THE BASSISTS of COURT JESTER

In late 1997, bassist Erick Koenig and guitarist James Azrael formed the entity now known as Court Jester.  Together they began writing songs (the first being "All Hallows Eve") and searching for additional members.    Erick was the insane one, a solid bassist and a solid work ethic, but completely insane.  Known for his off stage antics which include nailing his foot to a house with a nail gun, driving the band truck while sleeping, showing anyone within eyesight what he can lift with his nipple rings, and plenty of other things that cannot be put into writing.  At the end of May, Erick had a very devastating auto accident that he should never have been able to walk away from, and one of the injuries was a broken arm.  This injury made it difficult for him to perform, so when the Rock N' Roll Circus 2004 Tour began, Court Jester had to seek outside assistance.  

Found barely two-weeks before the tour started, Dietrich Thrall of the Chicago based industrial band Marazene was brought on board.  Dietrich was an incredible musician and a really fast learner, making many contributions to the music and show.  Dietrich has become a truly valued friend of Court Jester and you never know when he may show up with them again.   When the tour ended, Erick had regained much of his ability to play, but wasn't 100%.  He continued on with Court Jester until mid-October when he finally had to call it quits.

The Fall of 2004 found Erick unsure of his ability to go any further with Court Jester, and though saddened by his departure, Court Jester proceeded forward.  James Azrael took over bass for a show in Dallas in November 2004 where he had rigged the equipment to play both out of the bass rig and his Marshall guitar rig so as to fill out the sound more and get a bit of that classic distortion sound that Lemmy made famous in Motorhead.  The show was great, but James is a guitarist at heart and wanted to return to his passion.

This leads us to F**kin' Johnny McKinney.  Hailing from San Diego, CA, Johnny was introduced to Court Jester by former Diamond Rexx drummer, Bill Nychay, the day before they were to perform with him at The Cat Club in Hollywood, CA.  Johnny was an incredible talent and was able to jump right in and perform like he had been in Court Jester for years. 

So What's next?  Court Jester continues to seek a full-time bassist, but the show must go on, and with it will come a hodgepodge of the industry's best talents on bass.