JUSTIN CHANCELLOR

Birth Name: Justin Gunnar Walte Chancellor

 

Birthday: November 19, 1971

 

Equipment:

Bass Guitar:

Ernie Ball MusicMan, Wal

Cabinets: 

Mesa Boogie

Pre-amp:

Demeter

Effects Pedals:

Boss & Digitech

 

Justin began his celebration of life in England where as a child you could often find him playing soccer with his siblings and friends. Sometimes Justin would catch himself mesmerized by the dancing and spinning of the ball sensing the possibilities of worlds within worlds. At the age of eight he began playing guitar and at fourteen started meeting and playing with the friends he would eventually form the band Peach with. Peach released the album "Giving Birth to a Stone" and later appeared as an opening band for Tool on several dates in England. Carrying with him a strange sense of alternate realities, Justin found himself able to access them through music and altered states of consciousness . When Tool needed a bass player in 1995 the journey to America seemed simple compared to the paths he had explored within his own mind. On January 12, of 1997 Justin married a very special lady from Statten Island, NY, Ariadne Philippoussis, on top of Mingus Mountain . Currently Justin has been practicing entering hypnagogic states facilitated by sonic landscapes generated by his wife Ari and a highly specialized form of tensor yoga. These function as the arc and threads that buoy and retrieve him from the watery matrices and emotional labyrinths he explores. He then utilizes these experiences as a reference point in his riffs and style to induce a holographic depth to Tool's music. Keep your eyes open for the scheduled re-release for Peach's "Giving Birth to a Stone" happening sometime soon.

 

Justin first met Tool in New York, and kept in touch with band members for a couple of years until Justin's band in England "Peach", did a tour with Tool in Europe in 1994.

When original bassist Paul D'Amour left, Tool gave Justin a call. At first Justin turned them down. Peach had broken up about six months before, and he was forming a new band with the guitarist. Justin felt very loyal to his friend who he'd played with since he was 14. But then decided he couldn't deny himself the opportunity. Justin flew to the US, auditioned, and got the job. He beat out some stiff competition, which included Filter's Frank Cavanaugh, KYUSS's Scott Reeder, Zaum's Marko Fox (who did the voice on Die Eier von Satan), and Pigmy Love Circus's E. Shepherd Stevenson.

After settling in the US, Justin married Ariadne Chancellor, on top of Mingus Mountain in Arizona on January 12, 1997.