Cult bassist Chris Wyse talks touring with the band, working sessions with his heroes and writing music for his band Owl.

It's been roughly 12 years since bass virtuoso Chris Wyse first started working with the Cult on their comeback album in 2001, Beyond Good and Evil, and though Wyse has played with everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to Mick Jagger in his career as a session musician, he's definitely cemented himself as a member of the classic alternative rock group by now.

"You know, they (the Cult's original members) have their history, but we've been at it together for a long time," Wyse said, who's played on all three post comeback Cult albums and been an active member since 2006.  "We know how this thing works, and I don't feel like the new guy... There's kind of a history."

Currently, the Cult are on tour performing their third studio release album, Electric, a record that was considered their crossover from post-punk to a traditional hard rock sound. Featuring hits like "Love Removal Machine", it's a fan favorite, and the tour is going over well with audiences across the country so far.

"Fans love this record Electric, and we're on our game right now, really doing well," Wyse said. "The show's kind of been ramping up nicely, and the band's playing really nice and controlled."

After the first set, during which Electric is played from start to finish, the band will return and play a second set of songs drawing from all throughout the Cult's catalog, including the three records that Wyse is featured on, Beyond Good and Evil (2001), Born Into This (2007) and Choice of Weapon (2012). Of course, "She Sells Sanctuary" and other songs from their alternative rock classic album, 1985's Love, will be played as well.

One of the Cult's draws has always been the band's front man, Ian Astbury, who possesses one of the most recognizable rock voices of his era. It’s a thrill for Wyse to stand next to singer as charismatic and thunderous as Astbury.

"He's one of the most powerful singers on the planet," Astbury said. "Sometimes I can hear him off his body like I can hear him off the PA, the monitors, so the first time I played with him I was like 'Wow.’ it affected my vocals and my projection."

It inspires Wyse to spend time with such driven musicians as Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, the only two original members left in the Cult. Wyse has helped arrange the songs on the newer Cult records, but he said that Asbury and Duffy still define The Cult’s core sound, and he learns plenty from watching these two take the lead in steering the band’s direction.

The Cult aren't the only legendary band that Wyse has lent a creative hand to. In fact, Wyse's bass playing can be heard all over Ozzy Osbourne's album Under Cover, including the single "Mississippi Queen", which could be heard all over the radio when it was released in 2005.

Playing with Osbourne was a childhood dream for Wyse, who moved to Hollywood at the start of his career bent on meeting and playing with the metal legend.

“I did tell my parents in New York when I was living in New York, 'I'm going move to Hollywood and play with Ozzy someday,' and I was just a teenager trying to learn bass," Wyse said. "And they said 'That's cute.'"

Wyse finally got his chance through a connection he made while playing with Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, who also was featured prominently on Under Cover.

For Wyse, working with Osbourne was a blast, especially with how appreciative he was of Wyse's bass chops. Osbourne told him not to worry about overplaying, and that he wanted to hear more and more of Wyse's virtuosic ability on the record.

"A lot of artists are like, 'Maybe one, okay? Maybe just do one little fancy, riffy bass thing, but don't overdo it,'" Wyse said. "I remember I threw out a couple, two, three licks on the Ozzy recording and thinking 'Ahhh, they're going to tell me to tone it down,' and Ozzy's like "'Fucking love it, Chris, give me some more!'"

Wyse also released his own band Owl's second album this spring, called The Right Thing. Owl, a trio which Wyse helped found, is similar hard rock to what he's doing with the Cult, but it’s a different canvas that allows Wyse even more leeway with his creativity. The bassist experiments with instrumentation such as a standup bass with a bow charged with ear piercing distortion, creating other worldly sounds that might not be easily recognized as a bass by the average listener.

Even the few who do get to the top of the rock world as session musicians rarely get to put out their original music in a high profile setting like Wyse does, and he's excited to do so in addition to his work with some of the best musicians in the rock world.

"Obviously I've done bigger (than Owl)," Wyse said. "This has been obviously something i developed from the ground up... you could say Owl is my baby, sure."

While Wyse continues to grow as a songwriter with Owl, he has plenty to absorb from Astbury and Duffy, who’ve been doing it for decades. Their passion for their work rubs off on Wyse, who said he better understands what a fulfilling career in music looks like. At the end of the day, The Cult are more focused on making great music than living the high life on tour.

"Ian is one of those (driven) people. Billy is one of those people. They're lifers, and I encourage all the young bands to kind of learn from that," Wyse said. "It's not just about the stardom and the rock star lifestyle. If you're really good, you'e going to have to maintain your craft."

Wyse will be with the Cult at the Hampton Casino Ballroom on August 24th. Tickets are available at http://www.casinoballroom.com