By Tom Semioli

 

Legend! Icon!

 

With his patented plectrum prowess as purveyed on a Rickenbacker, and later a Fender Precision, the oft airborne Bruce Foxton was the key to The Jam’s overwhelming power and cohesion as a musical unit.

 

A role model – musically and sartorially – to a generation of bass players, Foxton anchored this remarkable triumvirate which modernized Brill Building pop and ‘60s British beat and expanded the language of “punk” with their yen for soul and rhythm & blues.

 

Foxton’s bass passages were often the hooks beneath Paul Weller’s melodies.  Bruce quoted the greats while maintaining a stripped-down approach sans grace notes or unnecessary fills! (Are there any other kind?)

 

Pity that The Modfather broke up to band much too soon – or at all. Bruce pursued a solo career, waxing platters that are woefully underappreciated. In addition to his fifteen-year tenure in Stiff Little Fingers, Foxton reunited with drummer Rick Buckler in 2007 to form the repertory ensemble From The Jam (go figure what inspired that moniker), touring the globe to packed venues. Foxton has made amends with Weller, and they’ve appeared on each other’s releases. In May 2010 Bruce joined his old boss on stage at the Royal Albert Hall.

 

 

Bruce Foxton Sound & Vision

 

The Jam:

 

“In The City” https://youtu.be/gHE8Z3SeLOg

 

“This Is the Modern World” https://youtu.be/ubRhnnQUyfM

 

KYBP Adjunct Professor Tony Senatore’s rendition of “A Town Called Malice” https://youtu.be/Yt0d3qxhMt0

 

Bruce crooning “David Watts” https://youtu.be/5wRGnbqZBeE

 

“News of The World” https://youtu.be/FO3_Udn3hYA

 

Bruce Solo:

 

“Number Six” https://youtu.be/8LsgACB6aFA

 

“Freak” https://youtu.be/gVfMFHEq0NQ

 

“Smithers Jones” https://youtu.be/26A_DpbaIcI

 

 

 

 

 

By Tom Semioli

 

Visionary, sound conceptualist, innovator…

 

Producer, recording artist, label head, composer – and a bass player, Bill Laswell is a giant of American music. Spanning pop, new wave, no wave, punk, dub, avant-garde, jazz, rock, reggae, electronica, techno – and permutations thereof, there is nary a genre Laswell has not excelled in.

 

Laswell’s innovative production and collaborative efforts are the stuff of legend. His short list (pun intended) of credits include: Mick Jagger, Yoko Ono, Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, Bootsy Collins, Nine Inch Nails, Motorhead, Peter Gabriel, Blur, The Ramones, George Clinton, Pharaoh Sanders, The Dalai Lama, Matisyahu, Angelique Kidjo, DJ Krush, Sting, The Last Poets, Afrika Bambaataa, Julian Schnabel, Whitney Houston, Manu Dibango, Fela Kuti, Herbie Hancock,  PiL, Ginger Baker, Tony Williams, Steve Vai, William S. Burroughs, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, and Bob Marley, to cite a select few.

 

Akin to his peer bassists Jah Wobble, Jonas Helborg, and such luminaries as Bootsy, Jaco, Jamerson, Marcus Miller…. Laswell’s rhythmic and tonal vocabulary has expanded the language of the instrument.

 

As a bassist his seminal works include his “avant-funk” ensemble Material, progressive dub collective Method of Defiance, Massacre with Fred Firth and Charles Hayward, and Last Exit with Sonny Sharrock among others.

 

Bill Laswell Sound and Vision

“Beyond the Zero” https://youtu.be/ddjMHMuOE7Y

“Golden Spiral” https://youtu.be/XYixWnmv0YE

“Dread Iternal” https://youtu.be/aIzFfMslCQo

“Lightening Teleportation” https://youtu.be/ZlvrMBxM-jE

By Tom Semioli

 

Among the most enduring and idiosyncratic ensembles from the post-punk era, The Violent Femmes forge on into their fourth decade, waxing sides and purveying a unique meld of folk, avant-garde pop, and old school punk to the dedicated masses and new audiences.

Akin to The Ox, bassist Brian Ritchie works his craft with a massive tone, rendering passages which simultaneously anchor the songs and serve as melodic hooks.  A hard-hitting plectrum player, Ritche employs the bass guitar in both electric and acoustic formats. He’s also an accomplished shakuhachi (an Asian end blown flute) player who has taught and developed new versions of the instrument.

In addition to his work with the Femmes, Ritchie is a prolific collaborator and solo recording artist. He’s cut a half- dozen or so platters, and his partnerships include Italian punk rockers Zen Circus, The Surf (featuring members of Midnight Oil) among others, and also organizes music festivals in Australia, where he now resides.

 

Dig Brian and the Violent Femmes  “Blister In the Sun” live https://youtu.be/Ra8VTlXVqUQ

 

Dig Brian and the Violent Femmes “Hotel Last Resort” https://youtu.be/Jc14JPwnp6M

 

Dig solo Brian “Days of the Blend” https://youtu.be/xNm1OWxfPcs

 

Dig solo Brian “Nuclear War” https://youtu.be/W2ciqJCI-nU

 

Dig Brian the flautist “Watazumi’s Tea Bowl”  https://youtu.be/cSh13g1i9T4

 

Dig Brian and The Zen Circus “Punk Lullaby” with Kim and Kelly Deal https://youtu.be/gkIcmHYLxlM

 

By Tom Semioli 

 

Cited among the most influential bassists who played a major role in forging “funk” as a bona fide genre – Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Billy Bass Nelson anchored the original Funkadelic line-up on its trio of groundbreaking slabs Funkadelic (1970), Free Your Mind…and Your Ass Will Follow (1970) and Maggot Brain (1971).

 

Dig Billy on “I Bet You” https://youtu.be/m794e9Z-4aw

 

Dig Billy on “Free Your Mind….” https://youtu.be/Yw4lqwh5c1g

 

Nelson was the bridge between his virtuoso bandmates – most notably guitarist Eddie Hazel and keyboardist Bernie Worrell – often doubling their motifs and providing a firm foundation for their harmonic forays.  As the funk faithful will tell you – it’s the notes you don’t play!

 

Following his departure from Funkadelic over financial disputes (are there any other kind?) Nelson collaborated with many of his admirers including The Commodores, Lionel Richie, Jermaine Jackson, Fishbone, and The Temptations – and occasionally worked with Funkadelic alumnae on such projects as O.G. Funk, The New Funkadelic and has rejoined Parliament-Funkadelic in many of its permutations.

 

Dig Billy with O.G. Funk “Yeah Yeah Yeah” https://youtu.be/ekB0cLDqrSg   

 

 

 

By Tom Semioli 

America’s answer to the Rolling Stones!

Revered by rockers long after their demise (and consequent reunions), The Chocolate Watchband take their musical (and fashion) cues from the British Invasion, emulating the Rolling Stones, Kinks, and Pretty Things  in their Los Altos, California garage circa 1965.

Known for their Ray Davies penned anthemic hit “I’m Not Like Everybody Else,” the Watchband were anchored by Bill Flores, who vacillated from four-to-the bar roots thumpery to trippy psychedelic contrapuntal underpinnings.

The lads waxed a few terrific slabs that must have found their way onto the turntables of The Strokes,

The Mooney Suzuki, and The Hives, among other simpatico devotees.  

Chocolate Watchband are back in business, gigging at festivals (Cave Stomp) and releasing new music in 2019.

Bill Flores Sound & Vision with Chocolate Watchband

“I’m Not Like Everybody Else” https://youtu.be/_2GZTnAfoUg  

“Don’t Need Your Loving” From the film Riot on Sunset Strip   https://youtu.be/4yYijbsnH64

“In The Past” https://youtu.be/izWlG3ipNLM

The Chocolate Watchband in the 21^st Century – “Secret Rendezvous” https://youtu.be/8bfmKB8zprQ

 

 

 

By Tom Semioli

A producer, writer, collaborator, entrepreneur, and sideman (Jello Biafra, Fear Factory, Jarod Blum, among many others) – Billy Gould has anchored alternative funk metal masters Faith No More for its entire watershed career which traces its roots back to1979.

Gould, a dedicated Peavey proponent, is a dexterous song / melodic player who employs a wide variety of approaches (finger, slap, plectrum) to the instrument.  

Taking up the bass in high school, Gould migrated to the Bay Area wherein he met up with his future FNM comrades while playing in several local underground bands.  

Among the most influential ensembles of the alternative – grunge rock era (they are cited as the originators of “alternative metal”) , FNM draws praises aplenty from their peers – most notably Krist Novoselic, Scott Ian, and Duff McKagan, along with elders such as Robert Plant. Legions of contemporary hard rock / metal artists have covered their material and cite them as mentors.  

Among Billy’s weapons of choice include Aria, Zon (Billy Gould Signature Bass), and Gibson Grabber basses.

Billy Gould Sound & Vision

With Faith No More:

“Falling to Pieces” https://youtu.be/32bdevGClD4

“Epic” https://youtu.be/ZG_k5CSYKhg

“Ashes to Ashes” https://youtu.be/D4P5j1DeOXM

“Ricochet” https://youtu.be/hmU8Q4lECwQ

 

By Tom Semioli 

As Mr. Young proclaims in Jim Jarmusch’s essential Year of the Horse (1997) documentary, Billy Talbot’s bass playing is more about “sound” rather than articulation or rhythm.

He is the most basic of bassists, laying down massive legato quarter notes to underpin Neil’s legendary Crazy Horse ensemble – a gig he’s held for a quarter century.

Raised in New York and New Jersey Billy commenced his career as a doo-wop crooner on city street corners before migrating to Los Angeles, where he hooked up with future Horse hombres Ralph Molina and Danny Whitten – forming the collective Danny and The Memories. A move to psychedelic San Francisco prompted a change in name to The Psyrcle and a chance meeting with Neil, and the rest, as they say is history…  

 

What most folks don’t know is that Talbot, in addition to his bass duties, is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist. In 2004 he formed The Billy Talbot Band wherein he waxed two platters and toured various club circuits. When he’s not on the road with Crazy Horse, or the BTB, Talbot toils in the collective Wolves with Molina, George Whitsell, and Ryan James Holzer.

 

Billy Talbot Sound & Vision:

 

With Neil & Crazy Horse

 

“Cortez the Killer” Live https://youtu.be/x-XnPXL_HMA

 

“Down By The River” https://youtu.be/TiX8Rz5C3LY

 

Dig Billy’s funky passage from solo Crazy Horse – “Gone Dead” https://youtu.be/o2XSGfatK1Q

 

The Billy Talbot Band “His Song” https://youtu.be/X81jLbnlbkA

 

The Billy Talbot Band “Ring The Bell” https://youtu.be/fETAW6W-opY

 

 

 

He is known among friends and hard rockers worldwide as “Electric Church!”

 

A consummate pocket and song player who plies nifty unison lines and melodic extensions aplenty – Bill Church set the foundation for one of the most influential hard rock collections ever committed to vinyl: Montrose (1973).

 

Primarily a Fender Precision devotee, Bill’s career commenced in the late 60s with the band Sawbuck. Church moved on to Van Morrison’s band to anchor such classic platters as Tupelo Honey (1971) and St. Dominic’s Preview (1972). When Sammy split from Montrose (or was fired) Bill was a mainstay in Hagar’s ensembles for several seminal sides and tours – and on occasion Church will guest at a Sammy show for a few tunes.

 

Van Morrison “Wild Night” https://youtu.be/bXoBnmJtqhY

 

Montrose “Rock Candy” https://youtu.be/z25xrCoTdZI

 

Montrose “Bad Motor Scooter” https://youtu.be/tk52nGxF-jc

 

Dig Bill and Sammy on “Leaving the Warmth of the Womb” which reunited the classic Montrose line-up in 1997. https://youtu.be/kYzfc6gkMt4

By Tom Semioli

Renowned for her exemplary work as a composer, singer, and recording artist – most folks don’t realize that Aimee Mann is also an accomplished bassist! A song / pocket player, Ms. Mann helmed the instrument full-time with her band ‘Til Tuesday for three terrific slabs and their classic hit “Voices Carry.”

 

A Berklee School of Music alum – Aimee has garnered two Grammys to date (2020) and is among the most respected and influential songwriters of her generation. For most of her solo career Mann has used studio players however she occasionally works the four string on stage and in the studio.

“Voices Carry” https://youtu.be/uejh-bHa4To

“Patient Zero” https://youtu.be/r4Ue1uKmLDo

“Looking Over My Shoulder” https://youtu.be/6Bs3h87eeFU

“What About Love” https://youtu.be/YHPRtPZwSNI

By Tom Semioli

 

Before the Boss and his E Street Band came to define the patented sound of a certain Jersey Shore metropolis, therein ruled one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest rhythm and bar bands: Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. As I was witness, woe to any ensemble that followed Messrs. Lyon, Little Steven, and the mighty Miami Horns in concert.

 

Akin to the manner in which the British Invasion bands reminded and re-educated us Yanks of our storied musical history – The Jukes avidly turned my generation on to Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, and The Ronettes to cite select few. With his no frills Fender Jazz, founding bassist Alan Berger was flawless; soulfully swinging the massive, and oft maniacal Jukes akin to the Basie, Miller, and Dorsey Big Bands of my parents’ era. Yet Berger and his mates also piled their craft with the rock ‘n’ roll fervor of the Rolling Stones and The Animals. 

 

The Jukes first three releases: I Don’t Want to Go Home (1976), This Time It’s For Real (1977), and Hearts of Stone (1978) are among the most lasting and finest albums of their era and genre. Though they never enjoyed the commercial success they so richly deserved, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes were a tremendous influence on blue collar rockers far beyond the hallowed stage of the sanctified Stone Pony!

 

Alan Berger Sound & Vision

“Trapped Again” https://youtu.be/03-CW89SSW4

“I Don’t Wanna Go Home” https://youtu.be/D7JeaeElcQg

“Talk To Me” https://youtu.be/oyHdnYmqt0o