Rhythms of influence

Chris Combs interviews Thundercat

At 30, Stephen Bruner, AKA Thundercat, is among the most influential musicians of his generation. A bassist, singer and producer, the California native is widely known for his collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Suicidal Tendencies, Erykah Badu and others. Bruner grew up in a talented musical family with a love for R&B, jazz, funk and rock—his father, Ron Bruner Sr., has had a successful career on the road and in the studio as a drummer for the Temptations, Diana Ross, The Supremes, Gladys Knight and many more. 

Like J Dilla and Louis Armstrong before him, Thundercat is having a profound impact on musicians worldwide, regardless of their instrument. When the Voice approached me about this interview, I was ecstatic and insanely nervous (ever seen the SNL skit where Chris Farley interviews Paul McCartney? Yeah, it was like that.) Thundercat was gracious and forgiving of my blundering, and it was an honor to talk with him about his family, jazz, Dilla and more.

Thundercat headlines Higher Plains Music Festival on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the Vanguard.

Chris Combs: Most people are familiar with your supporting work as a contributor and bassist. How have you transitioned to leading your own group?

Thundercat: I felt like it came very naturally. It felt very seamless. It didn’t feel contrived. There were a lot of lessons to be learned. I’m happy the environment I grew up in helped me understand those things, actually.

CC: Did you travel or tour with your dad much as a kid?

T: Not with my father. I did play with my dad growing up, though. My dad would have different projects that I would be involved with. He had a Miles Davis tribute band, and he would have me playing with him. I learned just about everything I know from my dad, other than actually playing the bass.

CC: How old were you when you started playing with him?

T: I was around 4 or 5 years old. 

CC: Dang that’s crazy.

T: Yeah, it wasn’t too weird. When I look back, any pictures I ever saw were of me holding some kind of string instrument or something.

CC: I’m curious about the recording process on your new EP, The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam. Is a lot of that material recorded live and then manipulated in post-production? 

T: I worked a lot with a young dude named Charles Dickerson, also known as Mono Poly, another Brainfeeder artist. He had a lot to do with the sound shaping and the drumming and the ambiance of the album, along with Flying Lotus. It’s mostly electronic, other than my instrument. A lot of it consisted of me and Charles sitting with different things and kind of cycling through ideas. Charles himself is actually a monstrosity in production. He helped me shape the sound a lot. Then Lotus definitely helped me refine it a bit—change it up, shape it. He would come in and do different things. He’d hear different stuff and add it.

CC: So Flying Lotus was involved in a hands-on way with the production? Or was it more of an aesthetic influence?

T: Oh yeah, absolutely hands-on involved. I would record different parts with him. He’d say, “Maybe you should try this…”

CC: Who is in your live band that will be coming with you? Is it the trio with Justin Brown on drums and Dennis Hamm on keys?

T: Yeah, that’s them. 

CC: How much improvising is involved in your live set? Are you stretching out on some things, or is it more tightly arranged?

T: We play through the tunes a lot, but there’s a lot of room for improvisation. I mean, the people know the tunes. The fans will be singing the tunes with me. I think they have open minds and listen well, so when I start singing and changing things up on stage, it’s not too far of a stretch for them.

CC: That touches on one of my favorite things about what you’re doing. Much of the intention and depth of concept that was present with Miles and Coltrane, Dolphy, Herbie—that vein is so alive in what you’re doing, and you’ve been able to craft this song space for that to exist in that is accessible and still super inspiring.

T: Thank you man, I appreciate that.

CC: I feel like I can hear the influence of Miles, Herbie, Jaco and others in your work, maybe some Zappa. Have you had much of a classical element in your upbringing or training? Or has it all been in the jazz realm?

T: Mostly jazz. I mean, it all bleeds through a little bit because of the listening. I listen to a lot of different things. (Maurice) Ravel is one of my favorite composers, and it definitely affects my playing. 

CC:  I feel like there’s a heavy symbiosis between The Beyond / Where The Giants Roam, You’re Dead (Flying Lotus) and To Pimp a Butterfly (Kendrick Lamar). They share a certain language.

T: Oh yeah. 

CC: Was any of that material recorded at the same time? It feels like there is such a consonant statement between those three albums.

T: Right, right. Honestly, when I look back at it, it just feels like we were all breathing together. They weren’t recorded at the same time. There were things that would bleed over. But more than that, the air was definitely—you could feel it between us. From being with Lotus to being with Kendrick, things just kind of traveled instantly. Kendrick’s production would be so different from Lotus’, but it would all meet in the same place. And I was just happy to be witness to it. 

I’m grateful. I’m really grateful that they were open enough to not be scared to go that far into the music. A lot of people said, “Oh that’s too intricate,” or “That’s too eccentric,” or “That’s too this or that.” But to actually let it go and create from such an open standpoint, it allowed it to breathe a bit.

CC: Yeah, man. There’s not a lot of deliberate “swing” or capitol J “Jazz” or whatever, but Kendrick has such a Coltrane vibe happening through it all, that fire and truth.

T: Yeah, yeah. I remember recording (To Pimp A Butterfly), and it would be 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning, and me, Terrace (Martin) and Sounwave would be going between studios. I remember playing (Kendrick) some Miles and him just standing there and tripping out. He’d hear it and say, “What’s that?” “That’s Miles Davis’ ‘Little Church.’” And he’d say, “Mannnnn.” He’d hang with us there for a bit and listen and trip out, then run off back to recording. It was great to see the level at which he was functioning, directly pulling the influence.

CC: I’ve heard a story about you hanging with Herbie Hancock and playing him one of Dilla’s Slum Village-era samples that he had never heard.

T: Oh man, it made me so happy—to know that this was a moment that was happening. You can imagine how many people have sampled Herbie over the years. And I thought, there’s no way this dude hasn’t heard “Get Dis Money.” Me and Lotus start scrambling to find it, and we play it for him. He starts putting two and two together and was like, “Hey, that’s ‘Come Running to Me’ off the Sunlight album! Ahhhh!” 

It almost put everything in perspective—how far in life music can reach. Me and Lotus were both blown away. I’ll never forget it.

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