Bands Without Bassists!!?!

Amitio · #1 08-05-2007, 12:17 PM

Just wondering what people on this forum think about bands that dont have bassists.

I rather like the yeah yeah yeahs and i dont see how a bassist could make there music better!

D.A.R.K. · #2 08-05-2007, 12:25 PM

blonde rehead has no bassist-kind of.
they use keys, sequences, and baritone guitar(as well as alternate tunings which are pretty low)....without the bass guitar, it also allows the
drums space to be huge and resonant...and tons of room for dub-mixing...
i say kind of, because i mix them live- but i'm a bass player first and foremost

Linkert · #3 08-05-2007, 12:32 PM

My favorite band of all time has no bassist in. The Doors. Fender rhodes piano is the replacer

coolrunner989 · #4 08-05-2007, 12:34 PM

There was a outdoor concert last night (about 500 people? I dunno, I'm not good at guessing sizes) with no bassist.

Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, and a keyboardist. The keyboardist had to manuals, one for bass that he ran through a full GK stack....

That made me mad

...a keys person with a full bass stack

I dont even have a halfstack.....just a dumb combo amp..

Amitio · #5 08-05-2007, 12:44 PM

Yeah, it seems alot of bands have keyboadists instead of bassists!

Even wolfmothers bassist switches to keyboard!

Jared Lash · #6 08-05-2007, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linkert

My favorite band of all time has no bassist in. The Doors. Fender rhodes piano is the replacer

I first thought of The Doors too.

And of course there's the White Stripes.

Deacon_Blues · #7 08-05-2007, 01:02 PM

When I was a guitarist and our bassist couldn't make it to the gigs or rehearsals, out keyboardist played the bass instead. It worked well but he hated to do it as he had to leave other things unplayed that way. We ended up kicking the bassist and I started playing bass instead.

JimK · #8 08-05-2007, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linkert

My favorite band of all time has no bassist in. The Doors. Fender rhodes piano is the replacer

That was a Fender Piano Bass...

EDIT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_bass
I see they call it a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass"...so you're mostly right. ;-)

Now, for a bass-less band that does use a Fender Rhodes piano-
Chris Potter Underground:
Chris Potter-sax
Wayne Krantz-guitar
Nate Smith-drums (enough displaced beats to make your head ache)
Craig Taborn-Fenderr Rhodes piano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpO5ST84cwU
Smokin'...

Against Will · #9 08-05-2007, 01:43 PM

I don't think many folks around here think too highly of bands sans bass. I think there's plenty of good ones out there, along with some pretty poor ones.

There's some great ones like Sleater-Kinney, The Evens, Beat Happening, Federatin X, Pig Destroyer

xiketero · #10 08-05-2007, 02:29 PM

die, emperor, die! didn't have a bassist. They're one of my favorite bands, but they just had drums and a guitar.

ryco · #11 08-05-2007, 02:56 PM

Atomic Rooster - early 70s prog band featuring a pre ELP Carl Palmer. Had a couple of minor hits.

reens · #12 08-05-2007, 10:30 PM

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

some metal bands play so low and heavy that bass becomes window dressing ;-)

Mr.Chucklebunny · #13 08-05-2007, 10:36 PM

Oxes .....no bassist and they rock so amazingly hard.

RBradley · #14 08-05-2007, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linkert

My favorite band of all time has no bassist in. The Doors. Fender rhodes piano is the replacer

Ray Manzarek is a regular Customer in the bookstore i work at.

i just ahd a nice conversation the other day with him about Jim. we Also talked alot about what Ray is doing now adays.

Hes kinda a Crabby old man, but if you talk to him, about him, he loosens up.

TrevorOfDoom · #15 08-05-2007, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amitio

Even wolfmothers bassist switches to keyboard!

Geddy does it
Sting did it (kind of)
JPJ did it

we bassists are the go-to guys. we serve the song, not ourselves. use the right tool for the task. always

coolrunner989 · #16 08-05-2007, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reens

some metal bands play so low and heavy that bass becomes window dressing ;-)

so true....so sad..

There was a band who competed at my highschool BOTB and they had two massivly de-tuned guitardists and a drummer....if they had had a bassist he wouldnt have done anything useful to the band....unless he knocked some sense into them.

highly unlikely, I know.

Prahainspring · #17 08-06-2007, 12:29 AM

Hella.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jdMDcG3zAEI

ALiP BoB · #18 08-06-2007, 01:02 AM

I call it blasphemy.

PocketGroove82 · #19 08-06-2007, 01:36 AM

LISTEN TO THE JOSHUA REDMAN ALBUM: ELASTIC!

Sam Yahel can really lay some killer bass lines with his feet on the hammond and his left hand on whatever crazy keyboards he uses.

He's a keys player who knows bass lines better than most bass players. And Brian Blade is so loose on the kit...Sweet Funk Jazz Fusion Trio. Check it out.

Alan Vorse · #20 08-06-2007, 08:03 AM

In rock, I don't like to hear bands with no bass players. Especially when they don't bother to cover the low end at all.

In jazz, the organ trio, where the organ plays bass with his feet is a bit of a tradition. Some of those guys can play organ bass with their feet better than bass players can play.