Robert Levon Been

Robert Levon Been
Been in 2013
Background information
Also known as	Robert Turner
Born	(1978-08-22) August 22, 1978 Felton, California, United States
Genres	Alternative rock Garage rock revival Neo-psychedelia Blues rock Noise rock
Instruments	Bass, Guitar, Slide Guitar, Electronic organ, Piano
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Virgin, RCA
Associated acts	Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Notable instruments
Epiphone Rivoli Gibson ES-125

Robert Levon Been (born August 22, 1978) is an American indie rock bass guitarist, guitarist, and singer. He is currently a member of Los Angeles-based band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club^[1] and was, for a time, a bass player in The Beggars. He is the son of Michael Been of The Call, who suffered a fatal heart attack in 2010 whilst working as a sound engineer at a BRMC concert in Belgium. In fact, he used the pseudonym 'Robert Turner' on Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's first two records, in an attempt not to be linked to his father. He later dropped this identity when promoting their third album, Howl.

In 2013, BRMC covered his father's song 'Let The Day Begin' on their album Specter at The Feast. Later that year, he appeared in two concerts with a reunited The Call, taking his father's place on bass and vocals.

Musical Equipment

Robert is also known for his heavily distorted bass sound provided by his hollow-bodied Epiphone Rivoli basses. On how he aquired his first one, Been says "I got my first one because it was all I could afford. I couldn’t afford to go to Guitar Center! I found this pawn shop in San Francisco, and it was the only bass on the wall apart from modern plastic things. It was $800, and had loads of scars all over it. I complained to the guy that it was scratched and a bit messed up. He didn’t know basses at all, and I was “complaining” about the things I really loved about it! I knocked him down to 400 bucks."^[2]

He has exclusively used variants of the Ampeg SVT amplifier for both guitar and bass live and in the studio using the Classic model for Bass and the SVT-II for guitar.

He also plays guitar on a number of their songs, most popularly "Berlin" and "Beat the Devil's Tattoo" and piano on several tracks, most notably "Promise".

Playing Style

Been prefers to play with a pick and makes use of chords and open strings while strumming. His "booming," overdriven tone is a central part of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's sound. He achieves this sound through layering multiple distortion boxes and with a very aggressive playing style. He plays melodically and has cited Peter Hook as the foremost influence on his playing, noting that "His parts seemed 'fightable.' And certain things from Ride and Verve records. I tend to be more aggressive than those though, that’s my American side. Hendrix records, Nirvana… they all have bass that really inspires me."^[3]

References