Hi all.
I'm Sam.
I stumbled across this site while a work this afternoon and was so taken with the stuff I was reading that I decided to join.
I'm primarily a songwriter, but my main instrument is bass because I like the groove.
I've been playing on and off for nearly 20 years and count Geddy Lee, Gene Simmons, Dennis Dunnaway, Steve Harris, and Bob Daisley as my strongest influences.
I moved from rhythm guitar to bass as my main instrument in 1988 and have been back and forth between the two instruments depending on the group I'm playing with at the time, but I feel much more comfortable on Bass. It's easier to play rhythm and do lead vocals to me. I have a tendancy to want to noodle when I'm in that lower register and it makes my singing weaker...
I prefer to play three chord hook oriented material with a touch of the dramatic, but I've been known to play a little prog rock and alternative as well.
About 8 months ago I joined a band that wanted to do an album of hard rock in the vein of Queensryche, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains.
We officially began recording last weekend and have around 20- 25 tunes in the bin. I'm doing my parts first to a click track and the drummer is going to play to me.
Playing to a click sucks, but I've got a lot of experience doing things that way since I've been writing songs for 25 years
My favorite bass is an early 80's G&L SB-2, affectionally known as "Baby". She belonged to Mark Bumgarner of the Rumblers (Western North Carolina band) who part owner of the now defunct Fantasy Music (in Granite Falls, NC) for a short time. She was his main "studio bass" . I've had her since 1988 and will never part with her.
However, my main bass (for a more modern... what the hell does that mean, anyway????) is an Ibanez Sr-305 5-string that I've taken to calling "Blue". She gives me that low B that you need for that modern sensibility.
If you're interested you can hear some of the stuff I recorded a couple of years ago with a studio project called Vagrant's Garden at
www.samedmisten.com .
I'm doing all the basses, the lead vocals, some of the back ground vocals, and some of the keys.
Or check out some video diaries that Scott, the guitarist in my new group has put together up on You Tube.
http://youtube.com/profile?user=guitarbluedog
The audio is from a rehearsal made prior to the actual recording, from a couple of weeks ago, but the video was taken while I was laying down bass parts to a tune we've been working on called "The One".
There's also some nifty shots of his dalmations playing with a soccor ball on an audio overdub from practice on a tune called "Push 2 Shove".
I'm trying to ape Steve Harris in the intro. I was a major Iron Maiden fan when I was in my teens and went to see the band at least 4 times between 1983 and 1987.
Well, sorry for the epistle. I'll try not to be so long-winded in the future.
Take care.
-sam
