Reader Spotlight: Jeff Clark

Meet Jeff Clark, a bassist from Portland, Oregon and our player in the spotlight for November 23, 2010.

Bio:

I’m a lucky guy who wanted to learn music and did. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do anything. Keep it up and you’ll make it.

Location:

Portland, Oregon

Day gig:

I’m an administrator at Intel’s R&D facility. I’m also completing my MBA studies at Willamette University.

Years experience:

Since 1987

Bands & Gigs:

I co-founded a band in 2009 called Medicinal Purposes. We are a cover band performing rock from the early 70’s to the present, mixed with a lot of funk and dance. We believe in making the most out of our musicianship and treating the song as a starting point for live interpretation, not a museum piece for strict playing. It brings back the fun to live music.

Gear:

I have simple tastes.

• Ibanez SR400 bass upgraded w/active EMG pickups
• OLP Music Man bass
• Cimar Jazz bass
• Carvin R600 amp and RL21T “Red Eye” cabinets
• Behringer V-Amp Bass Pro preamp/effects

Why I play the bass:

I’d always loved hearing the bass, but when I was 13 I heard The Police and their live sound was incredible. And the mixture of a singer/songwriter/bassist seemed to blend so perfectly, I said “I can do that.” That was the pivotal moment in my life, and I just had to move forward with it.

My bass superpower/claim to fame

I can play and sing at the same time. It was one of those hard counterpoint things to overcome, and I refused to join a band until I had that down. I’m not gonna be forced to the sidelines.

My influences

Carmine Rojas, Sting, Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce, John Taylor, Louis Johnson, Bootsy Collins, Tony Sales, Alfonso Johnson, Stanley Clarke, Abraham Laboriel, Charles Mingus, Carol Kaye, James Jamerson…and finally, MarloweDK, that genius on the web who’s brought funk playing back to so many fanatics like myself.

More on the web:

• Medicinal Purposes (band site)
• Medicinal Purposes (Facebook)