The Bass Geek

Noted Indianapolis bassist Cory Carleton is organizing a bassist’s get-together at Fionn MacCool’s in Fishers, IN for September 28th from 2pm to 6pm (I complement him for picking a time when the Steelers aren’t playing - my attentions would be sorely divided).  Check out this thread on TalkBass for more info.  From my brief perusal of it, it’s starting to feel like a classic car show - everybody brings their “baby” and nods appreciatively when the others rev the engines.  For those who like that kind of thing, come on down.  It might also be a good place for non-bassists to recruit for their bands.

Realize, though, that we are bassists and therefore have 2-3 gigs already.

It’s stuff like this that sets us back another twenty years. And electric bassists have only been around for fifty years or so, making it a pretty significant leap backwards.

At least he got the “glue that holds the song together” part down, as well as the questionable heritage of many rock acts without their celebrity bassists. And maybe the “picks are for weenies” part, but if the guy who played “For The Love Of Money” is behind them, who am I to disagree? But this?

While often goofy and unshaved, people need to support bassists. Don’t make us learn how to play two more strings. Four are hard enough.

Aside from examining gender (big miss there, dude) and potential hormonal imbalances, you make us sound like inept mouth-breathers, riding couches between gigs and just not quite up to the challenge of real instruments. Or other bass guitars beyond your standard beat-up Precision (which makes a great sound, by the way, but that’s another post). Four strings can be hard to learn, but it’s not an issue of numbers - it’s an issue of learning what you should be doing with them. Or those additional strings some bassist may choose to deal with.

And this is just patently unfair:

Why is it always the bassist that wears the sandals, the overalls, or the Dr. Seuss or jester’s hat?

Dude’s been watching too many jam bands. And my jester-hat-wearing days were quite separate from playing the bass, thank you.

This is basically the same issue that WNYC’s Soundcheck tackled with their program last month, and this article makes the issue even more trivial now than when the special guests basically admitted that there really wasn’t anything there to begin with.

So this would be the blog that responds to a twice-diluted instance of a non-issue to begin with. Great.

Michael Manring did bring up the issue of keeping the bass guitar alive and not letting it go the way of the sackbut in a long-ago-read issue of Bass Player magazine, but that argument was directed at promoting new and vital ways of playing and performing, not reinforcing cheap stereotypes and wondering about its place in one specific genre of music. That, to me, sounds like a more interesting pursuit than wondering why some groups eschew bassists.

For once, I’m using more effects pedals than the lead instrument, and it seems to be working out well.  Last weekend’s gig demanded a more lo-fi setup than I normally run (no PA means no computer), so I broke out everything but the Digitech Whammy for the show.  The octaver and Q-Tron worked fairly well in simulating the synth tones I normally use, and it was fun having the distortion to kick in for emphasis.

There’s also the aesthetic value - I’ve heard more than one comment about how the laptop seems a little out-of-place with the retro-lounge vibe of the group.  Not the sounds, mind you - just the look of the technology.  I can accept that (although the geek in me seethes a bit), so I’m now thinking of what I can do to mask the laptop’s inherent laptopiness onstage.  Ideas that spring to mind are a drink menu, a bamboo screen, or some kind of grass skirt.

I never thought I’d consider a grass skirt for a laptop.

The most recent issue of Bass Player magazine has a feature article on Wayman Tisdale and his celebrated smooth jazz career following his time in the NBA (including several great years right here in Indianapolis).  It also mentioned his recovery from bone cancer, and he mentioned everything seemed to be fine now.  Unfortunately, there seems to have been a minor setback, and Tisdale recently had part of his leg removed in order to combat the disease.  Tisdale maintains a decent touring and recording schedule, so here’s hoping he makes a speedy recovery and can get back to playing what he loves.

The only problem with this article was that it put a subpar Boyz II Men song in my head.  Otherwise, I loved the fact that the Detroit Free Press took some time off from their mayoral hijinks to highlight some of the great contributions bassists from both Detroit and Philadelphia have made to jazz and popular music.  It’s nothing fans haven’t read before, but it’s still much-due recognition.

Coincidentally, I was listening to Philly product Stanley Clarke’s new project with Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten today.  “SMV” sounds like . . . well, Stanley Clarke and Victor Wooten joining in on a Marcus Miller-produced album, which is exactly how it’s billed on the album.  Fans will know exactly what they’re getting into, and I don’t see much of a market outside of that, honestly.  Still, decent listening.

Now I have to go pound my head with something until that Boyz II Men song leaves.