Interviews - Page 10

John Jarvis has been tearing it up on the bass in Pig Destroyer for five years, but Head Cage is the first album to feature his bass playing. That’s no big deal for some bands, but Jarvis is also the only bassist they’ve ever had. Fitting his sound into the already intense band was tricky at first, but Jarvis is...

Steve Lawson’s new album, Beauty and Desolation, could not have a better title. The completely improvised album teeters between delicate melodies and ominous soundscapes that seem to be a perfect picture of our times. He takes us on this sonic journey with just his bass – and a boatload of gear. Improvisation and being in the moment are key to...

Chris Lightcap has an exquisite new album called Superette that takes his jazz-oriented music in a new direction. The album is named after his new all-electric ensemble featuring Jonathan Goldberger and Curtis Hasselbring on guitars and Dan Rieser on drums. An experiment in sounds, the group is described as exploring “the nexus of of harmolodics, surf, West African music, psychedelia...

Agapésoul has just released their sophomore album, Conversations, featuring a host of guest artists supported by a core group of musicians. In the center of that core is bassist and bandleader Darryl Anders. Originally from Florida, Anders grew up in a musical family and picked up the bass after starting on trumpet in third grade. One listen to the monster...

I’m always interested in unique characters that play the bass, so when I read that Lucas Warford was described as “the acid baby of Tom Waits and Les Claypool,” I was sold. One listen to his band Three for Silver backs up that portrayal. Warford’s unique style isn’t just an act. He thrives on creativity and making his visions come...

Over his career, Byron Isaacs has worked with some of the greatest songwriters of our time: Levon Helm, Willie Nelson, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Roseanne Cash, and more. He co-founded the bands Ollabelle and Lost Leaders, plus he’s spent the past few years recording and touring the world with The Lumineers. Suffice it to say, he’s been around...

The new Parquet Courts album, Wide Awake!, is an amazing listen that displays the band’s continued growth and evolution. That’s especially true for bassist Sean Yeaton, whose hooky bass lines serve as a melodic focal point in the music. Like many of us, Yeaton started as a guitarist. He switched to bass specifically for Parquet Courts and although he’s played...

Bassist/composer Adi Meyerson has taken the opportunity of her debut album to take a musical snapshot of her life. Where We Stand is a testament to her time as a working bassist in New York City as well as our times. “Music is a way of telling one’s life story and that’s what I try to do every time I...

John Ferrara has released a stunning new duo album with percussionist Seth Moutal entitled Frail Things in Sharp Places. The bassist, who many know for his band Consider the Source, seems to get every last ounce of music out of his instrument over the 11-song collection. Although his extensive playing techniques are extremely impressive, it is obvious that they are...

For some of us bassists, adding a fifth string is a stumbling block. That’s why it’s jaw-dropping to see and hear someone like Linus Klausenitzer, who tackles the insane music in Obscura with a six-string fretless. The German technical death metal band is not the kind of group that rests on their musical laurels, and the bassist wouldn’t have it...

New Orleans is a city steeped in tradition, but a big part of their culture is constant evolution. That may be why James Singleton is one of the busiest bassists in town. He’s been a mainstay of the scene for over four decades by playing a myriad of styles with tons of music legends: John Scofield, Ellis Marsalis, Stanton Moore,...

The Melvins have followed up last year’s double album, A Walk with Love & Death, with a double bass album. features both Steven McDonald and Jeff Pinkus laying down the low end on original tunes plus some outstanding covers. The album title is a riff on the name of a record by the Butthole Surfers, with whom Pinkus was a...