Damian Erskine Archives - Page 6

NAMM Bass Bash videos keep coming… Here’s a great one, featuring the bass trio of Ray Riendeau, Damian Erskine and Evan Marien, with drummer Martin Diamond, performing Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City”.

Q: Have you ever felt, for any reason, like NOT doing a gig and if so, for what reasons? A: Of course!! More important than the reasons why (there have been SO many), though are the ways in which it is possible to alter ones perspective so that it is not as dreadful. I have been lucky enough to have...

Q: How do you prepare for a gig when you have a short amount of time to learn tunes? A: For me, it is more important that I have the tune internalized and have the vibe inside. The second thing is any hits that I’ll need to be aware of. If I can feel the tune, I can use my...

Q: What would you recommend to someone just starting out on bass? A: These are the things you will regret NOT doing if you stick with any instrument, so be ahead of the curve and do the work now, instead of later or never! 1. Learn to read music (not tab, but actual notation!) Read EVERY DAY, even if only...

Q: Would you describe what you strive for when setting up your bass? A: I actually just covered this in Bass Guitar Magazine (UK) recently. Here is my blurb from the magazine… The overall playability of my instrument is everything to me. If I have to fight the feel of my bass, I’ll have a harder time “letting go” and...

Wow, I love this record! Portland, Oregon resident and No Treble contributor Damian Erskine has produced an essential record that’s a real joy to listen to. So to Speak combines odd meters, Afro-Cuban percussion, passionate playing and carefully crafted arrangements to create a fine jazz fusion record. Damian composed all the tunes and his rich, sonorous bass playing is at...

Q: When you are presented with an opportunity to play with people you look up to, what is your approach? To you try and blow everyone away? A: Great question! The first thing I would say is to be yourself! Don’t try and play like this guy or that guy you’ve seen them with, don’t try and do anything that...

I had an appointment at NAMM that forced me to leave the first night of Bass Bash early at NAMM. Fortunately, someone filmed this performance of Damian Erksine and David Dyson, so I could catch some of the great bass I missed. Here’s what Damian had to say about the performance: “David Dyson is one of my groove heroes so...

Q: So as I walked around the house, my wife asked me, “What are you doing, space cadet?” I guess I had a fairly blank look on my face and was walking around the house in circles. I replied, “Playing Bass… in my head.” She then said, “huh… you should write about that for the No Treble guys!” And I...

Q: out of curiosity, what do you use when transcribing? Software or pencil & paper? I’m delving into this area more and grew up with the pencil & paper way, but am becoming more intrigued by all of the software “gadgets” out there. A: A little bit of all of those things, really. Here are my tips and practices for...

Check out this live performance of Damian Erskine and his band performing one of Damian’s tunes, “Fif”. The performance took place in Portland, at the Mission Theatre. Awesome tune. Maybe someone can Ask Damian Erskine what the time signature is!

Q: How do you discern whether you’re playing “appropriately” or over-playing? A: This is completely subjective and depends on: style of music you’re playing bandleaders interpretation of appropriate taste other things too, but that’s a good start! For the purposes of this article, I’ll assume we’re not talking fusion or jazz here. One simple thing to keep in mind is...