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What’s your full name?
Lizzie Boredom. Occasionally Lizzie Bulletts - but never, ever, Elizabeth.
Where are you based Lizzie?
Brooklyn, New York, USA. Not the hipster part. I was born and raised here.
At what age did you first take a
bass in your hands? 25. I was a very
late starter.
What attracted you to playing bass?
I sucked at guitar, but still really wanted to play music. I met a few
badass bassists who told me that they too, were failed guitarists.
(Don't start a war here Lizzie! - Ed.). They persuaded me to start
playing bass and I decided to take their advice.
Did you play any other instrument
before you started playing bass?
Guitar.
Can you remember the first piece you
ever learned on bass? I taught
myself a bunch of L7 songs the first day I had the bass. I don't remember
what the first one was though.
What was your very first public
performance? I played a monkey in my
Kindergarten play of 'Hats For Sale'. Oh, you mean in a band? With my old
band The Mishap, at Meow Mix. I played guitar. I was terrified.
What’s your current band?
Lady Unluck, NYC all girl punk and roll party band!
What’s your main bass?
A Fernandes that thinks it's a Fender Jazz.
Body colour/wood?
It's Green. I don't really know what kind of wood.
What strings to you like best?
Ernie Balls! The Hybrid Slinkys are all I use.
What is your backline bass amp
setup? Whatever the band playing
with us or the club will lend us! I'm a notorious gear freeloader.
Fingers, plectrum or both? Pick! I only use fingers when I drop my pick or
the song is too fast for me to grab another one. By the way I am going to
say "plectrum" and not "pick" from now on. It sounds so much more
sophisticated.
Which ones?
The "Plectrums" (ahem) that I use are Dunlop "Gator Grip" 2.0mm. I like 'em
heavy.
Have you played double (upright) or
acoustic bass? I've messed around on
both but never done anything serious with them.
What type of music do you play?
Punk Rock
Who do you listen to when you’re not
playing? Punk, rock, 80s, New
Wave....I am a big disco geek and know the words to more embarrassing
songs then I care to admit.
Have you recorded/released any CDs?
Yes, Lady Unluck has two studio recordings.
What was your best gig/venue ever?
They are all pretty awesome....being in a band was all I have ever wanted
to do , ever since I was a little kid, so every show is a dream come true.
The first time we ever got to play at CBGB was pretty amazing. The most
recent time we played there, we had this wild mosh pit and it was such an
unbelievably cool moment to look up and see everyone going insane.
What was your worst moment onstage?
Almost puking from the heat at Warped Tour. Or when the band on the Ernie
Ball stage drowned us out on our last song, also at Warped Tour. We're
lucky that we haven't had any complete disasters on stage.
Were you ever on a TV show?
Not that I know of.
Did you ever make the cover of a
magazine? No, but we were featured
in the New York Waste and that was pretty exciting!
What’s your favourite album/CD?
I don't have a single favourite. Some of my all time favourites are X 'Los
Angeles', the 1st B52s album, Lunachicks 'Jerk Of All Trades', and The
Gits 'Frenching The Bully' .
Do you come from a musical family?
No one in my family plays, but music was always on in the car and around
the house. I guess my family is musical in that they love hearing music,
but I am so far the first to take it a step further. I have a teenage
brother and I try to corrupt him musically but so far he is not
interested.
If forming your ideal live band,
what instruments would you have with you onstage?
Guitar-bass and drums do it for me!
Do you see the bass as a solo
instrument? Nope. I know it's
possible, but I prefer it in a band setting.
What other bands have you been a
member of? Quite a few that never
made it out of the rehearsal space, and a band called The Mishap that
played a few shows locally.
Apart from your own projects, have
you played recording sessions with other artistes?
Not recording, but I have filled in live with a few local bands and loved
it! It's nice being thrown out of your comfort zone and playing a
different style.
Have you ever been to Ireland?
No....but its way on top of the list of places I want to visit!
Do you favour active or passive
electronics/pick-ups? I don't have
enough experience to answer that yet!
What other instrument would you like
to play? I'm content with bass. It
would be nice to be a good singer though!
If you could be taken to a concert
anywhere on earth tonight, who would you want to see live?
Truthfully, I just wish I could see the bands of my friends who live on
the West Coast.
What CD are you listening to most
these days? Retching Red
Do you have a pet? No pets. I can
barely take care of myself!
Do you have a day-job or do you play professionally?
I have two day jobs . Lucky for me, one of them is at a store that sells
musical gear!
Give one piece of “golden” advice to
someone who has just bought their first bass?
Learn a couple of your favourite songs, and start playing with other
people as soon as you can!
Have you any “bassist” jokes to
share? Q: How many bass players does
it take to change a light bulb? A: One, but no one paid attention!
Do you sing?
Not well. I do some backups in the band but they are mostly screaming not
singing.
Have you ever performed onstage
without your bass? I would be
useless on a stage without my bass.
Have you played outside your own
country? Does New Jersey count?
What’s your opinion on basses with
more than 4 strings? Silly unless
you are playing in a Norwegian Death Metal Band.
What do you feel is the bass-players function in a band?
We hold the whole damn thing together, even though no one notices. Have
you ever seen a show where the bassist goes out or gets unplugged or
whatever? The difference is astounding.
Did you ever have a famous person in
your audience? Tim Armstrong was at
a show of ours once. He was nice and bought t-shirts. We've had some of
our local heroes see us play and that is always my favourite.
What are your ambitions?
To be as good as Gyda Gash.
Thank you Lizzy.
See Lizzie's band's website on our Links page - Ed.
thanks to Liz for being part of BassGirls.Com
text and images are copyright
of Liz Boredom
and
BassGirls.Com
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