Session Bass Player

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: Lakland 55 02, Mark bass Little Mark 111, Fender Precision, Mark bass octave pedal and a Barefaced Supercomapct.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: George Clinton. He was a child hero of mine and him & his band have been hugely influenced my bass playing. It would be an honour to work such incredible musicians with such amazing groove.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is definitely my taste. I always try to be as tasteful as possible with my bass playing.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup is simple yet effective. The Most important part is my A Designs REDDI, this is a fantastic sounding tube DI for recording bass.I occasionally go in to my EBS Micro bass 2 before the REDDI depending on the song, I find that this gives the bass a bit more top end and a slightly more aggressive sound. From there I go into a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and then in to my Mac which has Logic Pro X on it. I use KRK Rokit 5's as I mix in a small room so these are perfect.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. I feel that digital technology is getting better and better at replicating analog sounds and it is so much more convenient and practical than analog.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise to do everything I can to make your song sound as good as possible.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the fact that I don't feel like it is a job!

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask if the client has any idea what kind of bass part the want. If they don't this is fine, but if they do then I will talk to them more about this so that I can do best to do what the client wants.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: It's fairly simple. Try and pick someone who offers a good price and who you feel will make your sound the best.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I have been gigging with bands since I was 12 years old. However I started to get more serious gigs 2 years ago. I started by joining a successful heavy metal band and I toured with them and recorded a single and an EP. Since then I have played in more of my own bands and for other artists in many styles of music. When I was first starting out I would take any gig that was offered to me even it was for free. I feel that through doing this I learned a lot and made a lot of contacts. I am now fortunate that doing very well and have played with a lot of incredible musicians

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Recently I have been working with a girl band called Vanquish. They are doing very well at the moment and the other musicians on the gig are of an extremely high level. It has been an incredible experience for me to work with such talented musicians. Since I have started to work with the band, I have done live gigs, recording sessions and video for TV with them. I am also very excited for the three dates we have in May 2015 supporting Jocelyn Brown

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is flexible. I always try and do what the song needs.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Anything. I am happy and capable to work on any style of music. Even if it is a style that I have never listened to before (this is rare) I will research the genre, transcribe a load of bass parts from the genre and study them. I can then go about recording an authentic bass part for this genre.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My main goal as player is to make the song groove. I feel that this is the bass players most important job.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: The first thing I do when I get a song is listen to it a few times. The first time I listen I try not to think to much about and just get a feeling for the general vibe of the song. I then start to listen more closely and pay attention to the small details. I then listen whilst thinking of possible lines in my head. After doing this I will play along to the song several time until I come up with a few different ideas that I am happy with. I will then do rough takes of each of the ideas and decide which one suits the song the best (the client can be involved with the decision as well). I will then fine the best possible tone for the song and record the bass part.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: In terms of artists the list is endless, but the bass players that I would say have influenced me the most are: Bootsy Collins (James Brown, Parliament & Funkadelic) Nathan Watts (Stevie Wonder) Flea (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) Pino Palladino (session player) Paul Bender (Hiatus Kaiyote) Michael League (Snarky Puppy and session player)