By Sal Cataldi – This feature appeared in NYS MUSIC COM on 22 October 2020  https://bit.ly/3dMI0oi

 

How many bass players does it take to change a lightbulb?  None, the pianist can do it with his left hand!

 

It’s an old musician’s joke demonstrating how little respect some give the men and increasingly women who wield the bass – that indispensable instrument which lays the foundation without which any tune would, let’s face it, sound rather wimpy.

 

Since 2013, bass playing NYC journalist Tom Semioli, has been out to change this with Know Your Bass Player (KYBP), a blog of entries profiling the bass greats of rock, jazz, blues, funk and country’s classic eras. In 2014, Mark Preston joined the bass fray as producer and director of a video companion Know Your Bass Player on Film, a video channel with serious production values. 

http://knowyourbassplayer.com/kypb-on-video/

 

To date, approximately 650 players world renowned to little known but deserving have been profiled in KYBP’s online features. Know Your Bass Player on Film captures the stories of about 50 players in over 180 video episodes, shot on location in NYC and London, and now, like everything in COVID era, via Zoom and Skype.  The video vignettes reveal behind-the-scenes, fly-on-the-wall stories of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, The Pogues, Ronnie Lane, Keith Richards, Ian Hunter, Paul Simon, Boy George, Roxy Music, George Harrison, The Zombies, The Kinks, Les Paul, Joe Jackson, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, to name a few, by the bassists who were in the studio and on stage with these iconic artists for some of their greatest triumphs…and missteps!

 

Semioli’s deep well of talent as a writer and player, and his humor, are at the heart of KYBP’s content. He approaches each player’s work and life with both a refined knowledge of the artform and a nose for the kind of humorous anecdotes that make for great reading and viewing, whether you sling the bass or not. 

 

Semioli’s creds are impressive. While earning a degree in communications at the University of Miami, he minored in jazz, at the institution that gave us Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny.  Upon moving to NYC, he continued in private study with jazzer Ron McClure of Charles and Blood Sweat & Tears fame. Semioli quips that he did his “post-graduate work” during gigs at NYC institutions like CBGB and The Bitter End, all while holding down a series of impressive day jobs in journalism and media.

 

So just what is the life of a bass player all about?  We think these words below from Semioli and KYBP’s “About Page” provide some pretty good insight:

 

“We are the ones who serve the singer, the song, and the soloist. Though we do not possess the harmonic nor sonic range of a guitar, keyboards, horns and other wind instruments, nor the dynamics of drums –it is us who determine how a chord actually sounds – which, in essence – often determines whether or not you’ll like the artist, or the track. We are the only individuals on the bandstand and in the recording studio with that critical responsibility…  To be a bass player is to exude skill, confidence, humility, patience, tolerance, and knowledge: very few are chosen, and fewer still are called! 

 

So, who are these important players, and why should you know who they are?

 

Sal Cataldi:  First off, when did you get into music?

 

Tom Semioli: I vaguely remember The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show at age 4 or 5.  At the New York World’s Fair, my mom took me to the British pavilion to witness Beatlemania by proxy at a screening of their movie, Help. Girls were screaming and I thought ‘this is interesting!’

 

I was a working musician through most of the 80s, then I moved to California to start a studio business in the early 90s. Somehow, through a simple twist of fate, I became a music journalist, then a music publicist…then I went into the television production field as a writer in the 2000s, when Napster flattened the record business. I’m like a cockroach with four strings! 

 

SC: How did Know Your Bass Player dot Com come into existence?  

 

TS: I’m sitting at my desk, working for a very successful television news video production company sometime in the early 2010s.  My colleague at the time was among the most influential publicists in the industry. He has a pal who works for a major concert promotions company and they’re discussing Paul McCartney, who is in town to do a show. He asks me, ‘was Paul McCartney the bass player in The Beatles?” My jaw drops! How does he not know that? Well, he’s a few years younger than me, so I forgive him. 

 

That same evening I’m watching the great British music television show Later….with Jools Holland with my wife, who was an upright bass player in high school. Sting is the guest. My wife is a huge fan. She turns to me and whispers ‘Sting has a guitar that looks like yours, is he a bass player?’ Ye gods, again, I am in disbelief. The former Gordon Sumner is likely the most famous bassist in the world.

 

Next morning, I’m in the dentist chair. She is wearing a Bruce Springsteen t-shirt beneath her open white medical smock – as she just attended her umpteenth show. I stop her in mid-sentence during her Bruce hosannas and inquire “who plays bass in the E Street Band?” She replies ‘bass? Bass fiddle? There’s no bass in the E Street Band.” I point to Bruce’s bassist on her t-shirt Gary W. Tallent. Now I have a mission in life.

 

The next morning, I begin posting Know Your Bass Player missives on Facebook. I start off with Tallent, then Danny Klein from the J. Geils Band, Dee Murray from Elton John, Phil Chen from Jeff Beck. Slowly, I start to gather simpatico followers.  After a year or so, I start to archive all the content on a website – thus was born Know Your Bass Player dot Com!

 

SC: What is behind the growth and aesthetic of Know Your Bass Player?

 

TS: Well, here’s the secret. This website and video series relates to my generation of bass players.  We’re talking the golden age of the album era and FM radio from the late 60s to the 90s. A magic time. My demo is the oft neglected 55 and upwards group. The rocking AARP motley. Stretch jeans, loose shirt to hide the pot belly. Chain wallets so we don’t forget where our money is. Hats covering bald spots. We play gigs with our friends who are still alive in the fringe clubs. The kids are out of the house and married, so now we rock again.  Scotch on the rocks and Viagra. And a nap. Very important! The mainstream has no idea we exist! 

 

The whole Know Your Bass Player concept explodes – it’s like the gay liberation movement on steroids! All these bass players start coming out of the bass closet – “you like Carl Radle!” – who was Eric Clapton’s bassist. “I love Carl Radle too!” We hug, we bond, we shed tears over the bassline in “Bell Bottom Blues.” Nobody gets this stuff but us!  Finally we are family! Guys start wearing the Know Your Bass Player t-shirt in public. They come out to their wives, their children, their co-workers! It’s a movement!

 

SC:  How did Know Your Bass Player evolve into a corresponding video series?

 

TS:  Right about the time I started the Know Your Bass Player website, I reconnected with an old friend – Mark Preston. In addition to being a successful real estate broker, Mark is also an accomplished singer and songwriter. He’s old school, traditional country.

 

So I meet up with Mark at one of his gigs. He invites me to travel with him to London to see the Mott The Hoople reunion of 2013. Mott is my all-time favorite band, so of course I’m there.  At the time, the band’s bassist, the legendary late, great Overend Watts had just written a book on his long distance hiking experiences. Watts was among rock’s most elusive characters. But I talk with Mott’s publicist and offer to render a review for Huffington Post books. They were duly convinced.  Mark and I get the VIP treatment, we’re with the band before the show, chatting with Watts, Ian Hunter, Verden Allen, Mick Ralphs, and having a grand time.

 

Backstage at the O2 after the gig, we’re among legends such as Jimmy Page, the guys in UFO, Queen, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard – all huge Mott fans in attendance to witness glam rock history. The scene is surreal – the old dudes in leather with their young and not so young wives. Mark says to me ‘hey we oughta film this for Know Your Bass Player!” 

 

Enter cinematographer, producer, production company owner Derek Hanlon – a close friend of Mark who has an extensive rock and roll history and was with us at the Mott gig. He’s filmed everyone from Jethro Tull to Motorhead to Madonna – to cite a very, very select few. Derek was headquartered SoHo, London during the 70s, 80s working with record labels, the BBC. Derek has more rock and roll stories… we should be doing a documentary on him!

 

Our first inclination was to do a documentary. However, Mark and I were so impressed with all the stories, we felt that I would be a shame to edit out anything, so it became a film series of shorts, something akin to Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.

 

We schedule three bassists just for a test run in London.  Our first filmed interview was Steve Bingham, who was the bassist with Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance and had a gig at the Half Moon in Putney with a reformed version of the band. Jim Rodford, who played with Argent, The Kinks and at the time was in the latest version of his cousin’s band, you may know them as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ensemble The Zombies. And studio ace Mo Foster who waxed sides with everyone from Phil Collins and Jeff Beck.

 

Then we continued in New York City over the next few years. Our taped interviews in New York include Sal Maida of Roxy Music, Gary Van Scyoc with John Lennon and Elephant’s Memory, Cait O’Riordan with The Pogues, Graham Maby with Joe Jackson, Rob Stoner with Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder, Brian Stanley with Garland Jeffreys, Paul Page with Ian Hunter’s Rant Band, Joe Vasta with Mink DeVille and Joan Jett, my former bass teacher Ron McClure with Blood Sweat & Tears, my former classmate Paul Nowinski with Keith Richards, Les Paul and Rickie Lee Jones; John Ford of The Strawbs, Hannah Moorhead of The Giraffes, Mike Visceglia with Suzanne Vega, Tony Senatore with Genya Ravan, Ernie Brooks with the Modern Lovers, David Goldflies with the Allman Brothers Band.   And we also filmed local players, guys who do the Broadway Shows – we want to represent everyone..

 

We went back to London last year and it was even more remarkable. Mark chatted with Chris White about The Zombies’ Odessy & Oracle. Our other guests included Phil Spalding and Mickey Feat – two studio players who are in your record collection! Alan Mair of The Beatstalkers, Graham Gouldman of 10CC, Kevan Frost with Boy George, we shot Steve Bingham again, this time with Geno Washington, John Bentley of Squeeze. We also had an all-star cast who could not make it due to scheduling difficulties.

 

SC:  As the site has grown, you’ve gathered more collaborators.  Can you tell us some brief stuff about your team?

 

TS:  Our most important collaborator is also a bass player – Mark Polott whom we interviewed on film as he anchored the legendary prog-metal band Haystacks Balboa, an Atlantic Recording act that toured with Rod Stewart and The Faces and Jethro Tull.  He created the look of the revamped website and also edited Season Deux and Season Tres of Know Your Bass Player on Film. Our first season was too DIY looking, as we had to get something out to protect our name. Mark’s graphics afford Know Your Bass Player a unique look.

 

We have a “Chicago Bureau” helmed by another veteran bass player – Joe Gagliardo, who also wrote for Goldmine. His contributions are enormous. Chicago has such a rich, untold history in rock and roll. These Chicago stories would be lost to the ages if not for a guy like Joe who is as passionate about the instrument as he is about the legacy of his hometown.

 

Our Adjunct Professor is Tony Senatore. A great bassist, composer, recording artist Tony contributes editorials, and helps us with story angles when we film in New York City. Whenever a “bass controversy” arises, we turn to “Senny.” Think of Robert Duvall’s character of Tom Hagen in The Godfather. Bassist Robert Jenkins writes for our “Austin Bureau.” Like Joe, Rob shines a light on players who are in the trenches, making great sounds in one of the world’s greatest musical cities.  We also have contributions from bassists Joe Iaquinto, Graham Maby, Chris Semal, and Jeff Ganz, among others.  

 

SC: What are some of your favorites in terms of the video interviews? 

 

TS: Truth be told, everyone reveals gems in their personal stories.  But if I had to pick one interview segment – Paul Page’s “All American Alien Boy” is ‘the greatest bass story ever told.” And Paul Nowinski’s “The Dead Conga Player” is a close second.

 

SC:  Who are the dream video interviews you have yet to capture?

 

TS:  Bruce Thomas of Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Norman Watt-Roy with Ian Dury and Wiko Johnson, Herbie Flowers, and Andrew Bodnar of Graham Parker and the Rumour – all of whom have committed to appearing on camera – we just have to work out scheduling.

  

SC:  What are the attributes that you think make for a great bass player? 

 

TS:  Humility! Confidence! Gallows humor! An appreciation of the absurd!

 

SC:  Our site is focused on New York and New York musicians.  Who do you think are some of the must-see players on the local scene?

 

TS:  My must-see artists include Lorraine Leckie and Her Demons, The Dive Bar Romeos with Joey Kelly and Jimmy McElligott, Edward Rogers, Urban Blue, Tom Clark at the Treehouse 2A, Anne Husick’s various projects, and Emily Duff. In New York City you can plug into any scene and discover unique artists.  That includes the artists I play with, Kathena Bryant and Tim Champion who work under the moniker The Hippy Nuts, along with my pals Stu Richards and Dan Reich as Tex Wagner. And this wild jazz-rock improv trio, Spaghetti Eastern 3. In Manhattan, I’ll drop into the Bowery Electric, the Village Vanguard, The Bitter End, 11th Street Bar after hours and stumble into something remarkable!

 

SC:  What are your future plans for KYBP?

 

TS:  As for the film series, given COVID-19 we are starting to do Zoom and Skype chats. We did a fine interview with Donnie Nossov whom you know with John Waite, Pat Benatar, Cher, Lita Ford, and Tom Verlaine which also featured legendary Creem writer James Spina. I just wrapped up a Zoom chat with Paul Gray of Eddie & The Hot Rods, UFO, The Damned, and Professor and the Madman.  We’re never going to stop. You can’t get rid of us.

 

As for the website, I would like it to be more collaborative. The site is designed to be a quick, digital media read, with the exception of Joe Gagliardo who does long form as he interviews the players. But I’d like musicians, fans, bassists, journalists, and industry folks – producers, camera men, engineers, publicists – to contribute anecdotes, pictures, reflections.

 

We have an egalitarian approach – we respect all genres of music. From Rock and Roll Hall of Famers to bar band denizens.

 

The Move, co-founded by bassist Christopher “Ace” Kefford were among the seminal British psychedelic-pop progressive rock ensembles of the late 1960s – early 70s. Appearing only on the band’s self-titled platter, Ace was a charismatic performer who, according to drummer Bev Beven “functioned as the group’s pouting glamour-man.” Akin to Brian Jones and Syd Barrett, Ace was a casualty of the psychedelic era.

 

A scrapped 1968 solo album produced by Tony Visconti which eventually surfaced in 2003, scattered recordings by the short-lived Ace Kefford Stand collective featuring drummer Cozy Powell, and a brief stint (and single) with the band Rockstar (1976) have further enhanced his legend.   

 

Ace Kefford Sound & Vision…

 

The Move:

 

“Morning Dew” https://youtu.be/PJz2BOcufu8

 

“Flowers in the Rain” https://youtu.be/cT2exTHx8f0

 

“Fire Brigade” https://youtu.be/UVys3YPRLWk

 

Ace Kefford Solo:

 

“Save the Life of My Child   https://youtu.be/9aWl44pcgeY

 

“Daughter of the Sun” https://youtu.be/1lzRA5B1q_g

 

Courtesy of Glen McCready FB

 

Timing in life is everything…

 

You know Glenn from his appearance in Know Your Bass Player Season Deux: His episode “Any Fool Can Play Guitar” https://youtu.be/hfqDIlybG9A is testimony to his stance as a “rock and roll lifer.”

 

He is player borne of the rock and roll trenches: working the clubs, the cafés, the social gatherings, public events, music venues large and small, among other gigs. McCready is a songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, and bassist. Glenn interprets the work of the masters in his band of grizzled veterans, Hell Or High Water. He waxes slabs under his own name too, featuring compositions that recall the golden Laurel Canyon era.

 

McCready’s latest effort I Hear Your Voice arrives under the moniker Bringing Down the House – a collaborative effort with Michael Sakoulas.

 

Says Glenn in the liner notes / press release: Broken hearts and broken lives, hope for the future and questions about the past. This is a lot of what Bringing Down The House is about. We took a different route this time, going for a quieter overall sound. Most of the songs are acoustic based and use percussion in lieu of a full kit on almost all of the songs.  We tried to do some different things, from Michael’s bouzouki on the title track, to the walking bass line and unison vocal/guitar riff in, “Another Morning.”

 

A lot of the songs are pretty personal; as for the writing, we like to say the wand chooses the wizard.  “Once In A Lifetime,” pretty much happened exactly as written, and was one of the few that started with the bass line.  And, (before time) Takes It All Away” started out as a song about caring for people with dementia, and ended up being about me caring for my mom before I realized it… the wand chooses the wizard. There are the eternal questions about choices we make, “What Were (we doing)” and “Memories” letting someone know you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else after all these years, “Our Lives” and even some hope for society, “Voices Back.”

 

It’s been said that Bringing Down The House hearkens back to the old, “coffee-house” days of stories and songs. That sums it up pretty well. Just songs we hope everyone can relate to.

 

Timing in life is everything. Due to the pandemic we are denied the opportunity to hear BDTH live, which to my ears, is Glenn’s natural habitat. The stage and its intangibles, the dynamic of a performance, the high-wire is the “elan vital” of all rock and roll lifers.

 

Until the plague lifts we are all in lockdown – here’s the lowdown on Glenn and  Bringing Down the House…

 

 

What have you been doing musically in the lockdown?

Actually, more writing than I’ve done in a long time!

 

Why a “mostly acoustic” album?

Michael and I love that whole, “singer/songwriter” and “Laurel Canyon” style, and I think we wanted to see if we could do a whole album in that style. And we wanted to be a little more… I guess thoughtful, both with subject matter and the lyrics themselves. What was really fun about this was deciding what to put where, instead of the usual bass, drums, electric guitar…etc. Michael got to play his bouzouki on one track, and mark my words, we’ll find more ways to work that in!  I think one song has a “flute” solo. And all except one are just hand percussion instead of a kit.

It’s funny, when we were planning this, Michael referred to it as our, Rubber Soul. I sure hope so, because then I think came Revolver and Sgt. Pepper. That’s not a bad goal to shoot at.

 

Once again, what role does the song-cycle (aka “album”) play in a world of streaming, song-lists, and Tic-Tockery?

I’m not sure there’s a real pattern all the way through to be honest. I know we wanted to end with something a little more hopeful than usual – “Voices back.” I know there is a mix of subjects, from saying goodbye to a loved one, before time to the, “what if?” questions we all have, “What Were we Doing.”

 

Did you work the songs out on stage before committing them to (metaphorical) wax?

A couple of them had been part of our live set, but we wanted to have a studio version, especially since Michael is such a better rhythm player than I am. He makes all of this stuff sound so much better. I think rhythm guitar is as underrated a skill as bass playing is, probably because it’s almost looked on as a support role. Some of the other songs were actually written during the recording process, so they’ve not had a chance to be road tested. I’m looking forward to playing some of these out.

 

Talk about your relationship with Michael – what makes your partnership click? Explain the yin-yang of Bringing Down the House?

First, we’ve been friends for forty plus years, so there’s no nonsense, we both know each other far too well. As far as the yin/yang… the best way I can explain it is that from the moment he picked up a guitar, I was there! All he ever wanted to do was play rhythm guitar. He’s the embodiment of, “Guitar George” from “Sultans of Swing” whereas I am a bass player first and foremost, but I play all the other instruments you hear on the record. Some better than others of course. I’m a little more open personality wise. Not that Michael isn’t, he’s actually one of the funniest guys I know, he’s just not as out there. And he’s absolutely more sensible than I am.

 

Not to dwell on doom and gloom, but a cure-all vaccine is the only way to return to gatherings as we know it in the performing arts – is there life after gigs? Can you adapt to a remote music career with videos and recording taking the place of live performance?

I think one of the good things about, “BDTH” is that we are actually built for small gatherings. The name came as a play on the whole, “Concerts In Your House” idea. The recordings are good because, hopefully it gives our audience the material we’re going to play out. Could we go remote? I suppose, but we’d rather not. And I can say that I am far better with an audience than not.

 

Bass players in quarantine / shelter tend to salivate over instruments during their isolation – what are some of your latest bass obsessions?

I have to say, I am loving my two P-Basses, the “Players” model and The Sting model, basically a ’51 so really, I’m good I admit I have been missing my Epiphone EB-3 lately, mainly for the humbucker for recording. And they’re cool looking as hell!

Also thinking about an acoustic, I’d love to do the whole campfire thing with Michael… and Tom Wipf…I’m hoping the third time will be the charm.

 

How can we hear I Hear Your Voice – list all streaming, hard copy options…

We have the old school CDs for now. I’m waiting for the word that it’s up in all of the usual outlets. Unfortunately, one aspect of this stuff that I’m really not very good at is the business/promotional end. But for now, you can email us at [email protected] and we can send one.

 

What is on Glenn’s playlist nowadays?

Obviously the “Canyon” and singer/songwriter stuff is always there, also lots of 60’s stuff. The Association is always somewhere nearby Also have rediscovered a bunch of albums, Odyssey and Oracle is criminally unknown here…

 

Glenn’s future – plans Hell High Water, Bringing Down the House, solo…

HoHW is doing a livestream in November 1^st. We have played the NYC Marathon for the past dozen or so years, and even though there’s no marathon this year, we’re still playing. As far as solo, I think those days might be gone. Playing with Michael the way “BDTH” does, is really… truly… my favorite way of doing this. We’ve been friends for so long, and even back then, this is what I wanted… just two guys, guitars… and some songs and stories. I can’t imagine anything better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Courtesy of Kevin Scott Music Com

 

There are bass players who realize their dreams….and there are the cats who anchor the legends.

 

Enter Kevin Scott – who has achieved both goals and more in his remarkable career.

 

Kevin’s musical journey commenced while he was in his teens, as a bassist in his dad’s bluegrass band.  Then this Dothan, Alabama native heard Colonel Bruce Hampton and his life changed. He migrated to Atlanta where Hampton resided, and worked his way into the guitar legend’s band.

 

Touring and recording with Hampton raised Scott’s profile. He found himself on the bandstand with another legend, drummer Bernard Purdie for the ATL Collective’s yearly “James Brown’s Funky Christmas” wherein Scott serves as musical director. And yet more legends – guitarists Jimmy Herring, and Wayne Krantz have enlisted Kevin for recording and touring.

 

Scott established himself as a first call bassist in Atlanta, anchoring such ensembles as; Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics, Russell Gunn and Elektrik Butterfly, Whitney Tai, King Baby, Grant Green Jr., Mindi Abair, Fergie,  FORQ, Wale, Monica, and Big Shanty, among others.

 

A finger / plectrum player, among Kevin’s primary weapons of choice is a weathered vintage Fender Precision. Scott’s funky disposition serves the singer and the song – he’s also a prolific soloist.  Keep up with Kevin Scott at www.KevinScottMusic.com

 

KYBP hat tip to Scott Gordon: Says SG “Kevin Scott is one of the baddest bass dudes out there! He’s my favorite young gun…at 35 he is the most versatile bassist …and a super humble guy to top it off.  Jesse from St Paul and the Broken Bones has taken a few lessons with Kev and even bought most of the gear that Kev uses!” 

 

Check out Kevin Scott’s KnowYourBassPlayer Spotify Playlist….

 

Kevin Scott Sound & Vision… 

 

Bruce Hampton: Live https://youtu.be/_C73ELythTs

 

Wayne Krantz: Under Cover Pop Tour https://youtu.be/ornbl4lqBQ4

 

ATL Collective Live with Nigel Hall https://youtu.be/E_v1R8CciUE

 

Ruby Velle “It’s About That Time” https://youtu.be/oTR_ls5a4MQ

 

Elektrik Butterfly “War Pigs” https://youtu.be/sJI9lgu1sDM

 

Wale “Ambition” (Kevin served as co-writer on this #1 hit) https://youtu.be/O7ZbM7ak8uw

 

 

Photo by Drew Burke – Courtesy of Kevin Scott Music Com!

 

 

Courtesy of St. Paul & The Broken Bones Com

It’s all about the pocket!

 

Born into a musical family in British Columbia, Canada, Jesse Phillips studied music at Loyola University in New Orleans. His original goal was to be a music teacher, however fate intervened…

 

Collaborating with singer Paul Janey, Jesse co-founded an “alternative soul” outfit which they dubbed The Secret Dangers. Switching their moniker to St. Paul & The Broken Bones, the duo waxed an EP before they hit the stage. Enlisting simpatico musicians, SP&TBB cut their first indie album which garnered attention aplenty in the major rock rags including Rolling Stone, and Paste, among others.

 

Their first national TV appearance on CBS This Morning put them on the map commercially. In 2015 the Rolling Stones chose them as their support act on several shows.

 

Drawing influence from the elite Stax, Motown, Muscle Shoals, TSOP players – Phillips is a master of the pocket….outlining the changes with grace notes and harmonic extensions which reach out of the bass cabinets and grab the listener!

 

Phillips’ main weapon of choices are Fender Jazz and Precision, and Reverend basses.

 

 

Jesse Phillips Sound & Vision…

 

Live on CBS This Morning “Flow With It” https://youtu.be/JOtMs1FzWN8

 

“Call Me” https://youtu.be/z7s9A3s8iv8

 

“Apollo” https://youtu.be/mHEPoG11EtE

 

“Grass Is Greener” https://youtu.be/pb8yga8kygU

 

“I’ll Be Your Woman” https://youtu.be/rrFmJik2cVg

 

Courtesy Drive By Truckers Com

A producer, indie label and studio owner (Dial Back Sound), bassist with the garage rock quartet The Dexateens, and current bassist with Drive-By Truckers, Matt Patton plies his craft with time tested pocket grooves and an occasional melodic flourish amid the sonic din of his bandmates.

 

Matt’s weapons of choice include Fender Precision and Danelectro basses.

 

Check out Dial Back Sound: http://www.dialbacksound.com/

 

Matt Patton Sound & Vision….

 

The Dexateens

 

“Makers Mound” https://youtu.be/JYg0WPcZ7zc   

 

“Naked Ground” https://youtu.be/dFdhBGiByLM

 

“Take Me to the Speedway” https://youtu.be/A6N1ctwRIeE

 

Drive-By Truckers

 

“Thoughts and Prayers” https://youtu.be/tkD4xSqNVII

 

“What It Means” https://youtu.be/mY0qOCUy27Q

 

 

 

Bassist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, Shonna Tucker was raised near Muscle Shoals, Alabama on a steady musical diet of soul and country!

 

During her eight-year tenure in the Drive-By Truckers, Tucker afforded the alt-rockers a decidedly rhythm and blues underpinning.  

 

Tucker peppers her pocket grooves with funky grace notes, tasteful rapid fire riffage, and slippery harmonic extensions – all in the service of the song.  

 

As an electric – upright session player / collaborator, Tucker has waxed sides with Booker T., Betty LaVette, Son on Shade with Alabama Shakes Heath Fogg, Pegi Young and the Survivors, and Billy Ray Cyrus to site a few.  She cut her sole solo slab today under the moniker Shonna Tucker and Eye Candy featuring tracks aplenty with pop overtures. Her latest EP is entitled Dreams of Mine.

 

Shonna’s weapon of choice is a vintage Fender Precision.

 

Shonna Tucker Sound & Vision…

 

Drive By Truckers: “Used to Be a Cop” https://youtu.be/kvJ-lWOZMYg

 

Booker T. “Potato Hole” https://youtu.be/CjA0YJPmLQ0

 

Son on Shade “Tell Me How Long” https://youtu.be/7BOhfgJ9j6g

 

Betty LaVette “Before The Money Came” https://youtu.be/SBhKZtyIMNI

 

Pegi Young “You Won’t Take My Laugh Away From Me” https://youtu.be/wQYAvi5NTgk

 

Shonna Tucker & Eye Candy: “Since Jimmy Came” https://youtu.be/55nw-oeObPs

 

Courtesy of Alabama Shakes Com

Give thanks to the great state of Alabama, home to such music legends as Hank Williams, Wilson Pickett, Tammy Wynette, Percy Sledge, Lionel Ritchie, Candi Staton, Chuck Leavall (Allman Bros., Rolling Stones) Odetta, Sun Ra, and Nat “King” Cole to cite a select few.

In a few years we may add the name Alabama Shakes to that esteemed list. While a high-school student in Athens, Zac Cockrell approahed singer Brittany Howard about making music together. Recalls  Howard “I just knew that he played bass and wore shirts with cool bands on them that nobody had heard of…”

 

Rather than cover artists that inspired him such as David Bowie and assorted prog-rockers, Zac, Brittney, guitarist Heath Fogg, and drummer Steve Johnson began to compose as a team. After paying their dues working clubs throughout the south, they scored a record deal and the rest, as they say is history.

 

In addition to their sold-out gigs and nearly two million platters sold, Alabama Shakes has garnered four Grammy Awards, along with several NME, Brit Award, and Q Award nominations.

 

Their meld of southern rock, blues, and soul is most representative of the state they call home.

 

Cockrell works the pocket akin to his Alabama Muscle Shoals ancestors, sticking close to the root notes with harmonic extensions that embellish the singer and the songs. His weapon of choice, as you would expect is a vintage Fender Precision, LaBella flatwounds, and a waddafoam at the bridge!

 

 

Zac Cockrell Sound & Vision…

 

“Hold On” https://youtu.be/nin-fiNz50M

 

“Don’t Wanna Fight” https://youtu.be/nin-fiNz50M

 

“Future People” https://youtu.be/JbR999N5MiA

 

 

 

 

In Season Deux of Know Your Bass Player on Film, Rob Stoner comments on Johann Sebastian Bach’s importance to modern day bassists. 

 

“Bach’s left hand is were bass started….” https://youtu.be/eTGeRO3aqSA

 

 

By Tony Senatore 

Johann Sebastian Bach might seem an unlikely role model for aspiring bass players, but his influence looms large for many. Jack Bruce considered Bach “the ultimate in bass players” and asserted that bassists could learn everything that there is to know in conventional harmony from listening to him. When reflecting on my earliest experiences as a bassist, Bach’s Six Suites For Violincello Solo as well as Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin were integral in developing my overall concept.

 

Perhaps the best example of Bach’s influence on bass guitar is Glenn Cornick’s work on Jethro Tull’s Stand Up (1969). The third track on side one of this seminal record was Ian Anderson’s arrangement of J. S. Bach’s “Bouree.” Cornick’s solo over the changes of “Bouree” was radical and revolutionary for the time.

 

I recently learned the track for a video featured on Know Your Bass Player, and noted some similarities between Cornick and Steve Swallow, both tonally as well as stylistically.

 

I asked Steve if Bach factored into his approach as a bassist, and if he was aware of Cornick, since they were contemporaries.

 

Steve conveyed that neither Jethro Tull nor Glenn Cornick provided any influence or inspiration, but that he shared Cornick’s “clear fondness for Bach.”

 

He continued,” I consider Bach the ultimate source of contrapuntal bass lines, and the Cello Suites the one essential bass text.  I know the ‘Bouree’ Tull played, and I used it as lesson material when I taught in the mid-70s at Berklee, and I appreciate that Glenn nailed it without pretense, as a bass player should.”

 

Courtesy of Oteil Burbridge Com

He is a virtuoso of the instrument, and among of the elite players in the jam band / improvisational fusion (jazz / funk / world) sub-genres. Oteil Burbridge started off as so many bass player do, on drums!

 

Recognizing his multi-faceted musical talents, Oteil’s mom encouraged her son (whose name translates as “explorer”) to investigate additional instruments including violin and trumpet. Honing his chops in his native Washington D.C. club circuit, Burbridge garnered national attention aplenty as the anchor of the experimental Aquarium Rescue Unit – an ensemble which  featured members of jam-band giants Phish, Phil Lesh & Friends, and Blues Traveler among others.  

 

Burbridge took over the Allmans bass chair in 1997 following the departure of Allen Woody. He waxed the band’s final studio slab – the underrated Hittin’ the Note (2003) wherein he worked the five string and appeared and numerous live sets. To my ears, Burbridge’s work with the Brothers echoed Berry Oakley as Oteil was given to working the pocket which occasional upper register flourishes. Burbridge also took an occasional lead vocal with the band.

 

Among Oteil’s high-profile collaborations included Dead & Company helmed with Grateful alumnae Bob Weir, Billy Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart along with John Mayer.  He also joined founding drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johnny Johnson in Les Brers. Burbridge also served as the harmonic and rhythmic anchor of the Tedeschi Trucks band – which garnered a Grammy as for Best Blues Album in in 2012 for Revelator.

 

Burbridge has recorded under his own name and as a bandleader – Oteil Burbridge and The Peacemakers. Among his notable session credits include Gregg Allman, Warren Hayes, Herbie Hancock, and The Zac Brown Band.

 

Oteil has been cited by this writer in Huffington Post for his tenure in the final incarnations of the Allman Bros. Band as deserving of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honors with Lamar Williams, David Goldflies, and Allen Woody. 11 More Bass Players Who Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2016) Link: https://bit.ly/2EZx1Lf

 

A truly diverse and prolific cat – keep up with Oteil at www.OteilBurbridge.com – gear heads be advised to check out OB’s extensive collection of basses – ranging from the trad-for to the six string…

 

 

Oteil Burbridge Sound & Vision…

 

Aquarium Rescue Unit: Live at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival 1996: https://youtu.be/lzxVxC5kLMQ

 

Allman Brothers: “Instrumental Illness” https://youtu.be/Z1_6HPpTuuU

 

Dead & Company “Comes a Time” with Oteil on lead vocal https://youtu.be/-zHpenigs3k

 

Tedeschi Trucks Band “Midnight in Harlem” https://youtu.be/K1J04ugcdi8  

 

Les Brers “Every Hungry Woman” https://youtu.be/zOhYD5TfUrM

 

Oteil & The Peacemakers “Subterranea” https://youtu.be/zOhYD5TfUrM