Reader Spotlight: Kevin Aguirre

Kevin AguirreMeet Kevin Aguirre, a bassist from Mexico who enjoys being on the path of musical exploration. Starting out on guitar first, he later made the switch to bass and it was all over. Check out his hilarious story of his first gig on bass.

Kevin is the No Treble reader in the spotlight for the week of August 19, 2013.

Bio:

I’m 19 and I’m really into jazz, thanks to school. I like country, pop, and electronic music as well, but I play indie rock. I have a duet called Clock the Night with one of my very best friends.

I live in Monterrey, a city in Mexico very focused on industry. But the music scene is really interesting, and I feel it is growing in comparison to the past.

I studied Contemporary Music at Fermatta Music Academy in Guadalajara and came back to Monterrey to keep going with my band.

Location:

Monterrey, Mexico

Day gig:

My steady day job is working as the manager of an automotive workshop/carwash. It is a nice job because it lets me study business and I get Saturdays off, which gives me time to record, play and practice with my band. I also do a lot of freelancing, importing instruments from the US. I’m also a substitute for some musical shows, and I do a little producing from time to time.

Years experience:

6 years, steadily.

Bands & Gigs:

We are currently recording the first EP in my band, Clock the night. We’re a duet with me on bass and a singer/guitarist. Normally we have other friends playing other stuff like synthesizers, drums or an additional guitar, but in our on typical gigs, you’ll only see the two of us on stage doing our thing.

I like to think it is a really interesting and new project. We play indie, country, folk and blues with a nice mix in genres. We are about to release our first EP, so stay tuned!

Every month I get together with some friends and play in a jazz quintet. It is a really nice change of pace compared to what I usually play.

Gear:

  • 84 Fender Precision Bass with Rotosound flatwounds
  • 73 Rickenbacker 4001
  • Fender Standard Precision Bass
  • Fender Cabronita bass
  • Peavy Patriot bass
  • Yamaha RBX5 5-string bass
  • Acoustic B410 cab
  • Acoustic B115 cab
  • Eden WTX500 amplifier
  • Custom PPG pedalborad

Why I play the bass:

I got into guitar lessons at my school when I was 10, so I started learning guitar first – and I was not that good either. But the next logical step was to start a band, and I started my indie/punk rock band at the age of 12 – with me as a guitar player. A few years later in middle school I was band-less and one of my ex-bandmates needed a bass player for a gig. All of my friends had always told me to start playing bass, so I showed up with a Hofner Beatle bass to a progressive metal gig. They gave me a 5-string, and the rest is history.

My bass superpower/claim to fame

I’d like to think that I have a bass superpower like Garrison or Wooten, but the thing that I think makes me different is the way I use different techniques. I use my thumb along with my middle and index fingers to pull out everything I can – slap comes out very difficult to me, but fast is something I can work out. I’m very versatile in the way that whenever I feel like it, I can change what fingers I’m playing with to adapt to what I’m playing, whether it’s from indie rock, jazz or even Mexican folk music.

My influences

My influences! Well everyone can list Jaco Pastorius as an influence. He changed the way I did my phrasing.

Also I’ll list Janek Gwizdala and Matt Garrison as a big influences in developing my technique.

Pino Paladino, Pete Wentz from Fall out boy, Christopher Wolstenholme, James Jamerson, Pablo Gonzales Sarre from Los Claxons, Sabo Romo from Caifanes and Mark Stoermer from The Killers I think that are the bass players that had most influenced me either in technique or because of their style of music.

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