Sam Wilkes could be the G.O.A.T.

[quilanthegreat]

His playing on this track in particular is perhaps the best bass performance I've heard in recent memory.

What does the community think? Am I overrating this dude?

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

I’ve heard his work on Facebook and man he’s awesome !

 

[twinjet]

His playing on this track in particular is perhaps the best bass performance I've heard in recent memory.

What does the community think? Am I overrating this dude?

You absolutely are not overrating him. That was a fantastic performance.

 

[FenderHotRod]

WOW... At first I'm like Um no.. This is just weird. The more I listen I really started to dig it. Now I'm on my way to find out more about these folks and Sam.

Thanks for the introducing me.

 

[LBS-bass]

He's good. Busy, which is not my cuppa, but he's doing that style way better than most who attempt it. Overall I like this cover a lot.

 

[jerry]

I dug that but I'm so old I had to google G.O.A.T.
Edit: I went and watched some more on YouTube, I dug everything I saw, thanks for the heads up.

 

[GregC]

I really enjoy his work with Scary Pockets, he's killer. Greatest of all time? Impossible to say. Of his contemporaries, I favor Joe Dart because I've seen him pull it off in person a half dozen times. Haven't had a chance to see Sam yet.

 

[Passinwind]

His playing on this track in particular is perhaps the best bass performance I've heard in recent memory.

What does the community think? Am I overrating this dude?

Nope. Anyone alive might turn out to be the greatest of all time. Get back to me at the end of all time...

As far as that one particular clip, thanks for posting it. Nice playing and they make that tune actually palatable, which is enough to make me curious about their original music, past present or future.

 

[scdreger]

Sam Wilkes is awesome (Scary Pockets too).

Also see Sam's work in Knower.

 

[JMarkD]

Yep, Sam is one to watch. His work with Knower and Louis Cole is inspirational. Great player.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

the best bass performance

???
N.B. Unless it's a Wilkes "one-way" FAN (only) club(???).

What does the community think?

Here is how I see/hear it.

(It's ONLY about that particular song!!!)


Two, gifted, talented, knowledgeable and very energetic musicians - the keyboard and the bass players are having a great time playing/jamming to some rhythmo/harmonic chord progression with almost total (I did not say- TOTAL) disregard for the Melody (as some background line), while two "embellishment" brass musicians (check the EWF brass section for answers) standing as some statues/monuments.
I have no quarrel with anybody having lots of fun when jamming. And it attracts a lot of clicks on YouTube!!! (plus subscriptions, etc...).
I would not go to listen LIVE to their music - It's IMPOSSIBLE for my aging ears to discern so many small bass notes in a concert.
I would not go to listen to that kind of song's interpretation as a Melody/Song fan.
I would not listen to that kind of song cover during some wedding party - it's difficult to dance to it, or cry to it.

N.B. I totally understand their idea and desire to grab ANY song and use that song's remotely-similar chord progression as some initial point to express their pent-up energetic and cool musical ideas!

Now, shortly about that particular bass line(!).

When I have slowed down that song to hear the bass notes with my aging ears, I have reached the following opinion/conclusion.
The bass line is, what I would call, a humorous pot-potpourri cliche collection of widely-played bass lines from the 60's, 70's with the Great Jamerson in mind, and the "what-else-could-I-add-to-my-fills" attitude.
(The more, the better).

N.B.2. Everything I've said in this comment is ONLY(!) about that particular song, its arrangement only!

Sam Wilkes is a very talented bass player!
I wish him the best.

 

[Andy235]

I thought the guy was just wanking away too much. He is very good, but the bass is a bit too busy here. Leave some space.

 

[Sub-hoo-fer]

I just found Sam. Really enjoying his work. As always Talkbass is a great resource!

 

[Oddly]

Never heard him before, and that video is a bit too busy for my taste but there's no doubt he can play!
I'm gonna go check out his other stuff now...always great finding new players to listen to.

 

[Sub-hoo-fer]

So I found “music for saxofone and bass guitar” (spelling intentional) on iTunes. Very different ambient jazz feel. Lots of room for the sax to breath, nice supportive chord work, and some fun effects.

 

[Stevorebob]

Nice player. Really top-tier work. Superb. Thanks for sharing and introducing him to me.

But anything GOAT — well, I just think the GOAT concept, no matter the field, suffers greatly from recently bias. (I mean, Wilt would have Giannis, Kevin and LeBron in tears... and their girlfriends swooning. )

 

[Papuzzo]

I've been enjoying his style with Scary Pockets. He has a great balance between interesting phrases and keeping the groove and low end locked down. This is my idea of the perfect bass player. Anyway, here's a recent video where he kills it:

 

[Lizooki]

Plug them headphones in baby!

 

[Bob_Ross]

I've heard some of Sam's stuff with Knower, he is definitely a gifted and inspiring bass player. Dude must have a built-in atomic clock ticking off 16th note subdivisions; he is tight!

I'll agree with everyone who noted that his playing in the OP video is "busy" but I would argue that it's not too busy...because there's nothing else going on in the arrangement.

Odd bass tone in that video. I kinda like it...but it sounds like a cross between synthesizer and Guild Ashbory rubber-band strings. Curious what strings and/or pedals he used to get that sound, definitely doesn't sound like archetypal Fender P Bass tone.

 

[wraub]

Scary Pockets is an interesting thing- largely video based, solid players playing new arrangements of familiar songs, and all backed by keys (and funds) provided by Jack Conte, an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is also one half of the band Pomplamoose along with his wife Nataly Dawn, and CEO and co-founder of Patreon.

The videos posted supposedly have two rules-

1. What you see is what you hear. (No lip-syncing for instruments or voice)
2. If you hear it, at some point you see it. (No hidden sounds).