Austin Bass Player Archives | Know Your Bass Player

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/

By Robert Jenkins

Laura Sterner is an accidental bassist. As a young girl she developed a deep love of singing and would work with her sister to create harmonies in the songs they would sing. And, like many budding young musicians, this set her trajectory to be a lifelong musician, for better or worse.

At the young age of nineteen Laura began to play bass. And, like many bass players, she began out of necessity, because who really wants to play bass, anyway? So she got her hands on a Gibson EB-0 bass and…absolutely hated it (the pickups in the old Gibson basses are famously referred to as ‘mudbuckers’ because of their intense low frequency and lack of definition; it can be difficult to draw a pleasing or cooperative tone from them).

Nevertheless, she persisted. Laura continued to play in bands as a teenager and young adult. Being around the 1970’s and 1980’s Washington, DC club scene allowed her to develop a reputation as a reliable sideman(woman), and having the ability to sing and play at the same time helped her land enough gigs to stay busy in cover bands and original groups, too.

All that singing she did as a child also gave Laura a well-developed ear that allows her to easily adapt to many different styles of music. This paid off when she started to book sessions as a background vocalist, eventually landing a spot on Gayle Adams’s hit single “Love Fever” (landing at #24 on the Billboard Black Singles Chart and #7 on the Billboard Dance Chart). In turn, gigs like this allowed Laura to showcase her vocal abilities so that she could diversify her skills and work with a variety of groups in both live and studio settings, on both bass and vocal sessions.

After a couple of decades working in the business and seeing enough of the frantic sides of gigging and touring, Laura decided to call it quits around 1990. She left the Washington, DC area and moved to Philadelphia. But like any musician who has grown up singing, playing, and working in the scene, Laura became bored and chose to begin writing her own music. Any musician also knows that once you have the bug it is really hard to stop. Having such a diverse background in singing and playing, Laura was able to land a gig as a lead vocalist with a progressive fusion rock band called Finneus Gauge. Working with such a different sound really opened a lot of doors for Laura, not only in her singing and playing, but also her own songwriting.

The gig with Finneus Gauge was sweet but short. Cue another break in playing and singing. Laura made the trek west to California and landed a steady job at UC Davis as a research assistant and grant writer; about as far removed from music as one can get. But in her desire to compose, be it out of sheer boredom or a subconscious need to keep herself immersed in music somehow, Laura kept at writing songs and just playing around on her bass, but nothing nearly as serious as she had been doing in the past.

When 2014 rolled around Laura decided to start writing again, putting a focus on that skill with a toolkit of abilities she had gained through years of playing, singing, and writing with so many varied groups and through learning countless covers. She also decided to start getting out and playing bass again. The adage rings true in Laura’s case, that if you can play bass you always have a gig.

Laura has now been gigging steadily in the Sacramento, CA area (until COVID, at least) with no signs of slowing down. She plays with Empty Wagon and Almost Blue. She continues to write songs and put a lot of emphasis on that aspect of her skillset. Indeed, Laura really wants to be considered a songwriter. Playing bass was purely an accident. Oh, and she learns and plays everything, vocal and bass, by ear. Laura has a damn good ear.

In her own words: “bass, for me, has been a utilitarian thing. I started playing because it was needed and I kept playing because people wanted me to do it. But the creative aspect is pretty key for me. Bass is my main performance instrument and it always will be. I just love how it feels, I love the role it plays, I love the power it has. It gets me in the door to perform with an authority I don’t have as a singer and I love that. I love to perform and I love to write.”

Who is Laura’s favorite bassist? Chuck Rainey gets those honors for his chops, sensibility, and creativity. Tony Levin gets an honorable mention. (Not a bad pair of influences.)

Laura’s Rig Rundown:

Fender American Elite Jazz Bass

(Laura also is really getting into Sire Marcus Miller Signature basses.)

Mesa Boogie D800 Amp

Revsound RS210T Cabinet

(She also runs a High Pass Filter.)

Vocal Sessions:

Backing vocals with Gayle Adams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ZqjR7yBTs

Lead Vocals with Finneus Gauge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhCnyRSZ2PY&t=136s

Laura Sterner Solo :