COLIN WARLING: MUSICIAN
Aside from being a Luthier, I’m a multi-musician. I took four years of piano lessons, eventually stopping because the intention was to read music - I was playing by ear. Still invested in making music, and at only twelve years old, I began playing keys with my dad’s 1960s cover band. As I improved within the group, my dad began to book regular gigs at local places within Santa Clarita, further encouraging my musicianship. My free time as a teenager was thoroughly invested in becoming a musician, both through weekly practices with my dad’s cover band, and also on my own, absorbing every album that came through my CD player. By the end of high school, I’d been gigging for five years, and had gained sturdy foundation on five instruments: bass guitar, piano, guitar, ukulele, and the fife. I’ve since picked up the mandolin, tin-whistle, accordion, some banjo, and am currently working on Highland bagpipes.
Throughout my musical ‘career,‘ the majority of gigs I’ve played have been as a bassist and on backing vocals, although piano and organ have become leading roles since 2011. I’ve played with a multitude of bands, in a variety of genres at the many famous, infamous, and well-known venues of Los Angeles. Since tapping into the Portland scene in 2018, I’ve gotten to play with some new bands at a wealth of new (to me) venues.
I have thirty-three years of experience playing keys, and twenty-eight years of focus in the individual techniques of bass-guitar and guitar.. My expertise as a musician has come from continual luck, getting to play with so many wonderful and overlapping bands, artists, and projects! Compiled below is a discography and videography of the bands and projects that I have been a part of. All text in RED below is a link to a song, album, or music video - please enjoy!
DISCOGRAPHY/videography:
“Featuring Colin Warling” - A Spotify playlist of songs I’ve recorded on.
Colin Warling - A few of my ‘recent’ recordings - most of which date back to 2014 and before. I play everything on these recordings, except for the drums (Mike Schadel), and Lap Steel guitar (Matt Weber). Most of these songs were recorded using guitars that I built. Recorded at Beer City Studios in 2013.
Delusions - (2023) Based in Portland, a reorganization of Mink Shoals members with a new singer. We are currently writing some awesome post-rock psychedelia with a new singer, Amy. I moved from keyboards to bass, and we reinstated the keyboardist that I originally replaced in Mink Shoals. We are starting to play out in Portland in various incantations. Come check us out!
Mink Shoals - (2022-2023) Keyboards and backing vocals for this Portland based band. Rock songs with an R&B flare. Mostly original tunes, sprinkled with occasional adapted cover songs. Local gigs at some of Portland’s larger venues.
Tigerbite - (2018-2023) Bass & Backing vox for this Indie rock outfit in the Portland rock scene. Local gigs at Portland’s many small venues. Recorded two EPs, Transgressions (2020), and Fallen Satellites (2023).
The Herbert Bail Orchestra - (2011-2019) Piano/Keys & backing vox. I’ve likely played more gigs with this band than any other. We formed as a a group of 5 in Los Angeles in early 2011. After one year and a few lineup changes, we were a core band of four, sometimes augmenting to as many as eleven players on stage. From 2012-2018, we performed yearly at the Lightning in a Bottle festival, primarily at the Grand Artique stage, but also on the mainstage in 2013. Mini-tours to San Francisco, Austin, Las Vegas, Reno, New York, Portland, and Boise. I play keyboards and sing backing vocals on all three official releases, The Herbert Bail Orchestra (2011), The Future’s in the Past (2012), History’s Made at Night (2018) I’m also in the music videos for “Bullet,” and “The Future’s in the Past” (very brief during bar scene), and live recording of “The Nature of Things” among many other live videos. The video for the single, “Chains” was released in 2018. Click Here to check out more videos of Herbert Bail. All in all, one of the most fun, energetic, danceable, crowd-pleasing, ‘barn-burner’ bands I’ve gotten to play with! Buzzbands review of Herbert Bail
Mike Schadel - (2006-2017) A long time friend, and my de-facto musical partner throughout many bands and projects in Los Angeles. We met at a place we both worked, and bonded over music. The first time we ever played together, we cranked out the entire Beatles’ album, Abbey Road, Mike on drums and me on keys, each of us trading leads and harmonies. Mike is a fantastic drummer, and always called me when whatever other band or project he was playing with needed a bassist. He also plays keys, guitar, some bass, and is a knowledgeable engineer/producer. The albums he has produced on ‘lower value’ gear sound as good - if not better - than anything else being recorded in expensive studios. He is also a wiz at live-sound, once sharing with me the secret of ‘ringing out’ a PA system. I’ve played in many bands with Mike, and also as his bassist as a duo. I recorded bass for his album, Oscar Wilde is Dead (2014), and on the title track of his previous album, “Things Will Change,” the first studio recording ever to feature my signature Redwood bass!
Livingmore - (2015-2016) Bass/Keys. While playing as a duo with Mike Schadel at the Bootleg Theater one night, we enjoyed the music of the acoustic guitar duo that played after us - Livingmore. After the gig, Mike talked to the couple, offering to expand their lineup as the drummer, pulling me into the group on bass. Things picked up quickly, and we began to book a lot of shows. However, the Herbert Bail Orchestra, my primary band at the time, was beginning to get too busy, so just as things were picking up for this group, I passed the gig to another friend and experienced musician, Bryan Dobbs. After finding my replacement for bass, I continued to play piano/keys with the band for live shows when I was available. I did get to record bass on the song/music-video, “Little Bird,” and I play bass in their video, “For the Hell of It” (2015). Although I’d helped develop piano parts for the majority of the first album OK to Land, unbeknownst to me, somebody else quietly recorded their interpretations, while I was never invited to play keys in the studio. I am also uncredited for the ukuleles that appear in the background of the song “Walk Alone.”
Things From a Thief - (2011-2012) Bass, Keys & Backing vox on the album, With All the Madmen (2012) This band was a fun “studio project” that rehearsed and recorded an album, but only ever played a handful of gigs in the San Fernando Valley. After the dissolution of the Hereafter in 2011, guitarist Mike Wendland formed this project with two friends who were cousins, Travis Tucker and Tom Smith. Forming as as trio, they developed an album’s worth of material, and prepared to record. Just prior to recording, I was invited to join the band on bass. I was initially challenged by some of the material which occasionally threw in odd time signatures, chord changes, and vocal harmonies. The project was an enjoyable return to the fast and hard bass playing I’d grown accustomed to while playing with Driven. It was a fun album to record, and something I’m still proud of!
DeLaVina (Miguel Bowser) - (2011-2015) I was invited again by Mike Schadel to play bass sing backing vocals on this album, DeLaVina - Belly of the Whale (2012) Mike had agreed to engineer and produce an album for Miguel, and the two of us were enlisted as his rhythm section at live shows. Rounding out the band, Miguel’s neighbor and country-guitarist/producer, Mark Christian began playing lead guitar in the band. In 2012, we recorded a promotional video for Miguel’s song,” Emmanuel,” on one of LA’s public pianos in the alcove of the El Portal theatre in North Hollywood. Over time, Miguel focused more on playing solo live shows.
The Hereafter (John Elliott) - (2009-2011) Bass & Backing vocals for this singer/songwriter. In the summer of 2009, my friend, Mike Schadel, already playing drums for the group, invited me to audition as the bassist. I auditioned into the band during the development of the album, Backyards (2011), on which I play the bass, as well as mandolin parts. This incarnation of the band had active Los Angeles gigs from 2009-2011, including several Hotel Cafe residencies, and a gig at the historic El Portal theater. We also did a west coast tour from Los Angeles, CA to Bellingham, WA in September 2010.
Loy Simmers - (2007) Rodeo Killed the Video Star was hired to be the studio backing band for this artist’s album, Westward Bound (2007). I play bass and guitar throughout the album.
Rodeo Killed the Video Star - (2006-2007, 2012) Guitarist/Bassist/Lead & Backing Vocals for this band that did country covers of 80’s new wave songs. We were mainly a fun studio get-together band that played only a few ‘party’ gigs. We played to a packed house on St. Patrick’s Day at Clancy’s in Glendale in 2007, and shortly after, were hired to be the backup band for a country singer named Karista Smith. Upon finding out that we weren’t a “real” country band, she let us go. After that blip, we became the backing band for the album of an artist named Loy Simmers (above). In 2012, the band reunited to play classic rock covers for a wedding reception that took place at Castle Green in Pasadena.
Jemtone - (2006-2007) I played bass and sang backup vocals with this Santa Clarita hard-rock band. I was invited to join by my friend, Justin, who had played drums in 51 Cards with me, a decade prior. As we began gigging regularly on the Sunset Strip, we became one of the regular bands at the Whiskey A-Go-Go; for a time; each of us in the band had nights free, and if a scheduled band had dropped off a billing, we would get the call to fill in. Of course, parking in Hollywood always made these shows a financial loss, but we still had a ton of fun. The live videos in the link were shot at The Gig, a short-lived club on Melrose Boulevard.
Jody Whitesides - (2005-2006) I played bass and sang backup vocals for this artist, essentially hired for a tour that would go from Los Angeles to Houston, TX in November 2005. Jody had literally bought a 40 foot converted Greyhound bus with 9 bunks, and drove it down from Seattle with another new band member. On tour, each of us band members drove the bus… At some point moving through the whipping winds of west Texas, the drummer literally stood up from the driver seat and said, “Colin, it’s your turn to drive.” It was a fun trip, the destination being a college talent-buying conference in Houston. We were attempting to break into the paying-gig circuit of college campuses. Unfortunately, we didn’t get picked up, and I quickly returned to school at Cal State Northridge, having deferred a semester for the tour. I’ve played the occasional “one-off” show with Jody when he’s performed with a full band. I’m also the ‘smiley’ guy playing the 5-string bass in the music video for his song, “Falling In.”
Driven/Fairow - (2002-2005) This Santa Clarita punk/emo band formed in 1999, while I was sophomore in high school. After high school, I left for San Diego State for two years, and was surprised to find the band still active upon returning to SCV. Not only that, they were actively seeking a bassist and happened to reach out to me. I auditioned my way in, taking over bass and backing “vocals” - or rather, the hardcore screams done by the previous bass player. As conflicts arose with other bands named Driven, we changed our name to Fairow in 2004. We took short tours to Phoenix and Las Vegas, as well as a west coast tour from Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC. After tensions with the rhythm guitarist, I left the band, which subsequently deflated. Although it was never officially released, I played bass and sang backup vocals on the final EP (2005), produced by Jon Siebels (Eve 6), and his father Dave.
51 Cards - (1997-2001) My high school garage band for which I was the singer and bass player. Weekend rehearsals in Saugus, CA in our drummer, Justin’s garage. We never played any actual gigs, but we wrote a lot of angsty songs, and spent time learning how to record on 4-track and 8-track machines together.
Other artists I’ve worked with, either live or in the studio: Stevie Weinstein-Foner, The Picture & the Frame, Zoe Rose Palladino, Alana Amram, Henry Canyons, Devin Bronson, The Grayson Wray Project, Jym Fahey, Matt Weber, Dean Vivirito, Bryan Dobbs, Rose Shawan, Knee High Fox, Axl Whitehead
I want to thank my family, especially my dad, John Warling, for encouraging music upon my life, always loaning me his guitars when I was growing up, and always helping me get the gear that I needed when I couldn't afford it myself. I would be neither a musician or a luthier had he not planted those seeds in my heart. He passed away on February 9, 2020.