Joe Bouchard

[FullumMusic]

@John Swartz @Rich Fiscus Yup. That Richie Castellano. Had no idea he was jumping around from instrument to instrument over the years, but it makes sense because he was talented enough to do that professionally even back in High School. I'm pretty sure he initially got the gig playing bass while doing live sound for BOC. Richie's whole family is a bit of a musical institution in the boro of Staten Island here in NYC, and for good reason.

One of the most important things i learned about playing bass was from Richie back in maybe '96 when i was 16 and jamming with some other kids in their basement. Richie stopped by and played guitar with us for a few songs. I was probably overplaying A LOT because i was 16 and loved to overplay. He asked if i could only play when the kick drum played. I probably rolled my eyes but did it anyway. Boom. A whole new world of understanding music and bass opened up in my brain. It was like, "Why did none of my 3 bass instructors ever teach me this in the 5+ years i'd been taking lessons!?!??!?!"

 

[Rich Fiscus]

@John Swartz @Rich Fiscus Yup. That Richie Castellano. Had no idea he was jumping around from instrument to instrument over the years, but it makes sense because he was talented enough to do that professionally even back in High School. I'm pretty sure he initially got the gig playing bass while doing live sound for BOC. Richie's whole family is a bit of a musical institution in the boro of Staten Island here in NYC, and for good reason.

One of the most important things i learned about playing bass was from Richie back in maybe '96 when i was 16 and jamming with some other kids in their basement. Richie stopped by and played guitar with us for a few songs. I was probably overplaying A LOT because i was 16 and loved to overplay. He asked if i could only play when the kick drum played. I probably rolled my eyes but did it anyway. Boom. A whole new world of understanding music and bass opened up in my brain. It was like, "Why did none of my 3 bass instructors ever teach me this in the 5+ years i'd been taking lessons!?!??!?!"

Blue Oyster Cult has some Allman Brothers level jams in their shows, and they were as tight as any band I've heard. He sounded like he'd been doing it for years.

I've been lucky enough to have played with a couple different guys where I felt like it was truly a privilege. They make me a better musician every time I play with them, so I know what you're talking about.

 

[Lesfunk]

My friend Jon recently did a podcast with a joe Bouchard interview
Check it out

 

[FullumMusic]

Blue Oyster Cult has some Allman Brothers level jams in their shows, and they were as tight as any band I've heard. He sounded like he'd been doing it for years.

I've been lucky enough to have played with a couple different guys where I felt like it was truly a privilege. They make me a better musician every time I play with them, so I know what you're talking about.

Now that i think about it, i should probably tell him how important that seemingly innocuous moment was. My wife is a teacher and she always wonders if what she's teaching helps at all. When a kid she taught comes back and tells her how much she helped, she beams with excitement and happiness for a few days. So i make it a deliberate point now that if i learned something useful from someone, even if it's something silly like a helpful move for the bouldering gym, i go back and tell them it helped. But definitely for big things like this.

 

[zontar]

HA! Blue Coupe comes to a Barnes and Noble near you!!

It may have been related to Dennis Dunaway promoting his book.
(Which is a goo dread by the way)
Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!: My Adventures in the Alice Cooper Group

 

[subtlestew]

Joe is, indeed, a great human, in addition to being a great musician. He's as comfortable on keyboard and guitar as he is on the bass, and can play a wide variety of musical styles. For many years, Joe gave lessons at the school where I also teach; he actually gave lessons on upright to my son for a couple of years. To top it all off, we had a little band among the performing arts teachers, and he'd frequently play with us. This is with me - a total amateur - on bass, mind you! I still lose sleep over wrong notes I hit in Joe's presence... on his primary instrument! But the many great memories I had with him, of course, prevail... including me listening from the other room as Joe would jam with my son - they would always rock out to some tune at the end of the lesson, with Joe on guitar and my son trying to keep up on bass - good times. Joe was always generous and patient, be it with kids like my son or clueless adults like myself. He was always encouraging and inspirational, as the joy he takes from music is infectious. I'll attach a pic of us playing at our school's holiday party - Joe is second from the right.

 

[Michael Vee]

It's always inspirational to hear people give tribute to musicians. It's so good to hear that Joe continues to be a true music educator and caring human being on top of his professional career.

As we knew them, BOC will never exist again, but I am glad to hear that Joe is continuing to inspire old and young musicians alike.