If you find yourself on the streets of Newcastle, England, you might stumble upon Ojay (aka Stephen Oliver Jones) busking away, doing things you never thought possible with the bass guitar. Hence why he’s been dubbed the Jimi Hendrix of the bass.
Ojay learned to play the bass without putting much effort into it. Years ago, he played in the Dust Junkys, a rap rock band in Manchester, before then moving to Newcastle and giving busking a try. That was nine years ago, he told Tom Draper in this interview.
For Ojay, busking offers more than a chance to earn a living. It provides a creative space, a chance to continually improvise and work out new musical ideas. Watch him in action above. And do yourself a favor, give the video a little time to unfold. It just keeps getting better and better.
If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newsletter, please find it here. It’s a great way to see our new posts, all bundled in one email, each day.
If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, and Venmo (@openculture). Thanks!
Related Content:
Neil Young Busking in Glasgow, 1976: The Story Behind the Footage
Bono and Glen Hansard Busking in Dublin on Christmas Eve
Jaco Pastorius is still my favourite, but…
Ojay knows my soul!
Very talented gentleman but sounds a lot like Jaco Pastorius. He is the Hendrix of bass.
you’re playing is so damn dope. i hope i find you somewhere
Metallica can start to CONSTANTLY give him shit and turn down his bass tracks on future albums (ala Jason Newstad) so Robert Trujillo gets pissed off and quits the band (but not before laying down a CYCO BEATDOWN first!!) Then the “surviving” members can hire this dude! Or…Ojay and Les Claypool can have “Dueling Bass Guitars” instead of “Dueling Banjos”!!! Seriously, Ojay gets his JAM on here, F‑YEAH!!
I like what he’s doing, but I feel like he sounds more like Eddie Van Halen with a dash of Willie Weeks, then Mr.Hendrix