MonoNeon is an American bassist and experimental musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He is known for his engaging YouTube performances, as well as being one of the last musicians to collaborate with Prince. He has worked with a diverse range of artists, including Mavis Staples, George Clinton, Pete Rock, Ne-Yo, and Mac Miller, to name a few.

MonoNeon credits his passion for music to his grandmother and his father. His grandmother would take him to church every Sunday, and he got his voice from her. He always wanted to do something musical with his grandmother, so he started coming over to her place and just started recording her, singing with her, and playing music with her. His father, Dwyane Thomas Sr, who played bass with Denise LaSalle, J Blackfoot, and Rufus Thomas, was another big influence on his musical journey. MonoNeon recalls practicing to all his dad’s records, seeking to learn everything his father played. MonoNeon reflects, “I wanted to be just like him, and I still do.”

We sent MonoNeon some questions ahead of NAMM this year, and here is our conversation.

1. What inspired you to first use the Digitech Whammy pedal?

• Working with David Fiuczynski inspired me to use the Whammy pedal first… I was listening to how he used the whammy bar on his guitar to get these various bends and those “in between the notes” in his phrasing. Then I really started to use the Whammy pedal a lot more playing bass with Prince, I saw how Prince used it when I was playing with him at Paisley Park and since then I never left home without one… it has become part of my melodicism and harmonic shiet on guitar and bass.

2. How do you incorporate the Whammy pedal into your playing and phrasing?

• It’s really a feel thing for me, my Whammy pedal is always on… my foot is always on it… so I just go after what be hearing. I guess I use it kinda like a wah-wah… moving in and out from my regular bass sound to the one-octave up in a wah-wah pedal style. I used the whammy pedal on a song I recorded with Prince called “Ruff Enuff”.

3. Your band sounds amazing and are super tight, Who are your Musicians, and do you use the same players for every gig?

• The guys in my band pretty much all came from my musical relationship with Robert Sput Searight. I met my keyboard Dominque Xavier Taplin when Prince hired us to play with Judith Hill. I use the same musicians for every gig, but sometimes I rotate the chairs so I can play with different people and not get too comfortable with a particular sound.

4. What is the most important thing you learned from playing with Prince?

• What I learned from being around Prince was… “OWN IT”… own your shiet… whatever you bring to the table… music, fashion, personality… own it! Also I got into songwriting playing music with Prince… I started writing my lil’ songs because of him.

5. Who are you currently listening to, and what do you love about them?

• I’ve recently been listening to Doechii, she is fearless! And I’m always listening to myself… haha!