It's tough being The Bass Player

drewmi · #1 03-27-2010, 01:01 PM

Many years ago I get called to play a date on a Sat nite. I show up at the gig to setup and walked right past the sign that says Welcome NJA Deaf Org and pay little attention to it. I get inside and see a lot of people signing, walk up to the band leader and say, "did you just book me on a gig for deaf people!!! and he reply's "shut up and set up if you want to get paid"
So I setup my bass rig and quite a crowd is starting to gather around and many of the girls are very attractive, hmmm maybe not so bad!
We start playing and for the first song a crowd gathers in front us and observes only, with a flurry of rapid signing. Next song they start dancing and IN TIME with the song... Wow. Next song several girls pull tables up to the band and start dancing ON the tables ...WOW, now it's getting interesting.
On the first break an attractive deaf girl walks up to me and says "can you turn down please, you are too loud" and walks away!!! Well I thought oh my god my playing is so bad deaf people can hear it!!! Now one of the teachers for the NJ Assoc for the Deaf saw this go down and saw the shocked expression on my face and said "Let me explain"
Deaf people feel the vibrations of the band through the floor and dance to the rhythmic pulses they feel. The bass of course with it's long wave shapes was traveling through the floor and was covering up all the other instruments. So I said "Oh OK I can't turn down but I will put my bass cabinet up on chairs to de-couple it from the floor". This worked wonderfully and then nearly everyone got up to dance and very close to the band to feel all the vibrations. Unfortunately the girls stopped dancing on the tables because the bass was no longer over powering the floor (damn!) So next break I try to talk to the girl who asked me to turn down and of course I got shunned…. Because I am The Bass Player.
It's a tough life being the Bass Player, it really is.
Drew

Laxed · #2 03-27-2010, 01:10 PM

Sounds like a fun time!
It truly is amazing how deaf people can be moved by music (possibly even more than those who aren't can).

Daveomd · #3 03-27-2010, 01:12 PM

Years ago I was playing a gig and a deaf guy showed up. He spent most of the night on stage with his face against my Goliath. I thought it was cool but I'm sure it looked pretty odd to people who didn't know (we were a very loud metal band).

ScreaminSGs · #4 03-28-2010, 01:00 AM

Several years ago, the band I was playing in had a gig at a bar in a nearby college town. One night the local deaf school students showed up. They were the best crowd we ever had there. A teacher from the school explained their feeling the vibrations.

From then on, the inside joke was "Our best fans are deaf"

Another night at that same club the crowd was mainly Hispanic. We started playing LaBomba. The crowd was having a great time on the dance floor. Our singer change it to Twist and Shout. The entire crowd stopped dancing and stared at us. The singer went back to LaBomba and all was well again!
It was really kinda spooky at the time!

shadowtippy · #5 03-28-2010, 07:12 AM

At least you are not a mime performing for blind people.

Richland123 · #6 03-28-2010, 12:10 PM

One of the most touching moments I ever experienced in all my years of playing was back in 1974 or 1975. I was about 18 or 19 years old and we got booked to play a dance at a local physical rehabilitation center. The people there had many different types of physical handicaps that included some from birth, some from health issues, and some from accidents, etc.

The people loved the fact that we were there to play music for them and they were a very appreciative and responsive crowd of people of all ages. There was a young lady in a wheelchair really enjoying the music but unfortunately she could not dance and had to watch the others dancing. We started to play a slow song and a young guy went over to the girl, picked her up out of her wheelchair, and carried her onto the dancefloor. He held her in his arms and slow danced with her for the entire song and she was beaming and having a wonderful time. I am now 53 years old and that memory is still one of my most cherished moments in 40 years of playing.

lowregister · #7 03-28-2010, 02:34 PM

Good story.

MRDOOM · #8 03-28-2010, 02:38 PM

Wow... deaf people told you to turn down. I would take that as a compliment.

MikeyFingers · #9 03-29-2010, 11:12 PM

Yeah, it's hard being the Bass Player

walker rosewood · #10 03-29-2010, 11:20 PM

after all, aren't we all bass players?

Greevus · #11 03-29-2010, 11:30 PM

So did you bang a deaf chick?

Rocky · #12 03-29-2010, 11:44 PM

I played at an event in Reno a few years ago where everyone was dressed as Santa..Two hundred Santas dancing was quite a sight.