Reader Spotlight: Trey Anderson

Meet bassist Trey Anderson, a young bassist who already has an impressive past and an even brighter looking future in music. We were impressed by Trey’s love for classical and jazz, and his “normal life on the side” comment. This is one serious musician.

Trey is our player in the spotlight for the week of March 27, 2012.

Bio:

I’m a full-time bassist who happens to be in my senior year of high school, and I live a normal life on the side. I play mainly jazz and orchestral bass on my baby, my upright bass.

I also love to jam out to any style of music imaginable. My dad has even caught me stealing the bass drop from electro/house songs and transcribing it!

Location:

Fairview, Texas, USA

Day gig:

I have a full plate with my school and preparing for college, so no paying day job here. I do teach lessons to beginner bassists in my area though.

Years experience:

Eight years on electric, and five on upright.

Bands & Gigs:

I’ve started up multiple small projects, but none of them have come to fruition yet. My latest band is a jazz quartet with some guys in my area, and we plan on starting gigs in a couple months.

I did some Real Book jazz gigs with some college friends who are off at the University of North Texas. My favorite project, however, is a duet with a cellist friend of mine. We’re putting together Domenico Dragonetti’s Duetto per Violoncello E Controbasso. It’s absolutely beautiful!

Gear:

• Robin Jaywalker bass
• Fender American Deluxe Fretless Jazz Bass
• Eastman Master 605 bass
• MXR bass d.i.+
• QSC USA900 that I run my bass signal through from my d.i.
• SWR Goliath Senior 6×10

Why I play the bass:

Honestly, in fifth grade I wanted to join the middle school band and play the saxophone. Bass wasn’t even on my radar except for the cool pictures of the big instrument that a guy held up to play. My parents, however, wanted me to play bass so that I could be included in my family’s reunion music circle each year. They gave me a choice: either I could learn piano or bass. I chose bass because it looked like an electric guitar, and those were cool.

It’s the dumbest set of events possible, but I quickly fell in love with the little Ibanez bass my parents bought me, and I’ve been playing ever since.

Upright bass was more of my decision. As I was going into eighth grade, I found out that my new school had an orchestra. My dad told me that upright basses are tuned the same as electrics, so I immediately signed up, and within a month I was first chair bassist in the middle school orchestra.

I’ve held that position all through high school, and have been improving all the while.

My bass superpower/claim to fame

My claim to fame may also be my downfall. I play everything I can get my hands on. My superpower? Somehow I can pull most styles off with some practice! I think my biggest surprise factor is that no one expects a kid like me to be able to keep up with them when they launch into a song they think I’ve never heard. I actually had a guy shaking my hand at an acoustic jam one day after he tried to catch me off-guard by calling “Dizzy Atmosphere.” I kept up with him through the chord changes and even played an acceptable solo — much to his surprise!

My influences

I’m influenced by any bass player who can do something I can’t yet. I’ve learned from Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius, Kris Berg (a professor at Collin College), my orchestra director Joey Sloan – who is a phenomenal orchestral bassist, Lynn Seaton, Gary Karr, Ryan Martinie and many, many others.

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