Andy Shernoff (The Dictators and other various bands)

[Lefty Geek]

I've been listening to the Dictators mainly because of the closing of CBGB, and I have been loving his bass playing. I am a recent convert to bass, so I have always paid attention to the guitar playing. He doesn't get a lot of low end thump, but the bass is present even during the loud guitar parts.

I am still new at figuring out bass tones. How would someone describe his sound? I know it's a P-Bass, anything else?

[Sneckumhaw]

I would define it as tribal and primitive yet intellectual, very balanced yet anything but neutral. If you listen to California Sun, he's all over the fretboard but it just sounds ballsy rather than too busy. If you go heavy on the mid, you might sound a little boring and sterile; I think having treble and bass both at maybe 7 and mid at 3 will bring you closer to his sound (edit: mid at 7 with bass at 6 and treble at 5 actually works better). Use a pick close to the bridge to ape his sound, although the Dictators also sounded good with Andy on organ and Mark Mendoza playing with three or four fingers on his plucking hand.

Shernoff's a natural talent, he was just learning bass when he put the Dictators together including members who were ahead of him in technique. Shernoff was lucky and unique because he is musically extremely gifted, and you're lucky as you have experience on guitar, so I think naturally you'll be able to understand the positioning of different instruments. A big part of Shernoff's sound is how he sounded with the other players; make sure you don't play with guitarists who like to occupy too much of the sonic space.

The Dictators had two guitarists who stayed in the traditional space for guitarists. This forced him to keep the bottom end rock solid, but freed him up for a little bit of fun in the parts where one of the guitarists is playing rhythm. You're pretty fortunate, as you're still a relatively blank slate, so your style will develop naturally around the tendencies of your bandmates. You don't have to sound or play like Andy, but this is definitely one of the reasons he's so good. The fact that you're already a guitar player means you'll be able to keep up with your bandmates fairly well while developing your own voice.

Shernoff seldom gets mentioned on this site, so I was thrilled to see your comment, but I also fear you won't get many responses (you'll have to write about Wooten, Bona, Sheehan or Chuck Rainey for that), but I wish you luck.

And yeah, you'll have to get a white p-bass if you really wanna rock.

[Lefty Geek]

Originally Posted by Sneckumhaw

Shernoff seldom gets mentioned on this site, so I was thrilled to see your comment, but I also fear you won't get many responses (you'll have to write about Wooten, Bona, Sheehan or Chuck Rainey for that), but I wish you luck.

I was surprised to see a reply so fast. Even on the guitar forums I post to, my favorite players never get mentioned because they are not Eric Clapton, SRV and Jimi Hendrix.

I swithced over to bass earlier this year, and I have been in a band shortly after my switch. It's great being a bassist! The other guys are not the best players, so my playing isn't advancing much, but we are a fun group. I have even played 4 shows. My bass right now is a G&L LB-100, which is a P-bass copy. Still amp shopping since the rehearsal rooms and venues we play at have a full backline.

I am seeing the Dictators this Friday night at CBGB. I never was a fan until I saw them play at a festival two years ago. Absolultely killer. Handsome Dick is a great showman, despite him not having an afro anymore. I will be up front watching his bass playing. I was up front last night for the Bad Brains. Daryl Jennifer has some good riffs.

But as I listen to more Dictators, I just love Shernoff's tone and playing. My favorite period of music is the 70s CBGB punk scene, and there are some great bass players from the era. I like the playing on Patti Smith's first album (I should look up who it is) and Tina Weymoth from Talking Heads is great. I was born in NYC in 1973, so I was too young to make it to the club in it's heyday.

Any other players I should listen to?

[Sneckumhaw]

Well, seeing the kind of players you already like, I can probably assume you have a certain level of familiarity with Klaus Fluoride of the Dead Kennedys and his abrasive lounge act bassist style.

All of Captain Beefhearts' players were great, my personal favourite of his albums, for bass playing and many other reasons, is Safe As Milk on which Jerry Handley played most of the bass and Ry Cooder played some in addition to guitar. More punk based stuff you'll probably like is Ron the Ripper from Crime, who just sounds like Amphetamines. Rob Wright from Nomeansno is an absolute staple (along with Mike Watt) if you like nice complex ballsy punk bass, and the Stooges' bass players Dave Alexander and Ron Asheton (along with Mike Watt) are great for the simpler stuff.

As for more mainstream rock players that I think should be required listening for players punk or otherwiser, Dennis Dunaway from the original Alice Cooper is always doing something fun. Greg Ridley was (like Jack Bruce) one of the few great classic rock players who played with his fingers, and also like Bruce he benefitted from the more rhythmic aspects of that technique.

[Lefty Geek]

I am very familiar with the Dead Kennedys, Stooges and NoMeansNo. I love Rob Wright's playing, but it is very upfront and in your face. Many times, it is just bass and drums. Nothing wrong with that, but Shernoff's playing is more subtle and sounds exactly what I am looking for. Like I said,I never "heard" it until I was a bass player myself and started listening to the bass lines.

Can't wait for tomorrow. I must have seen Andy perform before with some type of "supergroup", but I always watched the guitarists.

[The Lurker]

Originally Posted by Lefty Geek

I was surprised to see a reply so fast. Even on the guitar forums I post to, my favorite players never get mentioned because they are not Eric Clapton, SRV and Jimi Hendrix.

I swithced over to bass earlier this year, and I have been in a band shortly after my switch. It's great being a bassist! The other guys are not the best players, so my playing isn't advancing much, but we are a fun group. I have even played 4 shows. My bass right now is a G&L LB-100, which is a P-bass copy. Still amp shopping since the rehearsal rooms and venues we play at have a full backline.

I am seeing the Dictators this Friday night at CBGB. I never was a fan until I saw them play at a festival two years ago. Absolultely killer. Handsome Dick is a great showman, despite him not having an afro anymore. I will be up front watching his bass playing. I was up front last night for the Bad Brains. Daryl Jennifer has some good riffs.

But as I listen to more Dictators, I just love Shernoff's tone and playing. My favorite period of music is the 70s CBGB punk scene, and there are some great bass players from the era. I like the playing on Patti Smith's first album (I should look up who it is) and Tina Weymoth from Talking Heads is great. I was born in NYC in 1973, so I was too young to make it to the club in it's heyday.

Any other players I should listen to?

Paul Simonon from the Clash, Jah Wobble from PiL and his own stuff, Mike Watt, Bruce Foxton.... there could be a very long list

[Sneckumhaw]

Originally Posted by The Lurker

Paul Simonon from the Clash, Jah Wobble from PiL and his own stuff, Mike Watt, Bruce Foxton.... there could be a very long list

I did already mention Mike Watt twice in my reply, and your other choices are pretty great bass players, but Wobble is pretty in your face and with a less subtle and skill-based technique than Shernoff, apparently not what he's asking about. Bassists I think the OP will appreciate more since becoming a bass player might be along the lines of Stu Cook from CCR, definitely no punk but a big influence on the punk scene, and he's got a solid, balanced sound that always sits nicely in the mix and may well have been an influence on Shernoff in tone and note selection.

Sticking with bassists you've probably heard many times but not noticed when still a guitarist, well adding to the guys I already mentioned like Dunaway, there's always Glenn Matlock, Dee Dee Ramone (the more I play bass the more I appreciate exactly what this guy, who I used to think couldn't play, really did), Joe Bouchard from BOC, Noel Redding and Dusty Hill. They just plain sound like they're playing the bass and playing it right (not to say busier guys like Jack Bruce or Jaco ever played it wrong, but you know what I mean). Dude from Black Flag was always great, and Lemmy's one who just seems like a ham handed clod until you get to the point that you can see where he's coming from. There are so many great bass players who I appreciate that share the trait of economy. I know I tried to play more notes per bar when I couldn't really do it.

You just can't argue with Cliff Williams. Oh yeah!

[Lefty Geek]

Saw the Dictators last night. Nothing else to say but wow. Handsome Dick Manitoba at 52 years old has more energy than most young singers. They started off with "New York, New York" which I thought would have been a closer and ended with "Minnesota Strip" an hour and fifteen minutes later.

I wanted to watch Andy play, but I kept on forgetting. HDM and Ross The Boss have so much flair you can't help but watching them. Straight up rock and roll like it should be. HDM demanded attention when singing and Ross The Boss was hamming it up during his solos. HDM was blocking my view of Andy though. Shernoff was playing a maple-fretboard Fender P through what looked like a tube head and a Marshall (2x15"?) cab.

The overall message last night was to be happy because the Dictators were on stage rocking. The sadness of CBGB closing should come in two weeks when you drive by and there is nothing there. I wish I could go tonight but I have to entertain my girlfriend's out-of-town friends.

[Sneckumhaw]

Did Andy sing much or is Dick singing everything these days?

[Lefty Geek]

Andy did a fair amount of singing. He mainly sang backup together with JP, but he did have some solo moments. He sang one song that I didn't regonize solo, sang the bridge to "Avenue A", started the verses on "Weekend", and other moments.

The reviews from the Saturday show said the second show was even better. Tommy Ramone came up to sing "Blitzreig Bop" as an encore.