Reader Spotlight: Jeremy Middleton
Meet Jeremy Middleton, a busy bassist living in the Nashville area who got his start thanks to his dad taking him to gigs as far back as he can remember.
Jeremy is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next!) Here’s his story…
Bio:
I grew up in southwest Ohio with a guitar-playing dad who took me to load-in’s while I was a toddler, gave me his fretless Kay Les Paul copy when I was a kid, hired me for gigs as a teen, and told me to learn every style I could – sage advice that has taken me from nightclubs to the White House, from salsa bars to the Grand Ole Opry, and from Canada to South America.
Location:
Nashville, TN
Day gig:
Being a good husband to my wife of 20 years, and a good father to my three kids, for as long as I can between gigs.
Years experience:
30 years.
Bands & Gigs:
I’m the bassist for Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, 2015 Grammy nominees for Bluegrass Album and 2016’s International Bluegrass Music Association Instrumental Group Of The Year. We play a variety of theatre dates and prominent bluegrass and music festivals year round, and teach at music camps across the country.
I’m the bassist for The Bart Walker Band, an aggressive blues trio that treats every gig like a title fight. We were quiet in 2016 while Bart toured with blues supergroup Royal Southern Brotherhood, but we have several dates and a new recording on the calendar for 2017.
I’m the bassist and bandleader for Becky Warren, a remarkable Americana songwriter, vocalist, and veteran’s advocate. I arranged and co-produced her acclaimed solo debut, War Surplus, and toured with her on dates in 2016 and 2017, opening for the Indigo Girls. We hope to begin tracking a follow up album this fall.
I’m the bassist for Jered Ames, a Nashville artist who performs at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Honky Tonk Central, and Rippy’s BBQ and Ribs on lower Broadway. We play country music – and whatever the audience requests – from three to five nights a week in the heart of Music City.
Gear:
- ’00’s Fender Precision 5, modded with J
- ’00’s Fender Geddy Lee Jazz, MIJ
- ’14 Gibson EB 5 string
- ’00’s G. Gould #1056 5 string
- ’83 Ibanez RB888
- D’Addario Strings
- D’Addario Circuit Breaker Cables
- Oscartone tone circuit
- Ampeg SCR-DI
- GK MB115-II
- Dunlop Tortex .88’s
- Chadwick Folding Bass #100
- Fishman Platinum Pro EQ/DI
Why I play the bass:
My dad helped me decide – he handed me my first bass around the fourth or fifth time he’d put fresh strings on his guitar for a gig only to find I’d snuck in, played the strings until they were dead, then put it back. Also, incredible jealousy of my friend who got to play in church.
My bass superpower/claim to fame:
I would never presume to claim a superpower – but I appreciate the reputation among my downtown Nashville peers that I “know a lot of songs.” I’m also a proud member of the “I Knew Every Note Of Every Rush Song As A Teen” club.
My influences:
Rush, Steely Dan, Jaco and Rocco, McCartney, Jamerson, JPJ, Pete Quaife and John Dalton, Carol Kaye, Mike Bub, Marshall Wilborn, Danny Booth, Alan Bartram, Mark Schatz, Howard Watts, Rob Wasserman, Todd Phillips, John Cowan, Bobby Slone, Jimmy Carter, Jimmie Lee Sloas, and no fewer than 2 dozen other amazing Nashville bass players whether famous or completely unknown.
More on the web:
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