Korn say their 12-year-old bassist is "not just some replacement"
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Korn are shedding some light on their connection with Tye Trujillo, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo’s son, the 12-year-old musician who’s filling in for Fieldy on the band’s current South American tour.
Read More: Metallica’s Robert Trujillo comments on his 12-year-old son playing bass for Korn
Speaking to NME, the members of Korn discuss how they first hooked up with Tye on bass for their recent run.
“A couple of the guys from Metallica and Jonathan [Davis, Korn vocalist] and Fieldy kinda bumped into each other in some airline lounge,” explains Korn guitarist Munky, “and Robert was like, ‘Hey, have you checked out my son playing bass?!’ They were watching some videos and Jonathan and Fieldy were like, ‘Woah, he’s so good!'”
Munky continues, “When we found out Fieldy wasn’t gonna be able to come on this trip with us, he suggested Tye. It’s not just some replacement—this is the DNA of Robert Trujillo, one of the greatest bass players on the planet! You can see it—it’s crazy how much you see his dad in him.”
Munky also tells the NME of Tye’s proficiency with Korn’s catalog and the young performer’s bright future as a superstar bassist.
“[Tye] knows like 17, 18 Korn songs, and he knows them really well—it’s crazy. All the stops, and the breaks… it’s crazy to see somebody that young so talented. He’s gonna be a professional musician, and to know that at that early of an age is just inspiring.”
Has the fill-in fame gone to Tye’s head? Munky reports that the 12-year-old string slinger is staying humble on the road.
“Wen we go to the shows, he’s got people wanting his picture and his autograph—he’s a little overwhelmed, but he’s handling himself just like his dad, which is cool, collected and modest.”
Regular Korn bassist Fieldy will reportedly be back with the band for their upcoming U.S. dates, starting with the Carolina Rebellion festival on May 6.
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