Ricardo Rodriguez by Tony Senatore

 

I first heard about Ricardo Rodriguez when I was hired to play bass on the Shrapnel Records release entitled Midnight Drive in 1991. At that time, Ricardo was making a name for himself as a fiery bassist in the tradition of Billy Sheehan, and we traveled in the same circles. In those days, I was known for performing 10-minute Bach inspired bass solos while clad in spandex and played on stages with smoke machines. By the mid 1990’s, I started to get some session work thanks to an introduction to the late, great engineer Jason Corsaro, and needed to radically alter my approach. Playing bass lines that were suited for the song in perfect time, with no fret rattle or buzz took precedence over trying to replicate Paganini on the electric bass. Around this time, Ricardo made similar changes to his bass style. We both made vast improvements in our bass playing, but it was not because of what we were playing, but rather what we were leaving out. Ricardo has built a career as a bassist on his own efforts. He’s not a member of the elite circle of NYC bassists that play on Broadway or do sessions at the top studios. Like me, he has built his career from the perimeter.

 

For all of the talk about an alleged “bass brotherhood,” I have learned that if a fraternity of elite bass players truly exists, new members are only admitted if they have something to offer in the form of a tour or a Broadway show to gain access. To truly thrive, a musician must create their own opportunities.  Ricardo and I also have a similar view that there is much more to life than music. Financial security is important to us. As such, we both maintain day jobs that are unrelated to music and would not have it any other way. You can’t build a career with Instagram likes, by posing for pictures with famous bass players or “liking” their posts on Facebook. Getting hired and getting paid for your work is the only thing that matters. The rest of it is just a façade. Know Your Bass Player has always tried to convey the story of the working musician trying to navigate their way through a never-ending sea of obstacles, often in obscurity. As such, we are proud to present this feature on Ricardo Rodriguez, a true pragmatist who lives his life on his own terms.

 

When and where were you born?

 

I was born at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson New Jersey. When I was born the doctor looked at my hands and told my mom that I would either be a doctor or a musician. I was fortunate to be raised into a family full of Latin jazz musicians. Since our family functions were quite large, we would often rent a hall and my cousins and uncles would always bring the band to perform. As a kid I had no idea how good they were until I heard other bands that rarely sounded as good. They were all very well-educated schooled musicians at the top of their game. Now that I am older, I really appreciate having this influence very early on.  

 

I am curious about your educational background or specific teachers who guided you, not limited to only music teachers.

 

I was always fascinated with technology and studied electronics and computer science however my mind often drifted into music land. There came a time when I was getting busier musically and so I studied theory at William Paterson and took lessons from various local professional bass players. However, my cousin Frankie was my earliest bass player influence who I looked up to and guided me. He still plays Latin jazz to this day.  

 

Did your family support your decision to be a musician?

 

I put in as much time as I possibly can into my music endeavors while maintaining a day job. I’ve always been the responsible type, so my parents never gave me any arguments about my music activities. My family has always been supportive of my musical ventures. Not once has anyone given me any talk about moving in a different direction.

 

Who influenced you at the beginning of your career?  When you listen to their work today, do your early bass influences measure up to your perceptions of them when you were young? Are there any young bass players currently on the scene that inspire you?

 

As early as I can remember I was always humming the bass lines to songs. Not sure why I did that to be honest. But Silly Loves Songs by Paul McCartney as well as songs like “Sir Duke” by Steve Wonder were some of my earliest influences. I had no idea what a good musician was at that age. I just knew that I was drawn to it. As time went on, I realized their genius. As far as new young bass players on the scene that I admire, Henrik Linder from Dirty Loops, Sam Wilkes from Scary Pockets, Michael League from Snarky Puppy, Joe Dart from Vulfpeck and Jacob Collier come to mind.

 

I am a big fan of the Carol Kaye series of bass method books. Her method, combined with The Evolving Bassist by Rufus Reid, and Bach’s Six Suites for Violoncello Solo are the backbone of everything that I do on the bass guitar. Are there any books, or YouTube video channels that have inspired you?

 

Great question! I have Bass Guitar for Dummies by Patrick Pfeiffer. I bought a few from this series and I loved the cds that came with them. I tend to drive a lot and loved listening to these lesson books while on the road. It really helped me absorb many things I was trying to understand at the time. I later found Patrick in NYC and took lessons from him. As for YouTube channels Scott’s Bass Lessons is my go-to, however any session bass player that records a memorable line will grab my attention. I recently found the stems to Lady Antebellum’s hit song “I Need You Now”. I removed the bass track then recorded myself playing the entire track. Craig Young is the bassist on that track. In my book that is textbook perfect bass playing.

 

When I started playing live in 1976, I was lucky enough to acquire a vintage Ampeg SVT. During the ’80s, I got caught up in the sterile “divide and conquer” bi-amping approach to live bass tone. These days, I prefer the character that I believe is only attainable by plugging straight into an amplifier, and I have wisely decided to revert to my roots. How has your approach to getting a great live sound evolved over the years? What was important to you in the past, and what is important today? What is your current setup?

 

My early influences were Steve Wonder, Parliament, and other r&b artists. I would often confuse synth bass parts for real bass parts, and I wanted synth like lows to be a part of my sound. My first serious bass cabinet had dual 18’s. In those days bigger was better. I remember an older bassist telling me I could do so much more with less and that I would let all that big stuff go one day. My first thought was no way. How boring! I lugged that beast for about five years then down sized to 15’s. I lugged the 15’s for a few years then down sized to 12’s. The 12’s, in my opinion, are the sweet spot size wise and still have those around. I held onto the 15’s thinking I would go back to them someday but never did. What I have learned is having booming bass on stage can get messy at times. Most of the time I must trim the bass down and get a more focused sound so I can hear the pitch of my notes. It’s better to let the front of house get that boomy sound and just let your stage amp be your focused monitor.

 

Back in 2019 a friend asked for my opinion on great combo amps. The one I had was an Ampeg Portaflex 2×8 which for its size had a great sound however they were discontinued. I told my friend I would go to a few stores and see what new amps were out there that met my approval. I hit all the stores I could find within an hour drive from my house. I was at Alto Music in Middletown. They had a bunch of Phil Jones bass amps. I tried them all including the Fender, Peavy, Ampeg, Blackstar and other brands. To my surprise the PJB BG400 kept coming out on top. I went to a few other stores that had Phil Jones amps to compare it to other manufacturers and once again the BG400 for its size kept coming out on top. The last test I did was to compare it to my Ampeg combo and the BG400 blew it out of the water. I sold my Ampeg’s and bought the BG400. Since 2019 the only amp I have gigged with is the BG400 with its extension cab. I never thought in a million years that a 5” speaker could cut it but to my surprise so far it has. So, I guess that guy who was trying to educate me in my teens was right all along.  Setup, outside of the Phil Jones amps I just carry a few pedals to my live events. Nothing fancy. Just a few basic Boss pedals. Tuner, Limiter, Octave, EQ and Chorus. I love Boss pedals because I have been using them since I first started, and they never have failed me. If someone invites me to a session, I have a few boutique pedals that I will bring with me. Origin Effects Cali76 Compressor and a Noble DI. In my studio I use a Neve 1028 Preamp. It would be nice if someone would make a pedal version of this but the closest I have gotten to that is the JHS Colour Box. My travel session chain is always evolving so ask me next month what I am using.

 

To answer your question of what was important to me in the past and important today. That all ties into my first real recording session experience. I was only 20 years old and completely green to the process. But what I do remember was how amazing my bass not only sounded but felt under my hands. I asked the engineer a lot of questions. He explained the importance of a great preamp and compressor. All recorded bass is compressed to some degree. I like my bass to have that studio sound live, so I always add a touch of compression. Prior to knowing what a compressor was or did, the only time I experienced such a pleasant sound was with a tube amp with what is known as tube sag. A compressor mimics this sound. However not all compressors sound the same. I have a ton of them, and one will sound good with one bass and another sounds good with a different bass. So, your mileage will vary. But when you find the right combo its heaven. So, a good preamp DI, and compressor is everything these days.

 

Your decision to assemble a home studio to track bass parts for clients was a wise one. When asked to add bass to a project, I have yet to do the same and rely on area studios. Tell us a bit about your studio. Can you recommend a basic setup that would enable novice and veteran bass players to get started?

 

As much as the pandemic wreaked havoc for many it forced me into putting the studio together. I always had it in my mind of wanting to have my own recording setup, but I was always too busy and feared the learning curve. It was much easier to just show up and let someone else deal with all the technology. I just wanted to focus on playing and that’s it. I was already purchasing pieces for my studio and was already about 70% there with the gear I needed. Once we were forced to stay home and the only people that were still working musically were the ones with home studios, the rush to complete my studio went from hardly a focus to priority number one. The only problem was the whole world was in the same panic because the gear you needed was hard to come by. I ran around for a few months and spent whatever I had to get what I needed before someone one else took the opportunity away from me. What a crazy time that was. 

 

As for setup recommendations. This topic requires a lot of discussion; however, I will try to keep it basic for now. You need a computer with lots of RAM. At least 32Gigs. Most people use Pro Tools on a MAC however I am a Windows guy and since I work in  IT, I managed to put a system together that cost me 1/3rd of what an equivalent MAC would cost. So, it depends on your budget which system you want to go with. You want a good sounding interface. Apollo series of interfaces is the standard these days. Warm Audio is a decent brand that makes clones of much more expensive gear. I would check them out for a good recording DI, compressor, preamp, and microphone. As for nearfield studio monitors, Yamaha is a decent brand and would shoot for those. Lastly you can operate Pro Tools with your computers keyboard and mouse, but a control surface makes life easier. I like Icon series control surfaces. I think this covers it.

 

Do you make your entire living playing music? If not, why have you decided to work an unrelated day job?

My first love will always be music however personally I prefer a steady income with medical benefits. I admire the few hundred musicians that have managed to make a steady living, but I just don’t see a return to the days of the Wrecking Crew session musician life. If that were to ever happen again, I would entertain the idea of giving up my day job. Until then I just do not see paying a mortgage and car payment with on and off cash streams unfortunately.

 

My decision to release a solo CD in 2005, and an instructional DVD in 2007 was the catalyst for much of the session work that I am doing now. I am curious as to whether you have thought about deviating from your current path of playing on other people’s music and have considered releasing something of your own. Perhaps you have done this already, and I am unaware of it.

 

When I first hit the scene in the ’90’s I was only doing the New Jersey cover scene circuit. In 1999 I started working with a singer in NYC which opened a new door to session work with various singer songwriters. I was so busy that at one point I had 20 bands on rotation. Those were crazy fun times. I never gave the solo idea any thought because up until March of 2020 I was too busy working on everyone else’s projects. My mind set was always study and emulate the great session players like Pino Palladino and Nathan East.

 

In 2010 a Jazz band by the of Rubber Skunk hired me and for that year we had a lot of fun stretching out and I thought this might be a good band to showcase my talents but the band disbanded before we got to go into the studio. I still may one day go down that solo path but at this time I find it rewarding working with singer songwriters and bringing their ideas to life. 

 

I have a large collection of over 40 bass guitars. If forced to get rid of all of them except for one, I would keep my 1973 Fender Precision bass. Which of the basses that you own is the instrument that you would never part with?

 

If forced, I would keep my Sadowsky NYC Series Chambered 5 String Bass. That bass records well and has a great neck for live playing.

 

It is more challenging to survive playing music today than in past eras. Reality is not negativity, and I feel an obligation to young musicians to clarify this. What would you tell them if you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring bassists?

 

Give music as much as you can give it but keep an eye on reality. Think about your future. One thing I try hard to do is to not get into a day job that sucks the life out of me. If you come home every day drained to the point where all you want to do is sit on your couch, then you must make some important life decisions. These types of jobs shorten your life span. Music increases it. So, find a job that will allow you to balance your creative life with your professional life. This has worked well for me so far.

 

Ricardo’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RicardoRodriguezBass

 

Ricardo’s SoundCloud page: Stream ricardobass | Listen to Studio, Live and Demo Recordings playlist online for free on SoundCloud

 

Ricardo’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/alotabass/

 

By Philip Huizer

 

Dutch bassist Ton Temming anchored several bands including Phoenix, The Caverns, and Batfinger and founded the repertory ensemble Witness. Temming, who passed in 2022, performed extensively in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Active on the jam session scene for nearly 60 years, Ton was a “real musician” who loved to play the bass guitar.

 

Ton Temming Sound & Vision…

 

The Caverns “No Matter” https://youtu.be/w5KfpHXM9po

 

The Caverns “It’s All Over Now” https://youtu.be/-xWO-_WvSAE

 

 

A bona fide Nashville legend…here’s DP’s official bio from, of all places, www.DavidPomeroy.com

 

Dave Pomeroy has been on the cutting edge of Nashville’s music scene for more than 40 years as a bassist, bandleader, and producer. He was born in Naples Italy, into a U.S. military family and lived in Colorado, England, Virginia and Pennsylvania before moving to Nashville from London, England in 1977. From 1980 to 1994, Pomeroy toured and recorded with country music legend Don Williams, and has also performed live with Steve Winwood, John Fogerty, Willie Nelson, Peter Frampton, Mose Allison, and many other major artists. He has played the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Merle Fest, Carnegie Hall, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, and London’s Royal Albert Hall.

 

As a studio musician, Pomeroy has played bass on more than 500 albums, including six Grammy winning recordings, with a diverse range of artists including Keith Whitley, Emmylou Harris, The Chieftains, Alan Jackson, Earl Scruggs, Sting, Elton John, Alison Krauss, and Trisha Yearwood. His television appearances include work with Chet Atkins, Vince Gill, Eric Johnson, Sheryl Crow, and Earl Klugh. A multiple Nashville Music Awards winner, his instrumental band Tone Patrol was voted “Jazz Band of the Year” in 1991 and Pomeroy was voted “Studio Musician of the Year” in 1992 and “Bassist of the Year” in 1997.

 

Pomeroy has also released more than a dozen projects on his label, Earwave Records over the past two decades. These include his groundbreaking all-bass and vocal solo albums “Basses Loaded” and “Tomorrow Never Knows,” “The Taproom Tapes,” an album of live improvisations featuring 14 of Nashville’s finest players, CDs by harmonica virtuoso Paco Shipp, and bluegrass vocalist Lorianna Matera, and the jazz-grass instrumental trio “Three Ring Circle” with Rob Ickes and Andy Leftwich, whose most recent release, “Brothership,” was released in 2011. His latest all- bass and vocal solo album, “Angel in the Ashes” was released in 2017 and immediately garnered great reviews, including an in-depth article in Bass Player magazine, and Music Row magazine’s Robert Oermann’s description of the project as ‘wildly inventive” and “a fascinating listening experience!”

 

In 2012, he produced “Restless,” the latest album by country duo The Sweethearts of the Rodeo, and in 2013 made a music documentary film about legendary rockabilly artist Sleepy LaBeef, which was selected for the Nashville Film Festival and is selling well around the world. Earwave’s latest release is the DVD “The Day The Bass Players Took Over The World”, a digitally remastered re-release of the successful 1996 concert video originally released on VHS featuring Dave and the All-Bass Orchestra with special guests Victor Wooten and Friends. The DVD also includes five bonus cuts and a mini documentary “Building The Bass Orchestra.” These projects are all available online at the Earwave Music at www.earwavemusic.com.

 

Over the past 20 years, Pomeroy has raised over $480,000 for Nashville’s “Room In the Inn” homeless program with his annual “Nashville Unlimited Christmas” benefit concerts and CDs. He is a longtime columnist and Advisory Board member for Bass Player Magazine, and has contributed as a writer to numerous books about the music business. Pomeroy was profiled in Backbeat Books’ release“ Studio Bass Masters,” and Michael Visceglia’s “A View From the Side.”

 

A longtime activist for working musicians, Pomeroy was elected President of the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257 in 2008, and was unanimously re-elected in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2020. Since them, he has been responsible for transforming Local 257 into a real world, responsive and proactive organization for all Nashville musicians. In 2010 he was elected to the International Executive Board of the American Federation of Musicians, and has since been re-elected three times, in 2013, 2016 and 2019. Local 257 is on the cutting edge of the AFM, having developed new agreements for home recording, payment for use of studio tracks onstage, and working with publishers, labels and independent artists to make recording with the best musicians in the world affordable and enjoyable experience.

 

With the release of “Angel in the Ashes,” and his recent re-election to a fifth term as AFM 257 President, Dave Pomeroy continues to balance his passion for helping musicians take care of business with his first love – playing the bass!

 

 

 

By Ken Voss

Bass player Maureen Herman (7/25/66) has musical roots you would never have imagined. Growing up in Libertyville, she worked on the high school paper Drops of Ink with none other than Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Adam Jones of Tool. She would go on in the ‘90s and become a key figure in the all-girl punk band Babes in Toyland.

 

Herman was introduced to punk and new wave through a high school friend whose brother was an album cover artist for Warner Bros. and Beserkley record labels. Through the connection she attended her first concert when she was just 12 seeing the Stranglers and meeting their lead singer Hugh Cornwell. From that point, she was hooked.

 

Graduating from Libertyville High School, Herman moved to Minnesota, attending the University of Minnesota with a major in Film Studies and minor in Journalism. She returned to Illinois briefly to help high school alumni produce a video, The Season of the Snow Bitch, a horror spoof. At the time Morello and Jones had a band Electric Sheep and provided the musical soundtrack for the video project.

 

Her brother had a garage band. “He taught me ‘Smoke on the Water’ one day,” she remembers. Then in 1988, when her brother injured his hand in a restaurant kitchen accident she inherited his bass guitar and began playing in her first band M&M Stigmata.

 

Meanwhile Babes in Toyland was first formed in 1987 by vocalist/guitarist Kat Bjelland in Minneapolis. She first met drummer Lori Barbero at a friend’s barbecue, bringing on bassist Kris Holetz and vocalist Cindy Russell to complete the initial lineup. Some changes in the early going saw Holetz and Russell leave, bringing on bassist Michelle Leon with Bjelland handling lead vocals. They released their first record in 1989 with the single “Dust Cake Boy” (Sub Pop) which led to their debut album Spanking Machine (Twin/Tone) in 1990.

 

Deciding to move back to Chicago Herman was quickly embraced by the burgeoning indie scene. As a matter of fact, veteran producer Steve Albini let her park her U-Haul in front of his place and the people at Touch and Go Records let her store her stuff in their warehouse. Soon, she was living in a space with the band Jesus Lizard dating their guitar player and was playing bass at the time with Cherry Rodriguez.

 

With Babes in Toyland getting ready to head into the studio for their second album, Leon left the band shortly after the death of her boyfriend Joe Cole who was killed in an armed robbery.

 

Herman recalls, “An old friend phoned with news that the bassist had quit the band and asked if I’d like to join. That band, Babes in Toyland, had just signed to Reprise and was about to record their major label debut. I joined,” she said in an interview with Harmony Central. She almost missed the opportunity when she headed back to Minneapolis to work out with the group but missed the first session when she was arrested and jailed for delinquent unpaid parking tickets. Once that was resolved, “In two weeks I was on tour, with a recording session scheduled immediately after we got off the road.”

 

That initial tour, by the way, was an international tour opening for Nirvana. For the next four years, Babes in Toyland would tour extensively in the alternative rock music circuit including major festivals such as Lollapalooza and the Reading Festival in the UK. The group would record three albums and an EP for Reprise.

 

You would think they were on the road to success. But for Herman, it was just the opposite. She left the band in 1996 due to what was indicated as “health problems.” In Herman’s words, “I couldn’t remember the last time I had enjoyed music either as a player or a listener. It had been far too long. Warner Bros. (Reprise) and the rest of their dysfunctional family had chewed up all the good parts, leaving only the greedy, ugly parts exposed.”

 

The band plugged along for a little while with different bass players filling in, going on hiatus, and then announcing in 2001 that they had disbanded.

 

Herman returned to her journalist roots and went on to work as associate editor for Musician magazine and freelance journalist for Rolling Stone. In 1998, she started her own company, Pollyanna, which was involved in the music business in various forms, including management, booking, promotion, publicity, and music publishing. In 2006 she joined the music, technology and e-commerce platform Fuzz as Senior Director of Business Development and Editor-in-Chief of their social networking editorial e-zine The Fix. Taking an active role in social justice causes she founded the non-profit Project Noise Foundation.

 

When Babes in Toyland re-united in 2014 and started playing live again Herman returned to the lineup. But when an international tour was planned for 2015, Herman was fired and replaced by Clara Salyer. Apparently, her journalistic credo got in the way of the band’s potential plans as she had written a piece on the Boing Boing website citing sexual assault allegations against Kim Fowley. As Babes in Toyland had industry connections tied to Fowley, there was concern of harming future business for the band.

 

Looking back on her years with Babes in Toyland, when asked whether it was hard to be in an all-girl punk band in a male dominated industry? She didn’t really think so. To her the hardest part was dealing with the press. In her eyes, “We were another band, not an all-girl band.” But they kept getting pigeonholed with the likes of L7 and Hole who had different styles of music. “We were in indie rock vein.”

 

For Herman, it was time for her to retire her bass guitar. Babes in Toyland would continue on, only to break up again in 2020.

 

Herman has returned once more to her journalistic roots, moved back to Illinois into a house that was once high school alum and friend Tom Morello’s grandparents’ home. She’s domesticated, raising her daughter and continues writing. She’s in the process of finishing up her memoirs, which will be released mid-year 2022 titled It’s a Memoir, Motherfucker (Flatiron Press) which she says as she’s reflected on a life that involved addiction, alcoholism and PTSD, “is my way of trying to bridge that gap between who I am and who people think I should be.”

 

You can follow Herman on her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/maureenherman and she invites you to get deeper into her writing on https://www.patreon.com/maureenherman, a subscription-based outlet where she says she takes her personal writing to a more intimate level.

 

DISCOGRAPHY

 

Babes in Toyland (with Herman)

 

1992 Fontanelle (Reprise 25998)

 

1993 Painkillers (Reprise 45339)

 

1995 Nemesisters (Reprise 45868)

 

1995 Sweet ’69 (Reprise WO391TEX) 10” 3-song 45 r.p.m. EP

 

The Babes in Toyland track “The Girl Can’t Help It” was included on the 1994 various artist compilation Fast Track to Nowhere: Songs from the Showtime Original Series “Rebel Highway” (A&M 540240).

 

The relationship with A&M continued that year with the girls contributing “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” on the various artist compilation If I Were a Carpenter (A&M 540258).

 

John brings the root, the fifth, and occasionally the minor six! He can dance, he can sing and boy-oh-boy he can do THAT thing! Swing, Johnny, Swing!!!  Emily Duff

 

Akin to many of our g-g-generation John Hamilton came to the instrument by way of the six-string. Yet as contra-bass icon Anthony Jackson and such Jacksonian devotees as Dave Swift (Later …with Jools Holland, UK’s most recognized bassist) rightly pontificate: the electric bass is indeed a member of the GUITAR family!

 

Unlike many a convert, Hamilton eschews the riffage approach (see Keef, Ronnie Wood….) and works the pocket in the Willie Dixon / William Perks (that’s “Bill Wyman” to you civilians!) perspective in his supportive slant on stage and in the studio with the aforementioned Duff collective and The Bakersfield Breakers – the latter of whom have embarked on “a mission to reawaken the classic guitar-driven sound of 1950’s Bakersfield and the driving tunes of 1960’s surf rock….” 

 

As Ms. Duff details, Hamilton serves the singer, song, and soloist with a warm tone borne of his “mutt” P bass, among other fine tools of the trade.

 

John Hamilton Sound & Vision:

 

Emily Duff Band Haverford Music Festival:

 

The Bakersfield Breakers

 

L to R: Kenny Soule, Scott Aldrich, Emily Duff, Charlie Giordano, and John Hamilton with his “P Mutt”

Photo by Charles Chessler

 

John Hamilton and the “Mutt P Bass”

By KYBP Austin Bureau Chief Robert Jenkins “Austin Underground”

 

Thad Stevens. Thad Stevens. Thad! Stevens!

 

Know that name. Know that bass player. Because Thad Stevens is one of the best bassists on the Austin Underground scene right now. He is a dedicated fretless player with a wide range of abilities that allows him to be somewhat of a chameleon in the jungle of bands in Austin.

 

Thad got his start at a relatively young age when he was in middle school. His brother played guitar and when a family friend offered to sell a bass, Thad took a stab at it. With a little background in music from middle school, the interest for Thad to play the bass was immediate, if only diversionary, at first.

 

Coming up during the post – grunge era, Thad was influenced early on by bands like Alice In Chains but was also drawn deeper into bass playing by listening to Steve Harris of Iron Maiden.

 

The music of Pink Floyd got Thad deeply interested in the sound of fretless bass. Listening to Death (and Steve Di Giorgio) helped Thad understand and love melodic bass playing in a metal context.

 

Thad’s bass career really started when he joined local Austin prog metal heavyweights Ethereal Architect. It was with this band that he was able to really showcase his range on the fretless bass in a setting of complex arrangements with broad melodic structure. The regimented style of Ethereal Architect helped Thad to really refine the style of playing fast and in tune on fretless.

 

Thad went on to play with Immortal Guardian and Descendants of Erdrick, continuing to explore his opportunities to add his fretless sound and style to a metal context.

 

Thad currently plays with local Austin hardcore behemoths Böndbreaker. “I really like playing with Böndbreaker because it allows me complete freedom to play my style while engaging in and promoting a message that I feel is important and worthy. It is very fulfilling” says Thad. He also plays with singer/songwriter Amanda Lepre. This provided him with the opportunity to learn to play in a “less is more” style, playing to the song so as not to be overbearing in a lighter musical setting.

 

Thad Stevens really can play just about anything. He is a musical chameleon with the ability to play a wide range of genres with a unique sound and style. You should definitely know this bass player.

 

Thad is an endorser of Clement Basses by Tom Clement of Florida.

 

He plays two Clement Basses: 5-string Wide Joan and 6-string Wide Joan, both fretless. His  5-string is a swamp ash body with a black limba top; white limba neck; black/white ebony finger board; Bartolini Original Bass Dual pickups; Bartolini preamp.

 

Thad plays through a Genz – Benz Shuttle Max 6.0 through Genz – Benz Shuttle 2/10 and 2/12 cabinets.

 

Who are Thad’s influences? There are too many to mention. But he credits Doug Kaiser of Wrathchild, Lars Norberg of Spiral Architect, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, and Geddy Lee of Rush as being his primary influences.

 

Thad Stevens Sound & Vision…

 

Thad with Ethereal Architect: https://youtu.be/kuVDC9PjU08

 

Thad with Immortal Guardian: https://youtu.be/jRUK6EpLUFI

 

Thad with Amanda Lepre: https://youtu.be/47VK3I4Zo_4

 

Thad with Descendants of Erdrick: https://youtu.be/WSFH2G0nXqM

 

Thad with Böndbreaker (full performance): https://youtu.be/8yWKu0hbjr4

 

 

Hosts David C. Gross and Tom Semioli converse with bassist, producer, collaborator, entrepreneur, label owner, recording artist, musical director, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and light-bulb changer Michael League from his home in Spain. ML discusses his new solo record “Right Where I Fall” which was released on 6/25, his work with Snarky Puppy, his ongoing musical evolution, and the state of the music industry in the 21st Century.

 

 

 

 

By KYBP Austin Bureau Chief Robert Jenkins

 

Punk rock is an integral part of the evolution of music and Rock & Roll in particular. There are numerous bands who have been influenced by the sound of early punk rock and allowed that sound to develop into something completely new (just listen to the early Iron Maiden recordings to hear how British punk turned into British metal). But it is a sound that has endured numerous decades, still holding true to its roots. In Austin, Texas punk rock has been alive and well since the 1980’s and continues to thrive to this day.

 

Enter Jankem.

 

Gee Patino is the bassist for Jankem, a new punk band in Austin, Texas. Jankem is an extension of a punk band formerly known as Splif. Founded some years ago, (specifics aren’t needed because punk rock doesn’t care, it just is) Splif was formed with Gee as a founding member when he was 22. Originally a guitarist, Gee was forced into the role of bassist out of necessity (how often does that happen?) and he gladly accepted because, in his words, “Fuck yeah, it’s got two less strings and I get to make that thumping sound!” I mean, isn’t that really why we all play the bass? The honesty of our mission is distilled in that sentence.

 

What’s interesting about Splif is that their influences reach deep into prog rock. Their drummer, Mitchell, was heavily influenced by the likes of Genesis, King Crimson, Rush, et al. Gee was bringing the harder influences of The Minutemen (Mike Watt) and Fugazi. Splif guitarist, Anthony, brought along classic rock influences of Led Zeppelin et al. The result is a blissful, raucous mix of crazy musical arrangements paying homage to their influences while having the absolute irreverent blast a punk rock band should have. Sadly, the impact of COVID-19 brought Splif to an end when their drummer had to exit the band.

 

Okay, NOW enter Jankem.

 

Gee and Anthony kept working together. When they found a new drummer it was their decision to start the band anew. While Jankem still pursues the adventurous music started in Splif, they didn’t want the new drummer to feel confined to old material so everything is new. And Jankem is out of the gate in ATX having played their first show in March 2021 and continuing regularly to show the underground scene that they are here to, first and foremost, party, and then rock the house.

 

Gee is a humble bassist. He freely admits that he knows nothing of technique or music in general. He plays by ear and by what he feels, working closely with his bandmates to get the sound he needs. Gee also freely admits he doesn’t know anything about gear. Most (if not all) of what equipment he plays has been borrowed or bought as cheap as possible. “Dude, I’m not gonna spend $4000 dollars on gear to get fucked up and party with it.” By my reckoning, this is sound reasoning.

 

Jankem plays loud and obnoxiously, but they still respect the music they write and the music they listen to. Gee says, “We may not know a lot but we feel that we are good musicians for what we do. And we respect the musicians who work really hard at their craft. We love to listen to all kinds of music, and Jankem wants to draw from that. We keep an open mind. Good musicians have good taste.”  Jankem is doing what all musicians should strive for: they have fun.

 

So who are Gee’s two biggest influences?

 

1) Mike Watt

 

2) Les Claypool

 

Now for the fun part. Gee’s rig rundown (disclaimer: I have done tech work on Gee’s bass).

 

Bass: No Name Jazz style bass that plays really nicely. Gee says he got it for about $20 or so.

 

Amp: “What kind of amp do you use, Gee?”

 

“Fuck man. It’s an Acoustic. Let me Google it and see what kind. Yeah, here it is. It says here that it is a B300HD.”

 

Cab: “What cab are you running it through?”

 

“I think it’s a 4×10 stack.”

 

“So 2 4×10 cabs stacked; an 8×10 stack?”

 

“Yeah, maybe? Wait. No. It’s just one cabinet with 4 10s in it.”

 

“So a single 4×10. Cool. What kind is it?”

 

“Fuck, man, I don’t fucking know.”

 

“Sweet.”

 

Jankem, ladies and gentlemen, are punk rock at their core.

 

Gee Patino Sound and Vision…

 

Splif:

 

 

Visit the Jankem Facebook page for live clips and promotional videos: https://m.facebook.com/JankemATX/

 

 

“If you twist my arm and ask me what type of music I play, it’s chamber music!” Fretless bass virtuoso, innovator and recording artist Michael Manring reflects on the evolution of “live” performance and the future of instrumental music outside of the mainstream. This clip is taken from an episode of The Bass Guitar Channel Radio Show with host David C. Gross and Know Your Bass Player “honcho” Tom Semioli.

 

 

“David, the electric bass is not a valid instrument…” David C. Gross and guest Michael Manring discuss their time at Berklee and the bold proclamation which forever affected Mr. Gross , how Manring straddles the “pre-Jaco and post-Jaco eras,” Michael’s tuning methodology, and how Joseph Zon helped bring Michael’s aural visions to fruition. This video clip is from a February 2021 episode of The Bass Guitar Channel Radio Show on Cygnus Radio, hosted by David C. Gross with Know Your Bass Player “honcho” Tom Semioli.

Photo by Neil Segal

 

Evan Jagels fortifies his playing by practicing…. yoga! And likely jazz improv, classical etudes, and similar. A prolific and versatile player, teacher, composer, sideman, collaborator, performing and recording artist, among other titles; Jagels also claims to have created a new musical art form as well…read on!

 

A harmonically and rhythmically adventurous upright / electric player based in New York City; Evan does things the trad way: he earned a Masters Degree in Musical Performance in the borough known for producing some of the world’s most renowned bassists – Queens College in Queens County, New York. Among his mentors include two icons of the instrument: Ron Carter and Buster Williams.

 

A member of the Blake Fleming Trio and rockabilly/psychobilly collective The Mopar Cams, Jagels also anchors Elvanelle Music, described as “a time-defying curation of vaudeville, hot jazz, folk, cabaret and contemporary music.” His role as an educator spans the New York Summer Music Festival, the Oneonta Pop Music Experience, JazzConnect at Flushing Town Hall, and SUNY Oneonta. At present Evan is Lecturer of Music at Hartwick College.

 

Among Jagels wide array of international recording and stage credits include Arlen Roth, Martin Bisi (Swans, Sonic Youth, Herbie Hancock), Paul Berberich, Ray Vega, Gerry Weldon, Antonio Hart, Michael Mossman, Ray Anderson, John Stowell, and Chuck Lamb.

 

With regard to the aforementioned new genre/art form dubbed Improvignette, says Jagels:  An improvised piece of music under one minute in length which conveys a complete musical idea. It’s a word that I made up, and an artistic idea that I got from flash fiction aka cigarette novels.  

 

For all things Evan Jagels visit https://www.evanjagelsmusic.com/    

 

Evan Jagels Sound & Vision:

 

Blake Fleming Trio:

 

“Dunderberg Gallery #1”  https://youtu.be/ldOxTOaH13w

 

“Dunderberg Gallery #2” https://youtu.be/WAp_2Gv0SuQ

 

“Clip 2” https://youtu.be/QntvmRQJLiY

 

Freelance Armstrong “The Chicken” https://youtu.be/xoBm_fDx9Lk

 

“Solo with Loop Pedal” https://youtu.be/v2dD3c3nhvU