The Bass Man Speaks
I have always had music in my head, but I was twenty years old before I first picked up a bass. A couple of my friends had started a band, I didn’t want to be left out. I got serious by playing a lot, listening, and mimicking the radio sitting next to my amp.
Rubberband was half covers and half original music—some Zeppelin, Doors, and Jimi Hendrix, plus some original blues. Each of the musicians in Rubberband had their own set ways. The keyboard player was into They Might Be Giants. The guitar player was into older blues, and the drummer, who was a Rush sycophant, was happy a Jewish bass player joined the band. These guys put me through music boot camp.
Then I joined a band called Train Wreck—another group covering classic rock songs. I was getting a little better, trying to put some of my crazy funk into the music—I was like a starter-set version of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and Primus’ Les Claypool.
I am a funk rock bass player who’s into syncopated rhythms and out there noises coming off the bass. My music isn’t templated, it has absorbed all those different styles with my own. I left Train Wreck and started writing my own stuff. I met David Draiman through a drummer friend—he was a singer into syncopated, style, and we hit it off, writing original songs.
We found a drummer right away, but we just couldn’t find a guitar player that clicked. For almost three years, all we did was audition people. It was an odyssey. One guy sold over a thousand aluminum cans to pay for the gas to get to the audition. Another guy showed up with hundreds of chicken bones in his car. We put ads in Chicago Reader and Illinois Entertainer looking for people. We each separately had our own frustrations in not being able to have a set, concrete band come out of all of these auditions. David joined a band on the South Side, which later became Disturbed. I went away from music for a year.
When I finally returned to music, I wasn’t steadily playing with anyone, just filling in for people here and there if they wanted a bass player. I answered an ad from singer/songwriter Jason Tillery, who was looking for a bass player for his band Nicotine. Kind of Southern rock with a little hint of country. He was such a talented guy. I learned their stuff, played a handful of shows, and played the Mobfest music fest in Chicago, where bands showcased to record label people. Jason had some connections, was about to be signed to a label, then did a complete 180 and wanted to go solo. He went the acoustic route and moved to Atlanta.
I did more fill-in work with bands and later joining a band called Abzu—the name comes from an ancient Egyptian reference. The drummer was into progressive rock, with a lot of chord changes and time signatures. We hit it off. I learned a lot musically and kept doing fill-in work.
It was okay; I had a good time, but I was pulling out my hair, trying to hook up with other people that were more serious about getting into the music business full-time. And it came to me: why don’t I just work on my own stuff? That’s what I did for the next two to three years. I was ready to put together a demo somehow and showcase my own stuff, when my wife Miriam and I went to a charity auction for the Piven Theatre in Evanston.
One of the prizes was a one-hour drumming lesson with Matt Walker, former drummer for Smashing Pumpkins, Filter, Garbage, Morrissey, and Liz Phair. Miriam thought it would be a good idea to bid on the lesson. I thought, what do I need drum lessons for?. Miriam thought he would be an awesome connection for me to have.
Well, she won the auction (thanks, Miriam, I love you!), I later contacted Matt Walker and told him that I was a bass player. He asked if I would like to record one thing; he has a studio in his basement. I got my drum lesson, we recorded with him on the drums and me on the bass, and it was amazing fun.
A couple months later, I thought, why not record a real demo in a recording studio. I emailed Matt Walker and asked if he’d be interested in working with me on a demo. We got together, had some practices, and went to I.V. Lab Studios to record 5 songs, just his drums and my bass. After the sessions he said that he really liked my stuff and how far would I want to take this., He wanted to produce my album. (Well, freakin' A!). Over the course of the next year, we recorded the songs and brought in additional session players for the guitar and keyboard parts. I also had the honor of working with Tony Levin, who recorded a fantastic bassline on one of my acoustic guitar songs.
I play this music the only way I know how to play it. Going from band to band, I was mad at other musicians who didn’t play to my speed. You can’t play slow if it’s meant to be played fast. It’s all about staying true to the music.
I’m going to be playing out live soon---me and my crazy-ass bass. I play music that’s full of energy, color, and good times. That’s what funk rock is all about. Crazy energy. That’s the kind of music I like to listen to. That’s the kind of music I make.
Rubberband was half covers and half original music—some Zeppelin, Doors, and Jimi Hendrix, plus some original blues. Each of the musicians in Rubberband had their own set ways. The keyboard player was into They Might Be Giants. The guitar player was into older blues, and the drummer, who was a Rush sycophant, was happy a Jewish bass player joined the band. These guys put me through music boot camp.
Then I joined a band called Train Wreck—another group covering classic rock songs. I was getting a little better, trying to put some of my crazy funk into the music—I was like a starter-set version of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and Primus’ Les Claypool.
I am a funk rock bass player who’s into syncopated rhythms and out there noises coming off the bass. My music isn’t templated, it has absorbed all those different styles with my own. I left Train Wreck and started writing my own stuff. I met David Draiman through a drummer friend—he was a singer into syncopated, style, and we hit it off, writing original songs.
We found a drummer right away, but we just couldn’t find a guitar player that clicked. For almost three years, all we did was audition people. It was an odyssey. One guy sold over a thousand aluminum cans to pay for the gas to get to the audition. Another guy showed up with hundreds of chicken bones in his car. We put ads in Chicago Reader and Illinois Entertainer looking for people. We each separately had our own frustrations in not being able to have a set, concrete band come out of all of these auditions. David joined a band on the South Side, which later became Disturbed. I went away from music for a year.
When I finally returned to music, I wasn’t steadily playing with anyone, just filling in for people here and there if they wanted a bass player. I answered an ad from singer/songwriter Jason Tillery, who was looking for a bass player for his band Nicotine. Kind of Southern rock with a little hint of country. He was such a talented guy. I learned their stuff, played a handful of shows, and played the Mobfest music fest in Chicago, where bands showcased to record label people. Jason had some connections, was about to be signed to a label, then did a complete 180 and wanted to go solo. He went the acoustic route and moved to Atlanta.
I did more fill-in work with bands and later joining a band called Abzu—the name comes from an ancient Egyptian reference. The drummer was into progressive rock, with a lot of chord changes and time signatures. We hit it off. I learned a lot musically and kept doing fill-in work.
It was okay; I had a good time, but I was pulling out my hair, trying to hook up with other people that were more serious about getting into the music business full-time. And it came to me: why don’t I just work on my own stuff? That’s what I did for the next two to three years. I was ready to put together a demo somehow and showcase my own stuff, when my wife Miriam and I went to a charity auction for the Piven Theatre in Evanston.
One of the prizes was a one-hour drumming lesson with Matt Walker, former drummer for Smashing Pumpkins, Filter, Garbage, Morrissey, and Liz Phair. Miriam thought it would be a good idea to bid on the lesson. I thought, what do I need drum lessons for?. Miriam thought he would be an awesome connection for me to have.
Well, she won the auction (thanks, Miriam, I love you!), I later contacted Matt Walker and told him that I was a bass player. He asked if I would like to record one thing; he has a studio in his basement. I got my drum lesson, we recorded with him on the drums and me on the bass, and it was amazing fun.
A couple months later, I thought, why not record a real demo in a recording studio. I emailed Matt Walker and asked if he’d be interested in working with me on a demo. We got together, had some practices, and went to I.V. Lab Studios to record 5 songs, just his drums and my bass. After the sessions he said that he really liked my stuff and how far would I want to take this., He wanted to produce my album. (Well, freakin' A!). Over the course of the next year, we recorded the songs and brought in additional session players for the guitar and keyboard parts. I also had the honor of working with Tony Levin, who recorded a fantastic bassline on one of my acoustic guitar songs.
I play this music the only way I know how to play it. Going from band to band, I was mad at other musicians who didn’t play to my speed. You can’t play slow if it’s meant to be played fast. It’s all about staying true to the music.
I’m going to be playing out live soon---me and my crazy-ass bass. I play music that’s full of energy, color, and good times. That’s what funk rock is all about. Crazy energy. That’s the kind of music I like to listen to. That’s the kind of music I make.
