Stefan Lessard

Infobox musical artist


Name = Stefan Lessard
Img_size =
Img_capt = Lessard playing bass guitar in July 2008
Landscape =
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Stefan Kahil Lessard
Alias =
Born = June 4, 1974 (age 34)
Anaheim, California, USA
Instrument = Bassist
Genre = Rock, jazz
Occupation = Musician
Years_active = 1991-present
Label = RCA
Associated_acts = Dave Matthews Band, Yukon Kornelius
URL = [http://www.davematthewsband.com davematthewsband.com]

Stefan Kahil Lessard (born June 4, 1974) is an American musician, most famous as the bassist for the Dave Matthews Band.

Early life

Lessard was born in Anaheim, California, to musicians Ron and Janaki Lessard. After moving a number of times during his childhood, Lessard and his family eventually settled in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1987. They had previously lived from 1980-1984 in Buckingham County, Virginia and in Richmond, Virginia from 1984-1986.

Career

After moving to Charlottesville, he enrolled in the Tandem Friends School, where he studied under John D'earth. D'earth recommended Lessard to Dave Matthews for inclusion in the band, which at the time was looking for a bassist. Lessard joined the band just as it was forming, when he was only sixteen years old. At the time, he was so young that he had to sneak in the back door of the clubs where the band were playing.

Lessard completed his junior year of high school before dropping out, and was accepted at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond in their jazz studies program. He dropped out of college after six weeks, when it became evident that he could not keep up with school work while continuing with the band, which was beginning to become extremely busy. He decided that touring with the band would be his schooling.

On January 9, 2008, Lessard performed with members of Guster and Barenaked Ladies under the name Yukon Kornelius in a benefit concert sponsored by Okemo Mountain Resort, a ski resort in Vermont.

Among fans, Lessard has acquired the nicknames "Lizard" (taken from his last name) and "Fonz" (taken from his first name). In 2006, Lessard began maintaining a MySpace page called [http://www.myspace.com/lowendude LowenDude] . He also owns and maintains a blog at [http://www.izstyle.com izstyle.com] . During the 2007 European Tour, Lessard also began a video blog on YouTube.

Personal life

Lessard married Long-term girlfriend Josie Baucom in 1997. They had one son together, Elijah Diego (born January 9, 1998) and lost a daughter, Aslan, to SIDS in 1996. They divorced in 2004.

In October 2005 he married girlfriend Jaclyn Burton and together they have two daughters, Hazel Bailey (born March 6, 2004) and Flora Jude. (born July 13, 2006)

On November 29, 2007, Lessard's home in western Albemarle County, Virginia, burned down, with a loss estimated at over 2 million dollars. The original 911 call came in around 7:30am reporting the front of the home on fire. When the initial fire crews arrived, the entire home was engulfed in flames. It took over 40 firefighters from 6 different fire departments to extinguish the blaze. The origin of the fire is unknown at this time, however, according to the Albemarle County Fire Marshall's Office, Cedar Shake siding contributed to the rapid spread of the fire across the house. Lessard and his son were home at the time of the fire. They escaped unharmed. The family is reported to be staying with friends in the area.

Equipment

Lessard plays a variety of bass guitars, including those made by Modulus, Warwick, and Hill Custom Basses. On the Dave Matthews Band album Busted Stuff, he also played piano, Hammond organ, and Dobro guitar.

* Thomastik-Infeld Power Bass Strings
* Ampeg SVT-2 and SVT-4 Pro Heads
* Ampeg 8x10 and 2x15 Bass Cabinets
* Furman PL-8 Power Conditioner
* Shure U4D-UB Wireless Units
* Eventide GTR-7000 Ultra-Harmonizer
* Whirlwind 4ch Multi Selector
* Korg DTR-1 Digital Tuner
* Rane SM26B Splitter/Mixe

olo discography

*"Beautifully Broken" (featuring Stefan Lessard) (2001) — Gov't Mule's "The Deep End, Vol. 1"

Footnotes