 16 when Matthews whisked him away from school to
join him, drummer Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore in their fledgling
band, which made for some interesting situations when the group, with its
underage bass player, were booked into bars and clubs. "Yeah, there were a
couple of times I was rushed out the back door 'cause some cops in front were
asking for IDs," Lessard remembers with a laugh. "And since I wasn't
legally allowed to be drinking, I was usually elected to drive the van. But
(age) was nothing too major, and never a big issue as far as the music was
concerned." Lessard certainly seemed to be fated for a career in music.
Born in Anaheim, CA, both of his parents were musicians, which led to the
family's move to Charlottesville, where the young Lessard took up violin and
piano before moving on to guitar. He started playing bass during his early
teenage years, after developing a taste for reggae and then, through his high
school music teacher, jazz. "It made sense for me to start playing
jazz," says Lessard, who quickly switched from electric to upright bass.
"It was a good way to practice scales and then play along with the music. I
kinda faked it for awhile." Nobody knew, however, as Lessard started
popping up, jamming in local clubs and coffeehouses. His playing caught the ear
of Matthews, who was a friend of Lessard's music teacher; that led to the
invitation to join the band, which Lessard accepted — though it meant
switching back to electric bass and quitting school in order to be able to
travel for gigs. "I had my parents' backing; they were a little iffy when I
first dropped out, and so were the rest of the guys in the band," says
Lessard, who eventually got his GED and even spent a month studying music at
Virginia Commonwealth University. "To me, it was all education." In
fact, Lessard — who recently moved back to Charlottesville from Woodstock with
his wife and their young son, Diego (AKA Diggy) — is continuing his education
via music classes on the internet and plans to return to a formal classroom
situation, someday.
Equipment:
Modulus
5 string bass
Warwick 4 String Dolphin Pro Bass
Warwick 6 String Thumb Bass
Furman PL-Plus Power Conditioner
Coleman Audio Switcher
Korg DTR-1 Digital Tuner
(4) Shure U4D-UB Wireless Units
(4) SWR Grand Prix Pro Bass Pre-Amps
Aphex 661 Expressor
Modulus 6 String
Modulus (Flea) 4 String
Modulus (Flea) 5 String
Eventide GTR-4000 Ultra-Harmonizer
Meyer Sound CP-10 Parametric Equalizer
Crest 7001 Power Amplifier
Meyer MSL-2A Speaker Cabinets
Meyer 650 Sub Speaker Cabinets
