Reader Spotlight: Carla Betz

Meet bassist Carla Betz, who has one of the coolest stories we’ve read among the Reader Spotlight submissions. Carla is an actress (and bartender too), and it was thanks to her acting career that she became a bassist. Her credentials are a mile long, and her answer to the “superpower” question is a Tenacious D reference. How cool is that?

Carla is our bass player in the spotlight for the week of January 22, 2013.

Bio:

Carla Betz grew up in Woodinville, WA, a suburb of Seattle, and now lives in Los Angeles, CA. She has played bass for 12 years and has played gigs all over Los Angeles, Las Vegas, England, Ventura, and Orange County. Carla has been seen playing bass on several TV shows and films, including episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Beverly Hills, 90120”. She currently plays bass for Hollywood punk band “The Trainwrecks”.

Past projects include “Fireball Johnson” (signed to Music Masters), all girl AC/DC tribute band “Girls Got Rhythm” and “The Chubbies” (signed to Sympathy for the Record Industry).

Carla is also an actress and has appeared in numerous indie films, TV shows and commercials. She is also a photographer, poker player, wine drinker and animal lover.

Location:

Los Angeles, CA USA

Day gig:

Actress and bartender at David Arquette’s night club, Bootsy Bellows.

Years experience:

12 years

Bands & Gigs:

I play bass for The Trainwrecks. We are a three-piece pop/punk/rock band similar to Green Day, MxPx, Rise Against and Weezer. We are currently recording our second album at Secret Door Studios in Los Angeles.

Gear:

• I recently got endorsed by Daisy Rock Guitars, I play their Rebel Rocket bass
• Jackson JJ
• Ibenez Musician (complete with broken headstock and blood stains from falling off the stage)
• Ampeg head and cab

Why I play the bass:

I booked a TV pilot, “The Aqua Girls”, which about four girls in band. At the time I played guitar and they had cast two guitar players and needed one of us to learn bass. I volunteered and fell in love with it.

My bass superpower/claim to fame

What power you ask? The power to kill a yak from 200 yards away…with mind bullets!

My influences

Matt Freeman, John Entwistle, Krist Novoselic, Duff McKagan

More on the web:

• The Train Wrecks website
• The Train Wrecks on Facebook
• The Train Wrecks on Youtube
• The Train Wrecks on Twitter
• Carla on Twitter
• Carla on IMDB