mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
This! I'm loving the back seat! I'm in a band currently that has great song and lyric writers and all I have to do is focus on developing my bass lines. A BIG breath of fresh air from my past bands.
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wmhill
Inactive
- Aug 20, 2012
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- 17,209
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Say Backseat To:
Getty Lee
...
Backseat Bassist that stand way back there all boring IMO give Bassist a bad reputation. To this day there are so many people that think, THINK! Bass guitar is just an instrument for someone that can't play guitar and you just stand back there like a statue and just barely do your part, nothing special. I hate that, if a guitarist did that everyone would be like that guitarist was boring as hell. Your up on stage, WAKE UP! JAM THAT BASS, ENTERTAIN THE CROWD, HAVE FUN, LOOK ALIVE. Hee Hee, that's all, my opinion. Some backseat Bass players need someone to sneak up on stage behind them and light a match under their ass, that'd wake em up.
Taking a back seat to the decision making process has nothing to do with half-assing it on stage. Just because I let others call the shots doesn't mean I'm going to mope in the background and phone it in.
I play the piss out of my bass every chance I get.
Also, you spelled Geddy wrong.
Say Backseat To:
Getty Lee
Flea
Lemmy
Paul McCartney
Les Claypool
Steve Harris
Ryan Martini
Duff Makagen
Michael Anthony
DD Verni
Fieldy
Marcus Miller
Billy Sheehan
Victor Wooten
Cliff Burton
Backseat Bassist that stand way back there all boring IMO give Bassist a bad reputation. To this day there are so many people that think, THINK! Bass guitar is just an instrument for someone that can't play guitar and you just stand back there like a statue and just barely do your part, nothing special. I hate that, if a guitarist did that everyone would be like that guitarist was boring as hell. Your up on stage, WAKE UP! JAM THAT BASS, ENTERTAIN THE CROWD, HAVE FUN, LOOK ALIVE. Hee Hee, that's all, my opinion. Some backseat Bass players need someone to sneak up on stage behind them and light a match under their ass, that'd wake em up.
Michael Anthony definitely took a backseat to Eddie.
- Jan 12, 2011
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I like being a Free Lance Bassist. I show up, shut up, play may part, get paid and go home. If I front anything at this point it would be for purposes of my own fulfillment in either recording a Bass Centric CD or a REAL FUNK BAND. I've been told by more than one I should just have my own group. I retire in a couple of years from my Day Job and maybe then I'll have the time to Front my own thing. For now I'm happy where I am.
wmhill
Inactive
- Aug 20, 2012
- 4,054
- 17,209
- Disclosures
- MTD basses endorsed artist Bartolini pickups emerging artist TECAMP bass players gear endorsed
I have fronted bands that were going to be exactly what I want.... it's kind of like herding cats
I may be in the back seat, but I'm still driving the bus. Sit down so I can see where we're going! 
I've changed a lot on this topic as I've gotten older. In my 20s I liked to handle at least some of it. Now I'm in my mid 30s married with two kids. Our line up is pretty solid with 4 out of 5 members being in the band for more than a decade. These days I'm happy to just tell our band leader I'm available every Saturday and Sunday and with enough notice can take a any weekday off using paid time off for a good show (mainly opening for bigger bands) during the week. My thing is the music it always was but these days it's all I care about. Personally I do like performing. But I'd probably be happy enough just writing and recording and doing everything online. There's so much crap going on these days for example Promoters charging local bands to play shows in their hometown. I don't have a the filter for dealing with crap like that anymore. We've got promoters taking over local music venues and asking bands to pay them $1500 a year for gigs. Im not against playing for free or even paying a little for the right gig (playing for a lot of people) But I'll be damned if I'm paying money to play in our hometown where we don't need promoters to get shows and where we draw well, and I'm damn sure not going to pay$1500 when we are mainly a Saturday shows only band. It's just not worth it. I'd pay more to open on a big tour with big bands in front of big crowds. But I'm not paying to go play for 25 people.
Very much agree.
In starting this thread I wasn't referring at all to one's performance or even the quality and innovation of their playing. Rather I was considering their input in terms of overall band direction, booking, songwriting, etc.
Most of the guys Dan Bass listed definitely seem to have been active in the creative direction of their respective groups. However, there are perhaps as many guys who -while some may have taken their turns as producers, arrangers, writers etc- are largely known for their work in the back seat supporting someone else's gig/vision/tunes, etc.
Babbit, Jamerson, Dunn, Kaye, Paladino, etc...
Yeah that sort of jamming out and collaborating can be really fun, and some really interesting things can come out of it.
Up until the alt-country band I was in I always participated in band decisions. There was always a BL, but decisions were made democratically and the band accounting was always completely transparent. The majority of the songs were written by the BL but any time there was collaboration it was credited.
This was not the case in the alt-country band. The BL was completely autocratic with both songwriting and the business side. After about two years I'd had enough of being told what to do and how to do it without getting paid.
At this point, for many reasons, I have absolutely no interest in being in a band or performing. I'm (very slowly) working on my own music between work and family duties, hiring other musicians to come in and track as I need them.
This was not the case in the alt-country band. The BL was completely autocratic with both songwriting and the business side. After about two years I'd had enough of being told what to do and how to do it without getting paid.
At this point, for many reasons, I have absolutely no interest in being in a band or performing. I'm (very slowly) working on my own music between work and family duties, hiring other musicians to come in and track as I need them.
Awesome, good for you, I didn't say you didn't play the piss out of your Bass, I was talking about the boring Bassist in the back that when a crowd of people are checking out a band and you can hear a lot of people afterwards talking about the band and they say man, that band was pretty cool accept the boring bass player back there that looked and played like a zombie. Bass players that look like their not into it, or playing their Bass like it should be played, that's what I'm talking about, the boring ones that don't look like their enjoying themselves. And I wasn't talking about half-assing it on stage either or show boating. I've been on small stages where nobody could move around but at least I didn't look like a boring statue and play bad. John Entwisle just stood there and he was badass as ever awesome to watch. Taking a back seat is fine, IMO I just don't like seeing a band when the Bassist is back there and not jamming his Bass like he should be, like someone that wanted to be a guitarist, failed and became a Bass player because he though it was easier, because it's not easier, its a different animal than a guitar but not easier. You said you play the piss out of your Bass, awesome, then I wouldn't mind watching someone back there playing the piss out of their Bass, cool.
What I should of just said was taking a backseat is fine as long as you jam that badass Bass guitar good. Oh, and thanks I didn't even realize that I spelled Geddy's name wrong.
Almost every band I've ever been a member of have been democracies. It is important for me to be a contributor to the songwriting in some way so I can make my voice heard. I recently quit a band (along with one of the guitarists) about a month ago that slowly turned into a dictatorship. You had the vocalist/leader writing everything, brushing off any input by other members, telling everyone what notes to play and how to play them. He was even telling the drummer (a good drummer BTW) when he should open and close the high hat, switch to the ride, when to hit a crash or do a fill.
Fortunately two weeks ago I jammed with some guys that just started a band and things are working out pretty good. One of the first things I made clear was that I wanted to contribute to the songwriting and they had no problems with that. By the second rehearsal they were already asking my input about some arrangements on songs they had already written before I stepped into the picture.
Fortunately two weeks ago I jammed with some guys that just started a band and things are working out pretty good. One of the first things I made clear was that I wanted to contribute to the songwriting and they had no problems with that. By the second rehearsal they were already asking my input about some arrangements on songs they had already written before I stepped into the picture.
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I'm ok with it, but my vision is usually progression. I've been in bands where I try to sit in the backseat and not become a backseat driver, but then no progress is made; lets record the same songs again (why? the first 3 versions are fine), lets replace the drummer for a 5th time in a year(Now we have to record again...geez...stick with someone), we aren't tight enough to do shows (yes we are) I call those non-progression points and it is time for me to try to step in and move things along or get out.
That's great, now your in a comfortable situation. That singer/leader is going to end up only telling himself what to do.
If he was a great songwriter/musician I would understand, but when all the songs start to sound the same, are all in the same key and he says "second fret on the thickest string" because he doesn't know what F# means then I have a problem.
Oh wow, that bad and inexperienced. I had a singer back about six years ago and he thought he was the boss , we were all friends and all even about everything, nobody told anybody what to do we just had fun. We practiced, jammed at gigs had a great time, he could not play guitar, drums, Bass, piano, nothing, or sing but at the time that's the only singer we had and we were all friends.
It got to the point where if you were 1 minute late for practice, which we would drink beers have fun and do songs nothing strict, because all of us new are songs and we jammed tight and great in front of crowds and he would get all thats it your 1 minute late your fired go home, and he was serious. So he did that to me once and I grabbed him and said were just at practice dude chill out, let's get one thing straight, your not my boss and every musician here can do their job awesome, you need to start working on your singing because every time we go jam somewhere when we take our breaks between sets all me and the band ever hear is that we sound awesome except for that crappie singer you have what the hells up with that guy, you suck as a singer and your making all of us look bad, so what the hell are you going to do about that. Give me that 1 minute late crap, get the $#%& out of my face you frickin coke headed wannabe singer. The band didn't last to much longer with him singing, so the drummer, lead guitarist and i got the hell out of that mess and got our own band together with a singer that sounds great and is a kind fun to be around person.
Oh wow, that bad and inexperienced. I had a singer back about six years ago and he thought he was the boss , we were all friends and all even about everything, nobody told anybody what to do we just had fun. We practiced, jammed at gigs had a great time, he could not play guitar, drums, Bass, piano, nothing, or sing but at the time that's the only singer we had and we were all friends.
It got to the point where if you were 1 minute late for practice, which we would drink beers have fun and do songs nothing strict, because all of us new are songs and we jammed tight and great in front of crowds and he would get all thats it your 1 minute late your fired go home, and he was serious. So he did that to me once and I grabbed him and said were just at practice dude chill out, let's get one thing straight, your not my boss and every musician here can do their job awesome, you need to start working on your singing because every time we go jam somewhere when we take our breaks between sets all me and the band ever hear is that we sound awesome except for that crappie singer you have what the hells up with that guy, you suck as a singer and your making all of us look bad, so what the hell are you going to do about that. Give me that 1 minute late crap, get the $#%& out of my face you frickin coke headed wannabe singer. The band didn't last to much longer with him singing, so the drummer, lead guitarist and i got the hell out of that mess and got our own band together with a singer that sounds great and is a kind fun to be around person.
He knows how to play some guitar and bass but he wasn't as knowledgeable of music like myself and the guitarists who all know theory. If he would have just stuck to the vocals it would have been OK but this guy has serious control issues. It got so bad that he would even tell the guitarists how they should EQ their rigs. He wouldn't pull that crap with me because he at least had a bit of respect because I was the oldest and most experienced musician in the band.
