Chris Feinstein (Ryan Adams & the Cardinals bassist), RIP

December 16, 2009

Chris Feinstein w/ the Cardinals @ Wellmont Theatre (more by Tim Griffin)

Bassist Chris Feinstein has passed away. While details remain scant, it is believed he passed away at his Manhattan home in the early hours of Monday morning. He was 42.

Feinstein was most recently known for his role in Ryan Adams & The Cardinals which he joined in 2006, replacing original bassist Catherine Popper. As a member of the Cardinals, Feinstein appeared on Adams’ releases Easy Tiger, Follow the Lights and Cardinology. It was Adams who dubbed Feinstein “Space Wolf.”

Feinstein and longtime Adams’ drummer Brad Pemberton had played in bands together since attending high school in Nashville. However, according to a blog of Adams’ from August 2008, “Catherine introduced me to Space Wolf and that is the kind gal she is.” [Jambands.com]

Chris joined the Cardinals in 2006, and recently he and the band have been backing up New Zealand singer Gin Wigmore (since Ryan Adams has been focusing on other things).

Fellow Cardinals have been posting tributes to Chris online – Neal Casal currently has a photo collection on his blog. There are other tributes up as well. Cardinal Brad Pemberton wrote on his Facebook: “This is the saddest day of my life. I lost my best friend today…things will never be quite the same.”

A video dedicated to Chris and live clips are below…

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Cobwebs on Letterman