Wake Up!/Owen Biddle

Dr. Cheese · #1 06-30-2011, 11:03 PM

I picked up that John Legend/Roots CD, Wake Up! today. All I can say is that now I know why Owen Biddle was picked to replace Hub in the Roots!

That man is funky in a major way! I'm going to be listening to this CD for a while.

FrenchAK · #2 06-30-2011, 11:11 PM

I saw the Austin City Limits recording at a buddy's house with a great surround system. It was awesome! I showed off my bass nerdiness when I called out Biddle's Callowhill 6-stringer... I caught some off looks.

Dr. Cheese · #3 07-02-2011, 10:01 PM

I'm finally playing along with this CD a bit tonight. Some of the cuts really remind me of Larry Graham on Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Going On (Family Affair) CD. Although I an definitely not a flatwound guy (except for fretless sometimes,) I love the tone Biddle is getting with the flatwounds and his short scale bass. Needless to say, the actually basslines are great too.

eoinwalsh · #4 07-03-2011, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

I'm finally playing along with this CD a bit tonight. Some of the cuts really remind me of Larry Graham on Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Going On (Family Affair) CD. Although I an definitely not a flatwound guy (except for fretless sometimes,) I love the tone Biddle is getting with the flatwounds and his short scale bass. Needless to say, the actually basslines are great too.

This might sound like a stupid question, but were you able to tell just from listening to the record that he is using a short scale bass and flatwounds? To my ears, they could easily be roundwounds and the scale length thing, well, I'm completely lost there!

Dr. Cheese · #5 07-03-2011, 06:43 AM

I would not have known what to listen for had I not read the Bass Player interview that Biddle recently did. He noted that short scales have a stronger fundamental, and I did notice that. The flatwounds were obvious.

eoinwalsh · #6 07-03-2011, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

The flatwounds were obvious.

Because of the soft sound? For me, the bass would have had to be louder in the mix to notice that they were flatwounds.

Would it be fair to say that you could get a sound quite similar to that with roundwounds? I associate the flatwound sound with the Jamerson sound. When I think of flatwounds I always think of his sound. Would Jamerson's tone be an accurate representation of the sound of flatwound strings in general?

middlebit · #7 07-08-2011, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eoinwalsh

Would it be fair to say that you could get a sound quite similar to that with roundwounds? I associate the flatwound sound with the Jamerson sound. When I think of flatwounds I always think of his sound. Would Jamerson's tone be an accurate representation of the sound of flatwound strings in general?

You could get close with rounds and a woolly EQ, with the right technique of course. Jamerson is probably THE role model for the sound of flatwounds (for me at least), but simply stringing flats on your bass won't make you sound like him. Check out Meshell for a more agressive flats tone. You can hear that the sound of flats has defined the way she conceptualises bass as a stand-alone instrument and in the mix.
So conception is one thing, but I find that the brand of strings and the player's technical approach in particular plays an important role in how the bass will sound. I tried some Fender flats some years ago, and they were not flexible enough for me - too rigid and they felt somehow too taught. So that affected my technique and in turn my tone. Had to change my muting technique, and I couldn't get rid of that "oily click" from my picking fingers, so I had to let them go. Maybe I just wasn't ready...

Speaking of Owen Biddle, anyone interested in his tone and playing should check out Mister Barrington (with Oli Rockberger and Zack Danziger) - it's trippy, groovy and well crafted. Like dancable pop music was left to soak in a tub of jazz and subsequently marinated in funk.

BobaFret · #8 07-08-2011, 08:56 AM

The Mister Barrington stuff is really cool. He really stretches out but not too much.

My #1 personal favorite at the moment.

Dr. Cheese · #9 07-08-2011, 10:50 AM

YouTube - ‪Mister Barrington-Running Away‬&rlm;

This Mr. Barrington is fly for sure!

Jamie_Funk · #10 07-08-2011, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

I picked up that John Legend/Roots CD, Wake Up! today. All I can say is that now I know why Owen Biddle was picked to replace Hub in the Roots!

That man is funky in a major way! I'm going to be listening to this CD for a while.

Surprised you slept on this on for so long Cheese, but glad you got it. Owen's playing is great, and the CD is quite nice - I was surprised at how well Legend sang - quite a difference from his solo stuff.

J

owenbiddle · #11 07-13-2011, 11:24 PM

Thanks for listening!

I have found that roundwounds can be slathered in all sorts of eq and preampery for a similar density to flats. I definitely have tweaked after the fact, with plug-ins and stuff, and gotten my 34" with roundwounds to sit similarly enough to my 30" with flats.

I'm glad the music I'm working on with Zach and Oli is getting around. It's an exercise of my belief that you should always try and find the scariest musicians in town and try to hang. Turns out, they're great guys too. More to come!

Dr. Cheese · #12 07-13-2011, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenbiddle

Thanks for listening!

I have found that roundwounds can be slathered in all sorts of eq and preampery for a similar density to flats. I definitely have tweaked after the fact, with plug-ins and stuff, and gotten my 34" with roundwounds to sit similarly enough to my 30" with flats.

I'm glad the music I'm working on with Zach and Oli is getting around. It's an exercise of my belief that you should always try and find the scariest musicians in town and try to hang. Turns out, they're great guys too. More to come!

Keep up the good work. It looks like you are going to have one monster career!

middlebit · #13 07-14-2011, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenbiddle

I'm glad the music I'm working on with Zach and Oli is getting around. It's an exercise of my belief that you should always try and find the scariest musicians in town and try to hang. Turns out, they're great guys too. More to come!

What's this I hear about a new album called Domingo DiManche? Can you tell us anything about that?

owenbiddle · #14 07-16-2011, 05:27 PM

Domingo Dimanche is the title I've chosen for another batch of music I'm working on. I thought it would be finished by now, but a lot of it is built from really short, episodic clips I began making about eight years ago. They were ideas that I always hoped could develop when I found my legs, more, creatively. A lot of it is taking shape, but I think there's a reason it's taken so long for others.

I like to live in the moment, and I can pretty predictably make myself happier with something fresh, than trying to work off older ideas. The problem is, I get so happy and so invested in a moment, that I don't then want to put on the arranger's hat and ruin my buzz. Welcome to my Catch 22. The good news is I have more of the right kind of people in my orbit to bounce music off of now than years ago.

I think bass players can relate to this living in the moment thing, especially...

middlebit · #15 07-17-2011, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenbiddle

Domingo Dimanche is the title I've chosen for another batch of music I'm working on. I thought it would be finished by now, but a lot of it is built from really short, episodic clips I began making about eight years ago. They were ideas that I always hoped could develop when I found my legs, more, creatively. A lot of it is taking shape, but I think there's a reason it's taken so long for others.

I like to live in the moment, and I can pretty predictably make myself happier with something fresh, than trying to work off older ideas. The problem is, I get so happy and so invested in a moment, that I don't then want to put on the arranger's hat and ruin my buzz. Welcome to my Catch 22. The good news is I have more of the right kind of people in my orbit to bounce music off of now than years ago.

I think bass players can relate to this living in the moment thing, especially...

Thanks for the info!

jbednarski · #16 07-17-2011, 07:53 AM

Downloaded the Mister Barrington tracks a couple of weeks ago and can't stop listening to them. Amazing! The live videos on YouTube are great too. Would love to see them live some time.

groooooove · #17 07-17-2011, 02:43 PM

also check out owen on the newest booker T record. its owen/ahmir/kirk from the roots, backing booker t- great questlove-esque production, pretty good record, and owen rocks it hard and funky.

i met him after a roots show a year or so ago at highline ballroom. i said hello and intended to keep walking.. he walked down most of W16th street with me, just chatting about music. awesome dude..