For many of us, Billy was the first bassist who quietly gave us permission to think differently about the instrument (he was for me)… to hear it not just as support, but as architecture, conversation, and emotion. We dig into his newest project, The Fell, where that same restless curiosity is being funneled into something collaborative and deliberately unpolished. It’s a reminder that legacy doesn’t mean standing still.

This marks Billy’s second appearance on the podcast. He was the very first guest we ever recorded live at NAMM back in 2018. This isn’t just a discussion about bass technique or career highlights… it’s a reflection on how one player’s values helped reshape an instrument, and how that ripple continues to move through almost every bassist who ever stopped, rewound the tape, and thought: “Wait… you can do that?”

Billy Sherwood’s story has always felt like one of those rare musical journeys where destiny, discipline, and sheer curiosity collide. Raised in a profoundly musical family in Las Vegas, Billy grew up surrounded by harmony, arrangement, and the idea that music was both craft and conversation. By his teens he was already writing, engineering, and producing, eventually forming the band Lodgic before joining World Trade, where his progressive instincts fully took shape. His connection to Yes began long before he officially joined the lineup in the mid-90s: he co-produced and performed on albums like Talk, Open Your Eyes, and The Ladder, becoming a trusted creative partner to Chris Squire. After Squire’s passing in 2015, Billy stepped into the role of bassist at Chris’s personal request (an emotional and technical mantle he continues to carry with extraordinary grace). He has now spent decades in and around the Yes universe, contributing bass, vocals, guitar, keyboards, and production across albums and tours, all while releasing an astonishing catalogue of solo material and collaborations. In our conversation, Billy reflects on how Squire’s influence shaped not only his playing but his entire approach to composition and sonic architecture. He talks about the internal chemistry that keeps Yes moving forward, the brotherhood that sustains the band after so many eras, and the weight (and privilege) of performing foundational works like Fragile for a new generation. We also explore how he maintains his own creative identity amid the legacy, and why he continues to write constantly, even when the ideas don’t yet have a home. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to honor the past while still pushing into the unknown, Billy’s perspective is a masterclass in that balance.

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There’s something quietly brilliant about Alex Frank. Maybe it’s his ability to make a bass line feel cinematic without ever getting in the way. Maybe it’s his rare balance of humility and mastery. Or maybe it’s the way he’s managed to build a career that bridges jazz, film and pop... all without losing the soul of the instrument.

In this conversation, Alex takes us through that journey, from his early exposure to the sounds of Los Angeles - a city he’s made both muse and stage - to playing alongside icons like Jeff Goldblum, Michael Bublé, and Diana Krall.