Martin Motnik

Motnik was born in Ludwigshafen, Germany on 10 November 1972. At the age of six, he started playing the flute but was not particularly interested in it. His parents agreed to buy him an acoustic guitar a couple of years later. At the age of ten, he switched to playing the electric guitar, and at the age of 13, encouraged by his older brother Frank, the bass guitar. After getting a bass guitar, he got inspired to play, and started practicing daily by studying bass players such as John Entwistle (The Who), Billy Sheehan (David Lee Roth band), Geddy Lee (Rush). Motnik has named them his biggest influences and role models. == Career ==

Early years After moving to Munich, Motnik joined the German goth metal band Darkseed in 2003. He plays on the band's 2005 album Ultimate Darkness. Darkseed announced in August 2006 that singer Stefan Hertrich and bassist Motnik would leave the band and focus on their other projects. In the same year, both participated in the Atargatis band's album "Wasteland" recording. In 2005 Motnik joined the hard rock band The Roxx. He plays on the band's Unleash Your Demon, released in 2007, and on the live recording The Roxx Unleash The Demon. At the same time, he was also a member of the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Eisbrecher and played bass on the band's tours. Session and concert musician Concert musician In 2008 Motnik moved to Los Angeles, US. Ecotonic was the first band Motnik joined there. The band toured in Southern California and made the album When Sparks Fly with Motnik in 2010. Only shortly after moving to the US, Motnik joined Uli Jon Roth's (Scorpions) North American tour as a bassist. This encouraged him to continue his career in the US. Later, in 2009 and 2012, Motnik played again with Uli Jon Roth on his North American tours. Motnik has worked as a studio musician with several artists playing many different styles, such as The Wrecking Crew's Hal Blaine (drums) and Don Rand (piano), Gregg Bissonette, Phil Campbell, Paul Sabu and Bruce Kulick, and Ralf Scheepers. Motnik has said that he enjoys as much working in the studio as in live concerts: He continues as a studio musician after joining Accept. Too Mean to Die is the first Accept album that Motnik plays. He did compose songs for the album and actively participated as part of the team in making all the songs. Solo works In 2005 Motnik made, in collaboration with drummer Gregg Bissonette, a solo CD Bass Invader. The album is an intense collection of 14 instrumental tracks. Most of the songs are originals, composed by Motnik, but there are also some cover songs. The bass patterns of the songs run the gauntlet of tonal possibilities and vary from soft ballads and acoustic sections to fast bass-played bits that sound like a regular guitar, even though they aren't. The main part of the album is the bass tunes played by Motnik, in addition to them, Swedish Mattias Eklundh plays the guitar in two songs. In the autumn of 2021, Motnik released his second solo album, Dream Chaser. The album has ten instrumental songs, whose style varies from melodic rock to Latin American music, R&B, fusion, classical music, swing, jazz, and blues. Each song features a guest musician who plays his own solo. Guests on the album include guitarists Joe Satriani, Wolf Hoffmann, Bruce Kulick, Frank Gambale, Andy Timmons, Mattias Eklundh and Jennifer Batten, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummers Christopher Williams, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Joe Babiak, and Gregg Bissonette. == Style and instruments ==

Motnik uses different playing techniques like tapping, slapping, plucking, picking, and impressive use of harmonics. He seems to know where the bass is traditionally supposed to be when combined with guitar and drums. He usually picks and strikes the strings with his fingers without a plectrum. After joining Accept, in concerts, he switched to using a plectrum and hangs the bass lower than before. == Discography ==

Solo albums • Bass Invader (2005) • Dream Chaser (2021) Darkseed • Ultimate Darkness (2005), Massacre Records The Roxx • Unleash your demon (2007), Rockville Music • The Roxx Unleash The Demon, DVD (2008), Rockville Music Accept • Too Mean to Die (2021), Nuclear Blast • Humanoid (2024), Napalm Records Studio albums • Dan Lucas – News (1996) Arcade Music Company • The Winners – Island of sun (1996) Weltbild Verlag • What4- Fourward (2004) Kintom Music • Atargatis – Wasteland (2006) Massacre Records • Q-Ten-Peck – Prestige (2008) • Beyond the void – Gloom is a trip for two (2008) • Ralf Jung – Art of Pop (2010) • Ecotonic - When Sparks Fly (2010) • Mansour - Live in Concert, CD & DVD (2010) • Born 2 Rule - World at War (2014) • Velvet Steel - Thunderous Rain (2013) • All the Wise - All the Wise (2013) • Jeff Sontag – Jeff Sontag (2014) == References ==