Amos Heller began playing upright bass in the Charlottesville, Virginia public school system at the age of ten. He played classical upright over the next ten years, studying with Israeli virtuoso Mark Bernat, and winning a spot in the Miami University symphony orchestra.

He received his first electric bass when he was thirteen, and like most other thirteen-year-olds, joined a terrible band that knew three songs. Throughout high school, and college he played any genre of music that would have him, going from top 40 cover bands to Frank Zappa-inspired rock to Christian worship to small-combo...