John Ferrara’s “Skinned Knees and Make Believe” Expands the Language of Solo Bass
John Ferrara‘s third solo album, Skinned Knees and Make Believe, is finally out in the wild. That’s appropriate, because that’s where he recorded it.
The bassist tracked his newest songs while in Costa Rica near Corcovado National Park, and he even included ambient sounds from the jungle where he recorded. “I went out to the middle of the jungle with a battery-powered amp, an iRig, and a Zoom recorder to capture the ambient noise,” he told us in a recent interview.
It creates the perfect backdrop to Ferrara’s solo bass wizardry. The music on this album is a snapshot of his continuing evolution, furthering his use of technical feats to accomplish his musical ideas. He also expanded his harmonic palette by writing a piece in a major key. “A Catalyst for Change” is an ebullient song that poured out in a rush of inspiration.
“In a way, I think all of my songs are developed through a process of stream of consciousness, mixed with refinement along the way. However, this song, for whatever reason, felt like it wanted more scene changes than usual,” he told us. “It’s like when an author is creating characters and then imagining how they would talk and act in a way that would naturally construct a story. I just do my best to take the riffs that I come up with and see where they actually want to go.”
“System of Artifacts” is another standout track that proves how much music can be made with just one bass.
Skinned Knees and Make Believe is available now on vinyl through Bandcamp and digitally through Spotify, (Apple Music, and Amazon Music). Ferrara will be on tour for the majority of the fall, so be sure to catch him live.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
