Reader Spotlight: Keith Gibbons
Meet bassist Keith Gibbons, a working musician and songwriter from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Keith is our player in the spotlight for October 4, 2011.
Bio:
I’ve been a songwriter as far back as I can remember, but I didn’t realize that until a few years ago. I started playing bass because being in a band and writing pop-punk songs seemed like a lot of fun. Over the years, my tastes changed and I became more and more involved in movement and feeling, instead of just four chord progressions. I’ve played and recorded bass in numerous bands, moved to Las Vegas for a while with an old band I was in, and have had a lot of fun touring around our great country. Bass suits me well because it is understated but still very necessary in modern music.
Location:
Phoenixville, PA
Day gig:
Notary Public for the State of Pennsylvania.
Years experience:
11 years
Bands & Gigs:
I play bass in a band called Me Against Myself. We have toured before and are working on some upcoming tour dates. We’re a 5-piece Rock/Indie band with a new album, Nightfall In North America, recorded up at Vudu in Long Island, NY. You can check out the first new song on Facebook.
I also play guitar/write/sing in my other band, Modern Suits, but that’s a whole other website.
Gear:
- Fender American Precision Bass w/ Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders
- Aguilar 412 cab
- Ampeg SVT-4 PRO Head
- Sansamp (which I actually only use as a distortion/overdrive pedal. I play with a pick most of the time and I love the driven crunch I get from it.)
- Boss Tuner
- Line6 Echo Park Delay
- Monster Cables
Why I play the bass:
I went to Warped Tour one year and was a huge Blink-182 fan. It always seemed like there were so many guitarists out there and that bass was under-appreciated. So, my mom and I went to a music store to get piano sheet music for my sister and my eyes started to wander. That day I put a down payment on my first Squier P-bass package and have been playing ever since.
My bass superpower/claim to fame
I think my bass superpower is that I can make pretty much any bass sound good, if not way better than it is supposed to. I also push the limits of my equipment, and I once blew out an entire Ampeg 810. A costly mistake, but, a learning experience for sure.
My influences
Death Cab for Cutie, Blink-182, Alkaline Trio, Foo Fighters, Matt Rubano (ex Taking Back Sunday) and Copeland are probably my big influences when it comes to writing bass parts – whether it be their tone or their style, these bassists have influenced me in many ways.
More on the web:
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