Reader Spotlight: Ron Jaworski
When I first saw this submission for Reader Spotlight, I did a double take… Ron Jaworski?
Turns out the ex-Eagle QB is not a bassist (at least that we’re aware of). This Ron Jaworski is, and we loved his story.
Ron has a pretty crazy day job, but manages to make time for his band – a band whose name “pretty much drives linguists nuts,” according to the bassist. He’s No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of November 3, 2014.
Bio:
I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines, although I’ve spent a good number of years living in Los Angeles, California. I picked up the bass back in high school (when Nu Metal was quite popular), but my band parted ways right before college. So, I pretty much stopped playing for about 6 years.
When I moved back to Manila in late 2009, an old friend of mine asked if I’d be interested in forming a metal band, so I picked up my dusty old bass and started writing songs.
Since then, we’ve released our debut album and have gone on tour a number of times. I’ve also added a few more strings to my bass, but I was unfortunately not able to add any additional fingers.
Location:
Metro Manila, Philippines
Day gig:
I’m a father of two, a PhD student, and a businessman during the day. I own a company that specializes in steel and structural works for high rise buildings and many other types of infrastructure. My work schedule is pretty intense (since our operations run 24 hours a day), but music is my passion! So I always make it a point to make time for songwriting / recording / practice / shows.
Years experience:
About 15 years, including my 6 year hiatus.
Bands & Gigs:
I play bass for a band called Il Nomine Patris, and we play Symphonic Progressive Metal. The name comes from a fusion of Italian (il) and Latin (in nomine patris), which pretty much drives linguists nuts. The band was founded on July 2010, and we’ve released our debut album late last year. We’ve done a few tours in the Philippines so far, and we’re looking to venture out into other countries sometime soon. Our current lineup consists of 7 members, bass (I use a 7- and an 8-string for our songs), drums, vocals, keyboards, and three 8-string guitarists. We’re currently working on our second album, and we’ll also be releasing a series of music videos sometime soon.
Our music is an amalgamation of multiple styles and genres, and each member’s role is fully utilized in each song. The riffs move from thrash, to heavy metal, to reggae, to ballad, to neoclassical, and down to odd-time breakdowns. There’s never a single formula that we follow though, we just do whatever sounds and feels “right”.
Gear:
- BassLab L-Bow Custom 8-string (incoming)
- Maestro 8-string bass (F#-B-E-A-D-G-C-F)
- Ibanez BTB7 (B standard tuning)
- Ibanez BTB676
- Albion ABH300 amp head
- Albion BLS115 cabinet
- Kustom 410 cabinet
Why I play the bass:
I started out by playing guitar, but there was just something about that low end that pulled me towards the bass. Also, there were only a handful of bassists at my high school, so I decided to take the road less traveled. One of the best decisions I’ve made!
My bass superpower/claim to fame:
I’ve never had any formal training, so I had to learn from scratch. And back then, it was all about dial up internet so the only resources I had were CDs and MTV! I also couldn’t afford to buy any decent gear, so I just had an entry-level bass and a cheap amplifier. Little did I know that these circumstances would lead me to develop a unique playing style that utilizes very aggressive plucking, slapping, and tapping techniques. Though it may seem “technical” at times, my bass lines are still very much in-line with the foundation of the song.
My influences:
Jeff Berlin, Niño Avenido, Tim Commerford, Flea, Franck Hermanny, Alex Webster, and the great Abrahan Laboriel.
More on the web:
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