Fantastic interview, Scott! Colin & Porcupine Tree entered my "musical sphere" at a time where my "favorite band" was move into one direction and my tastes were moving into the opposite, so I was mainly listening to older "likes" with a certain degree of melancholy. A few friends of my in the same circle of music and undergoing similar feelings were really telling me about PT and how it was the best part of "Unnamed Band" without the negative aspects that had crept into their music, and that I should check them out. I gave them a listen on some online radio stations and I have to say it took a bit of time in my case (I attribute that to the "Floyd Influence" in their music, as I grew up disliking them greatly during "College Period of Pink Floyd & Weed"
) but once PT stuck to my head, they stuck
like glue.
Colin in particular has been a great "modern influence" to my playing, greatly increasing my time practicing fretless from about 10-15% to a solid 40-50% of my playing time (and actually turning me onto "My
(non-Jazz Bass 
) Tone" of bolt-on Spectors during his "Spector Period" of a standard EADG-tuned Euro LX as well as the article-mentioned while touring for "Fear Of A Blank Planet". I'd always wanted a Spector since I'd started playing but discovered in general the neck-through/Active EMG tone wasn't for me. However Colin's (and opening band "3"s bassist playing bolt-on Spectors as well) playing live during the multiple FOABP shows the Better Half & I road-tripped to see finally clicked in my head to try out a Euro Bolt-On 5 DLX... which led to a custom 5-string Lined Fretless... and a pair of Zebrawood-topped 4 & 5-strings
) with custom Nordstrand/Aguilar electronics that brings out the "Classic Spector Sound meets a high-quality Jazz Bass" in my instruments. So I suppose I owe Colin not only for delving into a new band and finding not only fabulous music but a very worth Bassist creating a great role in it, but also a huge
*BUMP* back into playing bass seriously after a few years of not (relocations & moving from a thriving music scene to a not-so-much one) as well as moving my "taking the tone of my basses both alone as well as amplified" up to a new level
Thanks again for a great article that wasn't simply a rundown of the gear he uses, but some genuine insight into how he became the bassist he now is, and how and why he creates the bass parts he does.
