I’ve played with some people who are famous and awesome, some who are slightly famous, some who are thankfully obscure, some who are not famous but should be, some who are famous but, let’s face it, have no right to be (I hear they speak highly of me as well!). Shall I gush about individuals? Well it IS Myspace after all. No, most of the time, it’s just about feeling the groove, no more, no less. Sometimes it’s just about being paid (ugh, how vulgar, imagine having to earn a living). The best bit is just locking into a group of players and letting it sound like it will sound. Orchestral, theater, rock, jazz, folk, ummmmm............ and stuff. Not necessarily in that order.
Influences
The Bible. Probably the first musical influence was listening to dad singing the bass lines to the hymns in Chapel and wanting to sing like dad did, then I noticed that the pipe organ was playing the same lines, but two octaves lower. How cool is that?! I just like to play low notes. Of course a shout goes out (as the young people say) to the inevitables like Jaco, Jamerson, Pino. Can I play like them? I should say, why would I want to sound like anybody else? The reality is that I'd love to, but........ well........y'know. JS Bach (best bass lines EVER), my 'cello teacher for booting me out and making me start with a Double Bass teacher. M'eshell Ndegeocello - more groove than a ploughed field. Any good drummers who just FEEL where it's going, no need to analyse it, just go. Always remember kids, life is too short to play with bad drummers. I'm badly influenced by bass web sites and ebay. They make me buy more kit. I have no control.
Sounds Like
A slightly tired bassist who is having a good time sending out positive low frequency vibes.
I play bass - Double Bass and Bass Guitar. I know lots of people who can play loads of instruments really well. I cannot. I admire them, but I just play the bass. Would I have it any other way? Not really. Nope. Holding down the bottom end. Where it's at. All that twiddly stuff? Not my problem.
The tracks are :-
Caveira - by Romulo Fróes. Nice and raw and edgy. I did not play on this (but would love to!), but my friend from Brazil is releasing it in March and I thought I would provide a sneak preview. He is in my top friends if you need more info
Candylion - Gruff Rhys http://www.myspace.com/candylionmusic. Me on Bass.
Myfanwy - Acoustique/Black Absynth remix. Me on Bass and atmospheric squeaky thing (Bass harmonics if you are geeky enough to care.)
Tywod - new song from Acoustique - me on bass. We are no longer working on a new album, these things happen.
Nos da mam - Horror, just realised that I have not given any credits for this one. It is a song from Steve Eaves' album "Moelyci". Steve spreading his mellow vibe.
Darluniau - me laying it down to some phat beats by Cyrion (the mighty Theston on kit and 9tonne rapping). It is all played live, no audio quantisation or pitch shift were involved when I did it. I was on fire (by the 13th take - well, my fingers were anyway). Obviously, as soon as I left, Cyrion made it all work with copious amounts of quantise and pitch shift. I hope it took him a long time because it was a pig to play. Those crazy kids!
If you like what you hear and need a bassist to go "Thump Thump Thump" at the bottom of a track, give me a shout. If you need a bassist to go Thump Thack-a-ta-thack-a-ta thump widdle widdle Thack-a-ta then I can put you on to some friends of mine.
Naddo, ma'r llall dal yn fyw, ond o'n i really casau'r swn arna fo ac o'n i di really out-playio fo, so bass newydd iddi! Sut ma bob dim fyny'n y gogledd? Unrhyw newydd o ochra Bangor? Huw
Hey iawn Owen? S'mai ers tro? Meddwl sw'n i'n gadal neges, deud dwi di cal bass newydd, Austrian dros 100 oed, awesome o offeryn! Exciting double bass gear talk! Huw
Dioch am y 'comment' wa, newydd sylwi bod on deud bo chdin meddyl bo Bach efor bass lines gora erioed, geshi conversation fo ffrind noson o blaen lle onin deud mwy ne lai yr un peth.. good call Mei
Ciao Owen, il mio contrabbasso è appartenuto negli ultimi anni a Jan Goilav, forse è stato lui il tuo maestro? so che abita in USA. Anche il tuo contrabbasso non scherza!! é originalissimo leopardato. Aguri cari di Buon Natale Sergio
I feel so lame - I just realized that it's leopard print, not cheetah! But, yes, you are right, I would love to have some bass in the Lillie Lemon band... so when are you coming to the US? lol
