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Featured Bassist
This month's featured bassist is... Edward G		"I think I am an example of arrested development, at least when it comes to bass (some would argue that it is not limited to bass)."
I first picked up a bass at age 15 after my guitar-playing bud and I realized that it might be the only way we would get a bass player. This was after placing a series of ads in the 'Young World' section of a local newspaper in a semi-serious attempt at starting a band. It was my first time observing the phenomena of guitarists falling out of trees, angry-hearted drummers, and the relative scarcity of bass players -or people who even wanted to play bass. You couldn't attract a real bass player unless you were already working, which clearly wasn't the case for us. From that point on I started noticing bass lines in songs, often hearing myself say 'If that's all it takes, I can do that.' Somehow the Motown stuff was different. No matter how much I listened to it and loved it, it just seemed so daunting. But that's another story.
My first bass was a natural Gibson Grabber, which I thought was beautiful at the time. When I moved to a sunburst/maple Fender Precision within a year, in my own mind I had gone to heaven. But my bass-playing youth was plagued by a persistent problem: inadequate amplification. I could always get a decent bass, but the decent amps were always out of my financial reach, so I was pretty earthbound as far as trying out my talents on people outside of my social orbit. Besides at that age it was hard to take ANYTHING worthwhile too seriously. Boy, if I knew then what I know now.
I gave it up totally when I went to college, and stayed away from it for about nine years, when I took it up again in a bizarre attempt to spend more time around the house with my first (note: first) wife. It turned out to be a pretty tough sell, since I was practicing all the time. As a result, I gave it up again about a year later, selling my axe and rig again to buy stereo equipment, which I have managed to keep, so I suppose it could have been worse. At that point, I officially swore off stringed instruments forever. My frustration was simply too intense. Oh yes, that very unmusical first wife went a separate way too. In the early 90s, I fell in with a coworker who ran with a musical crowd (some amateur, some professional, all quite earnest about it) and started to enjoy the scene they had. Impulsively, I bought a drum kit, because I thought it might be good to beat on something. Besides, I was through with stringed instruments. This crowd knew me as a drummer, which was fine with me. I would play at their parties. It was a positive, receptive environment, totally non-judgmental, and perfect for someone trying to discover --perhaps rediscover-- a musical voice. If your attitude was good, there was no pressure to play like a god. After a few years of drumming, I woke up and said to myself, 'Who are you kidding? You're a bass player. Go play some bass.' So in April 1995, at age 34, I got one: a worn '74 Precision with the finished stripped off of it and a BXR-100 amp, both from local stores that no longer exist. To me, that setup sounded like a chorus of angels. It was at that point I made a commitment to myself to never, ever, put it down again. I realized that that no matter how dark life ever seemed, it was always a little better when I was playing. And as I progressed and relearned and eventually surpassed anything I could ever do before, it became clear to me that bass was something I really connected with and that I could make a difference nearly anywhere when I played. It made me and most other people pretty happy. I've been working on my thing ever since, been in a lot of bands (too many, really), trying to recoup some of that lost experience, always wondering if I will ever get there. It's not that easy to fake experience. Playing well, I have found, is only part of working as a musician. Experience is what helps you deliver when the lights come on and/or the tape starts rolling.
Listen to 'Playing With My Mind' This one was recorded in February 1999 with a blues band Edward was in, Crocodile Tears, in Laurel, Maryland.		Listen to 'You Keep Sayin' That You're Leaving' Here is another demo recording from Crocodile Tears, recorded at the same session.
"The band recorded these to include in our promo packages to local club owners/managers to get us gigs. I thought the band sounded pretty good and had a chance to get much better, but it was yet another casualty of 'creative differences'.
The challenge as a player never varies, however. There is always a multitude of things to improve upon. You're technically never as good as you'd like to be, but what's most important is being able to convey a feeling. That's what I like, making people feel it, whether it's with 12 short notes or just one really long one. It's about painting emotional pictures. Some of us are Picasso; some of us are cartoonists. It can all be honest and insightful. Or just plain dumb. So here I stand before you, with my sweet wife, who has been with me for most of this new journey as I have bounded from project to project, and my teenage son, who can't decide if I'm the hippest cat in the room or a pitiful old loon. I try, with mixed results, not to look too crazy as I pursue this unseemly obsession in the face of monumental pressure to grow up and stay grown. There is a way to keep to my musical and artistic interests balanced with my professional interests and ambitions, and I will find it. In the meantime, I'll be praying that this case of arrested development ends up being a simple case of late blooming. And if not, I'll still have my bass, whether the amp is worth a damn or not. Edward Graham Baltimore, MD USA 1/3/03
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From the makers of LeCompteBass.com		ver 5.0 May 12th, 2007