Reader Spotlight: Kayhan Golkar

Kayhan GolkarMeet Kayhan Golkar, a bass player from San Francisco who makes his living playing music (mostly), and performs with a band he says is “equal parts rock, western, surf and world music”.

Kayhan is our player in the spotlight for the week of August 28, 2012.

Bio:

I’m Kayhan Golkar, a Bay Area native. I picked up the bass 10 years ago and haven’t been able to put it down since. Ever since I was a kid I can remember how fascinated I was with the articulate use of ones hands while playing. The fundamentals seemed to come naturally to me in high school, and I took influence from all the greats.

Just as my passion for the bass was developing, I was equally excited about how to arrange a song and start writing original pieces. I have always considered myself a songwriter first, bass player second, and an obsessed gear nerd third. The electric bass has always been my favorite instrument to blend equal parts rhythm and melody.

Location:

San Francisco, CA

Day gig:

Odd jobs in San Francisco when not touring. Primarily a purveyor of alcohol (bartender)

Years experience:

10 years

Bands & Gigs:

I perform in an original rock band based out of San Francisco called Ambience. We have had an amazing time developing a fan base along the west coast over the last few years. Its equal parts rock, western, surf and world music.

Gear:

Axes:
Passive 4-string Fenders

Noise maker:
Ampeg Heritage SVT-CL & 8X10

Toys:
Lots of fuzz
A little bit a reverb

Wants:
Rickenbacker
Ampeg B15
More fuzz pedals

Why I play the bass:

I have always had an interest in playing bass. I was going through a music catalogue with a friend, and we decided to get a bass and guitar so we could jam after school. That turned into our current rock back that is still thriving ten years later.

My bass superpower/claim to fame

Not claiming any fame here… but I have been able to travel and share the stage with some amazing bands including Cold War Kids, Train, dredg, Civil Twilight, Mute Math and others…

My influences

Bass players: Chris Wolstenholme, Collin Greenwood, Georg Hólm, Ben Kenney, Alex Katunich, Kai Eckhardt

More on the web:

Photo by Nicole Ryan.

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Share your thoughts

  1. thanks for using my photo of Kayhan.

  2. Photo credit goes to Nicole Ryan. Thanks guys!

  3. Very proud of Kayhan Golkar!