Band

Stu Brooks

Instrument: Bass

At age 15, Stu Brooks traded prep school for art school in order to pursue his calling – music. Soon thereafter, he had a fortuitous meeting with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and distinguished bassist Prakash John, who instantly recognized his innate talent. John acted as a mentor for the budding musician, and it was under his guidance that Brooks truly blossomed. Influenced by a spectrum of rock, metal, jazz, funk, R&B and pop, the wide-eyed Canadian moved to Boston in 1997 to attend Berklee College of Music, where he joined forces with guitarist Dave Holmes. In 2000, the inseparable pair moved to New York City, where they united with drummer Joe Tomino, and eventually formed the rhythm section Dub Trio.

With Dub Trio, Brooks recorded three studio albums (Exploring the Dangers of, New Heavy and Another Sound Is Dying); recorded as Lady Gaga’s backing band; and worked on recordings with Faith No More’s Mike Patton as the Peeping Tom rhythm section. Always cultivating his talent, Brooks also collaborated with Eric Krasno and The Adam Deitch Project, and built a reputation for himself as a session player, working with 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Mobb Deep, Mary J. Blige and Tupac Shakur, just to name a few.

In 2006, Brooks met reggae vocalist Matisyahu at an underground hip-hop show in NYC’s Lower East Side. Their connection was palpable. Two years later, Matisyahu asked Dub Trio to collaborate with him in the studio and Brooks eventually recorded a track for the MC, which was featured on his 2009 album Light. In early 2009, Dub Trio were invited to perform as Matisyahu’s backing band at The Bell House in Brooklyn, and have been a part of the singer’s touring troupe ever since.