GUITAR PLAYER August, 1995

SPOTLIGHT: Showcase For New Talent
by Mike Varney

Bassist: Beaver Felton
Age: 29
Style: Wide-ranging
Influences: Chris Squire, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, Billy Sheehan
Main Bass: Peavey Foundation

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, Beaver began playing when he was 13 years old. At first teaching himself by listening to the Beatles, Cream, and Yes, he eventually shifted his interest to more jazz-oriented groups such as Weather Report and the Dregs. After high school, he gave bass lessons. Beaver has been recording his material for over 10 years. He's currently working on some new tunes, as well as an instructional cassette titled Superchops, which covers many techniques for bass soloing.

After hearing Beaver's live solo, I must say that such an instructional tape should be quite successful, since he possesses a large vocabulary of stunning bass riffs that blend fusion, funk, and classical chops with wide-stretched hammer-ons and outrageous harmonics. A synthesis of his influences, Beaver would be an excellent addition to any professional progressive rock and/or fusion act. Beaver adds, "My goal is to become a worldclass player with a unique style consisting of funk, two-handed tapping, ultra-fast passages, chords, harmonics, and 'classical' arpeggiation." Correspondence: Beaver Felton, 200 Fern Park Blvd. #1703, Fern Park, FL 32730.