Courtesy of Pearl Jam Com

By Thomas Semioli

“I have to be able to feel the bass. I’ve worked hard with our producers to make sure that when you play our records on your stereo, you can feel the bass. You might not necessarily be able to hear it all the time, but if you turn it up you can feel the movement in the low end—that it’s moving the song. And when it’s not there, it should be creating a dynamic…” As told to Karl Coryat in Bass Player magazine.

Jeff Ament anchored three of the most influential bands of the 1990s alternative rock era: Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, and Pearl Jam.

At the age of 20, Jeff bolted from small town Montana to Seattle where he fell in with like-minded players. He cut his first record with Green River, a collective which also featured future Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard. Seeking more of a commercial sound, Ament co-founded Mother Love Bone (with Gossard) which waxed one side before their singer Andrew Wood succumbed to a drug overdose. Ament’s next ensemble Temple of the Dog with Gossard and singer Chris Cornell was conceived as a tribute to the late, influential Wood. This is where Eddie Vedder came into the picture – duetting on a track with the Soundgarden crooner and rendering backing vocals.  Following TOD ‘s sole album release, Ament, Gossard, Mike McCready, Vedder, and drummer Dave Abbruzzse came together as Pearl Jam, and the rest, as they say, is history….

A songwriter, solo recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist Ament is, to my ears, a combination of his influences, namely Paul McCartney, Dug Pinnick, Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), and John Entwistle. Adept at melodic and pocket playing, Ament is an adventurous player – employing a wide array of instruments (fretted, fretless, extended range) and tones as befits the singer and the songs.

Ament also dabbles on upright – embracing a punk ethos with the core elements of swing, rhythm and blues, and classic hard rock.

In 2011 luthier Mike Lull produced a Jeff Ament Signature bass.

Jeff Ament Sound & Vision

With Green River:

“Searchin” https://youtu.be/i5Q22KqmDNU

With Mother Love Bone:

“Crown of Thorns” https://youtu.be/rf9lNvUrJlo

With Pearl Jam

“Even Flow” Live https://youtu.be/CxKWTzr-k6s

“Black” https://youtu.be/IpwHB2U3J1s

“Down” https://youtu.be/jhrU4Pc8i8M

“Better Man” https://youtu.be/27ztFtLKvuQ

Jeff Ament Solo:

“Safe in the Car” https://youtu.be/e5fssiLXZqQ

By Thomas Semioli 

The subject of a Tom Semioli Amplifier Magazine cover story in 1999 (to be featured on the revamped Know Your Bass Player website), the Goo Goo Dolls commenced their career in the mid-1980s as hard rockin’ punks. Inked to Metal Blade for a pair o’ slabs, the Dolls were decidedly heavier, and a decade or so later, they emerged mainstream multi-platinum “alternative” pop stars. Nowadays they persevere as elder rock statesman who continue to wax rather commendable sides and sell out arenas.

 

Bassist Robert Carl Tacak served as the Goos primary lead singer for their first few slabs before (somewhat) ceding the spotlight to John Rzeznik by the time they started working for Warner Bros. Records.

 

Robby’s weapons of choice include Yamaha BB, Fender, and Zon. As you would expect Tacak plays for the song – with pocket grooves and occasional countermelodies as the situation warrants.

 

Tacak is also a cat who cares, championing music education through his foundation Music Is Art Festival. He also runs an indie label Good Charamel Records in his native Buffalo, which included Shonen Knife among their acts. John and Robby also own and operate GCR studios in their hometown, and counts Lil Wayne, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Ian Gillan among their clientele.

 

Dig Robbie and the Goo Goo Dolls:

“Miracle Pill” https://youtu.be/5eDFYtkUJcs

“Iris” https://youtu.be/NdYWuo9OFAw   

“Slide” https://youtu.be/yP4qdefD2To

“Come to Me” https://youtu.be/U8VMYLniuDk

“So Alive” https://youtu.be/dCtsVsQsBxo

“Broadway” https://youtu.be/M3QweIqBOuk

“Big Machine” https://youtu.be/hqGlaZXy4Uw

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

 

Este Haim, bassist by Tom Semioli

 

Artists/Band: Haim 

 

Seminal Sides: Days Are Gone (2013), Something to Tell You (2017) –  

 

They got the looks… they got the hooks….

 

The sister trio of Este (bass), Danielle, and Alana Haim were raised in a musical San Fernando family and the rock and roll aesthetic most associated with their So Cali environs shines through their artistry i.e. strong vocals, memorable melodies, prominent guitars, and a solid rhythm section with an occasional flash of brilliance.

 

Akin to their ancestors Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and Sheryl Crow, Haim rock a lot harder on stage than they do on record, and their impromptu jams are a welcome relief in an era wherein rock bands refuse, or are incapable of walking the improvisatory high-wire.

 

Bassist Este, the eldest sibling, is primarily a song-player.  In the studio Este is mostly restrained, doubling sparse lower register keyboard motifs. However on the bandstand she’ll cut loose (somewhat) rhythmically.  

 

Este’s weapon of choice is a naturel finish Fender Precision with a big 70s headstock logo – does it get more Echoes of the Canyon than that, I ask you!?

 

Dig Este with Haim…

 

“Right Now” live at Glastonbury https://youtu.be/hqkyTsY2c9g  “Oh

 

Well” live at T In the Park https://youtu.be/VikyxJoBF2k 

 

Rock in Rio 2018 https://youtu.be/vlMqr9pEl70

From 1989 to ‘97, she anchored Minneapolis indie rock legends Walt Mink (a name they pilfered – in the tradition of Lynyrd Skynyrd – from a Macalester College professor), waxing five fab slabs which traversed punk, pop, thrash and permutations thereof.

As with many a rock trio bassist, Candice Belanoff pulled double duty as a pocket player and riff renderer – filling as much space as necessary (and then some) whilst serving the almighty song.

The band had their shot with a major label (Atlantic) – however akin to many of the best alt-rockers of the era, the fringe was their most fertile platform. Regardless, they were a force to be reckoned with, often sharing the stage with simpatico ensembles including The Lemonheads, Mudhoney, and Soul Asylum.

Their star of fame adorns the renown First Avenue venue in their home metropolis.

Dig Candice and Walt Mink….

“Stood Up” https://youtu.be/WbnmxDSjifI

“Pink Moon” https://youtu.be/jqGoa1TZ5l8

“Shine” https://youtu.be/pyVF_Zo7NKg

“Betty” https://youtu.be/VBvvyDnEkAA

“Fragile” https://youtu.be/hRDQWh8DI68

By Thomas Semioli

As a founding member of Alice in Chains, the late Michael Christopher Starr played a major role in the alternative rock revolution aka “gunge.”

A heavy-handed plectrum player with roots firmly steeped in classic heavy metal and hard rock, Starr held the harmonic fort amid the vocal and instrumental harmonies rendered by his bandmates Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley.

Mike’s main weapons of choice were Spector NS-2 basses, and Ampeg SVT and speaker cabinets.

Following his departure from AIC due to drug issues, Starr briefly anchored Sun Red Sun with Ray Gillen and Bobby Rondinelli, however the project collapsed following Gillen’s death.

Dig Mike on “Would?” https://youtu.be/Nco_kh8xJDs

Dig Mike on “Man In The Box” https://youtu.be/TAqZb52sgpU

 

 

 

Here’s the deal -no discussion of the most influential rock ensembles of all time would be complete without citing The Pixies – icons of the indie / alternative rock genre.

 

Responding to a Boston Phoenix advert reading “band seeks bassist into Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul and Mary, please – no chops” Kim Deal borrowed her sister’s bass and went on to anchor the band on several of its classic recordings.

 

A composer, singer, guitarist, recording artist, bandleader, among other roles; Kim the bassist is a no-frills pocket player, pure and (deceptively) simple.

 

Following her stint with The Pixies, Kim set the bass aside in favor of guitar as she commandeered yet another influential outfit -The Breeders. She’s also waxed solo sides, and one slab as bandleader of The Amps.

 

Kim’s choice of bass weaponry includes MusicMan Stingray, Steinberger, Fender Precision, and Gibson Thunderbird.

 

Kim Deal Sound & Vision….

 

The Pixies:

 

“Debaser” https://youtu.be/PVyS9JwtFoQ

 

“Here Comes Your Man” https://youtu.be/tPgf_btTFlc

 

“Where Is My Mind” https://youtu.be/N3oCS85HvpY

 

“I Bleed” https://youtu.be/KCLdP_QaP4I

 

The Breeders:

 

“Cannonball” https://youtu.be/fxvkI9MTQw4

 

The Amps

 

“Pacer” https://youtu.be/n3DF7Mufmhw

 

Courtesy of Kim Deal Com

Photo by Jamie Moroni

 

Plying his craft with chords, counter-melodies, double-stops, sound effects, and volume aplenty; bassist Clint Conley has anchored Boston post-punk powerhouse Mission of Burma for nearly forty years, give or take a few decades.

A guitarist and composer, Conley has also waxed sides with Consonant, Moving Parts, and has served as a producer for Yo La Tengo on Ride The Tiger (1986) wherein he cut three bass tracks.

Dig Clint on “Peking Spring” https://youtu.be/tWkNIyfBqJ0

Dig Clint on “Academy Fight Song” https://youtu.be/DXkZI7WZWOo

Dig Clint on guitar with Consonant https://youtu.be/Dd3eR68Fpts

She was among the alternative / indie rock era’s most identifiable and inventive bassists during her six year membership in Throwing Muses. Whereas most post-punk players traveled a limited roots-only route, Leslie Langston was a dexterous, melodic player who anchored Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly’s compositions with passages that exuded funk and soul influences. Retired from the music biz, nowadays Leslie is an independent clinical social worker.

 

Leslie Langston Sound & Vision…

 

“Devil’s Roof” http://bit.ly/2BuQwHh

 

“Dizzy” http://bit.ly/2EHFVek

 

“Dragonhead” http://bit.ly/2F2cyBf