Bassists in your scene are... ?

behndy · #1 10-17-2010, 05:20 PM

i don't think i'm that good. i do a few things well and i try to play to accent my abilities. so it's a little disconcerting to get too many compliments from bassists in bands we play with. i'm a'ight. but there are WAY better players out there. and a lot of TB'ers i think fall under that umbrella. mmmmm... umbrella.

i do get stuck playing a lot of shows with more Metal bands. we have some aggressive stuff so we don't always fit with more mellow stuff, so sometimes we play with guys skewed WAY further down the Kill Babies NOW side.

and i'm not talking **** about Metal bass players. there are some BEASTS out there in that (hugely fractured, with too many sub-) genre. much props. but a lot of bands are structured more around the bass player root noting while 2 guitar players take up lots of sonic space.

so..... what are most of the people you guys play with like? do you get a lot of shows where you're just silly impressed with what the other bass player is doing and it makes you want to go home and practice? are you developing an unfounded God Complex 'cause there are a lot of scrubs or people keeping it simple around you?

also, where are you at if it's not in your profile tag. pretty curious about all this actually.

thanks!

s_mcsleazy · #2 10-17-2010, 05:22 PM

the ones in my area are idiots

i went to a local gig and one bands bass player was just plucking the low b on a £2000 warwick and then called me a idiot for playing a 4 string squier jazz

Unrepresented · #3 10-17-2010, 05:30 PM

San Diego's a big enough town that you can get everything out here. There's some absolutely amazing players and there's some that are still working things out.

I get complimented from time to time, and it's flattering. I think it may have more to do with the role that I take on in my band, allowing me to be more recognizable -- i.e. "Wow, that was great! I thought it was the guitarist, but I looked over and he's not playing, and then I realized it was you!"

I've got effects, and space to fill. I can catch people off guard.

behndy · #4 10-17-2010, 05:33 PM

McSleazer Glasgowian - lol. that's funny. i LOVE seeing people tear it up on "cheap" gear. proves such a lovely point.

the one thing really lacking in my area is gear snobbery. you get people apologizing for "only being able to afford" x y or z. but i rarely hear "you should get a real [amp][bass][pedal], like a...."

another thing that's pretty neat is if you approach people right, most seem okay with advice or constructive criticism gear-wise. i had an interesting talk with a guy about bedroom vs in-the-mix tone, and told somebody i thought they had a torn cone in their Henry the 8th last night. and no ego, no drama, just a friendly discussion.

Nashrakh · #5 10-17-2010, 05:34 PM

Tons of simple rock and punk bands over here. Root noting away all the time. Sloppily.

Mark Perry · #6 10-17-2010, 05:37 PM

I'm studying bass this year. I get the impression all my (eight) classmates can outplay me.

My one opportunity to feel smug is in the theory module. All may change in a month or 2 though. :-D

behndy · #7 10-17-2010, 05:37 PM

UnReppeD - nice. haven't played out in San Diego yet. we're meshing up with a new drummer right now (i forgot how much fun a busy live drummer can be), but soon as that's solid we're gonna try to get out of the area a little more. would love to watch y'all if we end up down there.

we're a very bass-centric setup too. i get to be stupid on a sixer with a bunch of effects, and we don't use a guitarist. so i get that a lot too. it's nice, but i'm not doing anything revolutionary. i LOVE bands that are using the bass really upfront.

off to listen to the link in your sig.

behndy · #8 10-17-2010, 05:40 PM

Nashrakh - more good punk bassists fitting the style or lazy "4 strings root notes is EASIER then learning how to play"?

Markus Perriticulous - nice! that's actually a kinda awesome situation! i LOVE having time with people that kill me. so much to learn!

you know, as long as they're real people, not douches.

but i think most bass players, 'specially one's that take it serious, are nice guys.

s_mcsleazy · #9 10-17-2010, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by behndy

McSleazer Glasgowian - lol. that's funny. i LOVE seeing people tear it up on "cheap" gear. proves such a lovely point.

the one thing really lacking in my area is gear snobbery. you get people apologizing for "only being able to afford" x y or z. but i rarely hear "you should get a real [amp][bass][pedal], like a...."

another thing that's pretty neat is if you approach people right, most seem okay with advice or constructive criticism gear-wise. i had an interesting talk with a guy about bedroom vs in-the-mix tone, and told somebody i thought they had a torn cone in their Henry the 8th last night. and no ego, no drama, just a friendly discussion.

damn behindy that is so much better than my user name

Nashrakh · #10 10-17-2010, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by behndy

Nashrakh - more good punk bassists fitting the style or lazy "4 strings root notes is EASIER then learning how to play"?

I didn't use 'sloppily' for nothing.

There are some cool cats out there that play some tasty and original lines, but most of them are just hacking away at it without any real sense of rhythm, really. Which makes me sad.

Nothing against solid root note pumpers though. It's an art in itself.

Phalex · #11 10-17-2010, 05:44 PM

There are a few MONSTER players around here. I'm OK, but I am not all that technical, really have no knowledge of theory, and my chops are nowhere near what some of these guys can do.

My right hand is my saving grace. My sense of time is apparently top notch. So what I lack in left hand technical prowess, I make up for in being there. Drummers and guitar players really seem to love me. Bass players seem to think I'm OK, and most vocalists don't really know what the bass does.

Elrend · #12 10-17-2010, 05:46 PM

A lot of excellent double bassists.

A lot of mediocre or plain bad electric bassists.

behndy · #13 10-17-2010, 05:47 PM

PhaLEXXXXxxx - lol. you just scare the other bassists around you with your raw, Ron Jeremy-esque sexual presence.

that avatar pic has scared and intimidated me from the first time i lurked on TB.

behndy · #14 10-17-2010, 05:48 PM

ElRendah - are you near a music university? why the difference in talent DB vs Electric wise?

Elrend · #15 10-17-2010, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by behndy

ElRendah - are you near a music university? why the difference in talent DB vs Electric wise?

Yeah, there's a university here.

I have no idea where the differences comes from, probably from the university.

Unrepresented · #16 10-17-2010, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by behndy

UnReppeD - nice. haven't played out in San Diego yet. we're meshing up with a new drummer right now (i forgot how much fun a busy live drummer can be), but soon as that's solid we're gonna try to get out of the area a little more. would love to watch y'all if we end up down there.

we're a very bass-centric setup too. i get to be stupid on a sixer with a bunch of effects, and we don't use a guitarist. so i get that a lot too. it's nice, but i'm not doing anything revolutionary. i LOVE bands that are using the bass really upfront.

off to listen to the link in your sig.

We're not necessarily a "bass centric" band, but I'm definitely not as overlooked as a lot of bassists can be. I think we've got a fairly balanced overall sound, but for people not used to hearing the bass, I guess I stick out.

Lemme know when you guys are down here, I should have a Dredge Tone box with your CD in it delivered to my apartment tomorrow to scope out. I'll throw a copy of our stuff in there for the next guys down the line.

behndy · #17 10-17-2010, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_mcsleazy

damn behindy that is so much better than my user name

you know.... it just takes a mod request to switch up your user name i think..... just saying.

i LOVE that the way people alter my user name is always into behINdy. like i'm a sneak up bum rapist. good stuff.

capnsandwich · #18 10-17-2010, 05:55 PM

We've everyone from your high school punk band noob to your seasoned veteran session player. We also have a lot of guys who graduate from Capital University, which has a great music conservatory, and they usually come out getting some nice gigs. I consider myself to be average to a little above average compared to some of the players in my town. However, drummers love me as well as church musicians so I'm in a good place I think.

The problem with my town is that a lot of people in this area don't really appreciate music as an art but more of something to dance to when they're getting trashed, so a DJ at a dance club would do just fine around here. Original bands usually have to move out of town or play in other cities in order to get noticed. Cover bands do OK in Columbus but bar owners are so tight around here.

behndy · #19 10-17-2010, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

Lemme know when you guys are down here, I should have a Dredge Tone box with your CD in it delivered to my apartment tomorrow to scope out. I'll throw a copy of our stuff in there for the next guys down the line.

CRAP. i KNEW i'd listened to your stuff before! just went to your site again. really good stuff. and compared to a lot of heavier stuff i'd still use bass-centric if i was describing it to somebody else. so there. deal with it.

s_mcsleazy · #20 10-17-2010, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by behndy

you know.... it just takes a mod request to switch up your user name i think..... just saying.

i LOVE that the way people alter my user name is always into behINdy. like i'm a sneak up bum rapist. good stuff.

ya meen you dont?

i thought that was the whole reason you picked that name