# Dave Farrell
**Dave Farrell** (David Michael Farrell), known by his musical alias **Phoenix**, is an American musician best known as the bassist of the rock band [Linkin Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/linkin-park), a role he has held, apart from a late-1990s hiatus, from the band's earliest days in the 1990s through its 2024 relaunch with a new lineup.[1](https://linkinpedia.com/wiki/Dave_Farrell) • [2](https://linkinpark.com/about)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and alias | David Michael Farrell, known professionally as "Phoenix"[1](https://linkinpedia.com/wiki/Dave_Farrell) |
| Born | 1977 in Massachusetts; his family moved to California while he was young[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) |
| Role | Bassist of Linkin Park, credited also as a composer on songs such as "Lying from You," "Blackout," and "Wretches and Kings"[4](https://easeofbiz.com/%40davefarrell) |
| Path into the band | Roomed with guitarist Brad Delson at UCLA and joined Delson's band Xero, which became Linkin Park[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) |
| Hiatus from the band | Left in the late 1990s to tour with his previous band, the Snax, missing the *Hybrid Theory* era before rejoining[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) |
| First studio appearance with the band | The 2002 remix album *Reanimation*[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) |
| Outside work | Credited on the 2014 soundtrack *MALL (Music From the Motion Picture)* with Chester Bennington, Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda, and Alec Puro[5](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c8975bbf-2778-47ae-accf-c584e644450d) |
## Early life and musical beginnings
Farrell was born in Massachusetts in 1977. Accounts differ on the town: Apple Music's biography places his birth in [Plymouth, Massachusetts](https://www.edgepedia.org/plymouth-massachusetts),[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) while a 2001 band interview states he was born in Boston and lived there for five years before his family moved to [Orange County, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/orange-county-california).[6](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/linkin-park-hybrid-theory-2001-interview)
His first instrument was the guitar, which he learned largely from his mother before switching to bass.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) He has described an original background in classical music, having started on violin and cello, and he still writes on piano and guitar as well as bass.[7](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-dave-phoenix-farrell-found-his-sound-with-linkin-park) During high school he joined the Christian punk group Tasty Snax, later shortened to the Snax.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) According to Linkinpedia, he moved from guitar to bass when members of that band decided they had too many guitarists and chose him to switch.[1](https://linkinpedia.com/wiki/Dave_Farrell)
## Xero, departure, and return
After graduating from high school, Farrell attended the [University of California, Los Angeles](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california-los-angeles), graduating with his degree in 1999. There he roomed with guitarist [Brad Delson](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-delson) and was drawn into Xero, the band Delson had started with high-school friends.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) Xero played its first show on November 14, 1997 at the Whisky A Go Go on the [Sunset Strip](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunset-strip) in West Hollywood, opening for SX-10 and System of a Down.[1](https://linkinpedia.com/wiki/Dave_Farrell)
**The Snax years.** Farrell left the band in the late 1990s when he was offered the chance to tour again with the Snax, whose momentum was strong at the time.[1](https://linkinpedia.com/wiki/Dave_Farrell) • [3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) While he was on the road, the band he had left changed names and signed with Warner Bros. in 1999, releasing its multi-platinum debut *Hybrid Theory* in 2000.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100) He missed the band's first proper tours in the first half of 2001, including the [An Education](https://www.edgepedia.org/an-education) in Rebellion Tour opening for Union Underground, but had rejoined by the Kings of the Game Tour supporting P.O.D.[1](https://linkinpedia.com/wiki/Dave_Farrell) His first proper studio appearance with Linkin Park came on the 2002 remix album *Reanimation*.[3](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100)
## Playing style and equipment
Farrell has described his role in a band with two guitars, two vocalists, drums, and a DJ as fundamentally supportive: "Linkin Park is a basketball team where somebody has to grab the rebounds, and that's my role," he told *Bass Player*.[7](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-dave-phoenix-farrell-found-his-sound-with-linkin-park) In writing, he approaches the bass in terms of what best serves each song, whether that is a keyboard part, a sample, or his own bass run through distortion pedals.[7](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-dave-phoenix-farrell-found-his-sound-with-linkin-park)
For the *Meteora* sessions his setup centered on his favored Music Man StingRay 4- and 5-string basses, with some tracking done on a 5-string pearl-white Sadowski J-style bass belonging to producer Don Gilmour.[8](https://www.altomusic.com/blogs/news/20-years-of-meteora-by-linkin-park) He alternates between a pick and his fingers on a StingRay and a P-Bass, and has said that live he plays mostly on the E and A strings, joking that he "could pretty easily get away with playing a two-stringed bass."[7](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-dave-phoenix-farrell-found-his-sound-with-linkin-park)
## Linkin Park and beyond
With Linkin Park, Farrell has appeared on every studio album from *[Meteora](https://www.edgepedia.org/meteora-album)* (2003) onward, as the band moved from nu metal through the reduced-guitar *Minutes to Midnight* (2007), the electronic-leaning *[Living Things](https://www.edgepedia.org/living-things-linkin-park-album)* (2012), and the pop direction of *One More Light* (2017).[9](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/11/15/avec-l-album-from-zero-le-second-depart-du-groupe-linkin-park_6395549_3246.html) Outside the band, he is credited on the 2014 soundtrack *MALL (Music From the Motion Picture)* alongside [Chester Bennington](https://www.edgepedia.org/chester-bennington), Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda, and Alec Puro.[5](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c8975bbf-2778-47ae-accf-c584e644450d)
**The 2024 return.** After Chester Bennington's death in 2017, Farrell, Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, and [Joe Hahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-hahn) eventually began making music together again, leading to the addition of [Emily Armstrong](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-armstrong) and Colin Brittain and the album *From Zero*.[2](https://linkinpark.com/about) The band returned to the stage on September 5, 2024, and *From Zero* went to number 1 in 14 countries.[2](https://linkinpark.com/about) In interviews on the resulting [From Zero World Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/from-zero-world-tour), Farrell has remained an active voice for the band, discussing setlist variety and the band's direction.[10](https://themusic.com.au/features/linkin-park-from-zero-australian-tour-interview/3xJd8_L19Pc/15-01-26)
## Off stage
Farrell is the band's most committed soccer fan, supporting [Los Angeles FC](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-fc) and naming former Manchester United and Ireland captain [Roy Keane](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-keane) as his all-time favorite player; he has also coached his three daughters' teams, joking that he has "won some trophies already, albeit plastic ones."[11](https://www.loudersound.com/features/linkin-park-talk-football) In a 2023 interview around the 20th anniversary of *Meteora*, he said all three of his daughters play instruments and follow soccer, and he spoke about mental health, noting that he did not see a therapist until his 40s and believes seeking help earlier would have helped him through difficult periods.[12](https://www.audacy.com/kisw/latest-from-kisw/celebrate-20-years-of-meteora-with-phoenix-from-linkin-park)
## References
1. [Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, Linkinpedia](https://linkinpedia.com/wiki/Dave_Farrell)
2. [Linkin Park | Official Band Biography, linkinpark.com](https://linkinpark.com/about)
3. [Dave Farrell, Apple Music biography](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dave-farrell/41334100)
4. [Dave Farrell, Musician · Writer, EaseOfBiz](https://easeofbiz.com/%40davefarrell)
5. [David Michael Farrell, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c8975bbf-2778-47ae-accf-c584e644450d)
6. [Linkin Park 2001 interview, Louder/Metal Hammer](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/linkin-park-hybrid-theory-2001-interview)
7. [How Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell found his sound with Linkin Park, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-dave-phoenix-farrell-found-his-sound-with-linkin-park)
8. [20 Years of Meteora by Linkin Park, Alto Music](https://www.altomusic.com/blogs/news/20-years-of-meteora-by-linkin-park)
9. [Avec l'album « From Zero », le second départ du groupe Linkin Park, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/11/15/avec-l-album-from-zero-le-second-depart-du-groupe-linkin-park_6395549_3246.html)
10. [Linkin Park On 'From Zero' & Their Return To Australia, The Music](https://themusic.com.au/features/linkin-park-from-zero-australian-tour-interview/3xJd8_L19Pc/15-01-26)
11. [Linkin Park talk football, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/linkin-park-talk-football)
12. [Phoenix chats about early '00s fashion, 'Meteora' turning 20 & the future of Linkin Park, Audacy/KISW](https://www.audacy.com/kisw/latest-from-kisw/celebrate-20-years-of-meteora-with-phoenix-from-linkin-park)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Hard rock and glam metal*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license