|
Lee Cave-Berry, welcome
to BassGirls.Com - Where are you based?
Cambridge, UK.
At what age did you
first take a bass in your hands?
About 15 I think I bought my bass in
the summer of 1973.
What attracted you to playing
bass? I worked it out quite
carefully. It was a toss-up between bass and drums because I knew that's
what I danced to the most. I eventually decided because of a track by
Alice Cooper called "Halo of Flies" because there's a place in that where
the bass holds the rhythm and the drums solo over it. I also loved that it
was melodic... I'm going to see Alice for the first time in November..
looking forward to it!
Did you play any other instrument
before you started playing bass?
I dabbled with a bit of acoustic guitar. Actually I asked for one for
passing my 11+, but unfortunately my folks got me one with an unplayable
action (of course I only found that out later .. at the time I thought it
was just me). I played recorder at school and had a few piano lessons that
I hated!
Can you remember the first piece
you ever learned on bass? Oh yes
.. Pink Floyd's Money .. couldn't have chosen anything in boring old 4/4
could I ? :)
What was your very first band?
It was with a couple of guys at
a local school .. Mick and Steve. I think we did a couple of rehearsals
and a wedding anniversary. A friend of theirs introduced me to a proper
gigging musician (Bob Nicholas)
What other bands were you a
member of? Oh gosh .. if I leave
any out .. sorry ...Bill Hooker and the Stevedores ; Dick, Dick and the
Cockettes; Blotto; The Mal Gray Band (toured supporting Fats Domino);
Lizard (Ipswich); The Outpatients (Colchester); The Legionaires (Ipswich);
Dr Skull and the Crossbones; Magnum Force; The Rapiers; Adventure
Playground; Lightening Strikes (Wales); The Big Kick (York); 3's a Crowd
(Gibraltar); White Trash (Gibraltar).
What's your current band?
Jack, Gig-L and Kimberley Rew
What's your main bass?
Burns (Baldwin) Baby Bison made in the 1960's which I bought second-hand
in 1973 for £60 and now has a gorgeous Gibson pickup donated and fitted by
Guitar Man Pete Towers. (It's a beauty - Ed.)
Do you think that the wood
effects the tone/sound/sustain of your bass?
Most definitely.. I've just bought a new Ibanez and have to use a graphic
EQ to make it sound how I think a bass should. Trouble is.. weight!
Have you a preference for active
or passive electronics? I'll let
you know when I've had my Ibanez a bit longer..
What strings to you like best?
Well for my Burns I use Rotosound usually .. only they've been messing
about with the length of the lower E string and its beginning to annoy me.
How often would you change your
strings? I change them when they
go dk!
What is your backline bass amp
setup? No-one can accuse me of
being fickle when it comes to gear.. I use a 60 watt H|H bass baby combo
that Mark Noel-Johnson suggested to me in 1982.. with wheels on! I have
bought a second one that I use with it for the larger venues (with no
massive PA).
Fingers, plectrum (pick) or both?
Totally crap with a plectrum
(don't think I got the wrist action in when I was a teenager .. probably
why I use my fingers!)
Have you played double (upright)
or acoustic bass? Once ...
totally different beastie ... LOVE the sound.. totally impractical for a
Lee!
What type of music do you play?
Rock, Rock and Roll, Pop, Brit pop, Blues.
Who do you listen to when you're
not playing? I don't listen to
much really anymore .. like most old people!! I like to listen to stuff I
liked when I was a teenager and I like to listen to music written by
people I know .. or vaguely know, rather than what the media says I should
hear. Kim plays me a lot of music that I didn't know from the '50s and
early '60s... and he gets given a lot of music to listen to which I listen
to with him.
Have you recorded/released any
CDs? Recorded a CD called Spring
Forward with 16 of my own tracks on.. released independently and you can
buy it at cdbaby.com or nightcafe.co.uk. Recorded a CD with 6 of my own
songs on with Jaimie Chiappe as 3's a Crowd. Another 5 songs I recorded on
acoustic guitar in Gibraltar.I sang backing vocals on all 3 of Kimberley
Rew's last solo albums and played bass on the last two. Have just released
a limited edition of '50s duets with Kim. About to release a limited
edition of a live Jack gig.
What was your best gig/venue
ever? Covering for Matthew
Seligman at a Soft Boys gig in Paris in 2003.. playing THOSE songs with
THOSE people.... sigh!
What was your worst moment
onstage? Mal will laugh if he
sees this, but in Essen in Germany the tour manager sent me out in front
of 1000 people on my own - when I thought I was going to be part of a
band! I think I kind of scuttled on with a half-wave .. plugged my bass
guitar in .. turned round.. and there were the rest of the band in the
wings killing themselves with laughter and the audience had big ??? over
their heads.. apparently they'd arranged for a spotlight to follow me on
too!!! I think I died a thousand deaths for about 3 months after!
Were you ever on a TV show?
I was in a local (Cambridge Red) TV show with Johnno and Andy Wright.I was
also interviewed with Jaimie (3's a Crowd) for Gibraltar TV .. although
I've never seen this interview and suspect it maybe somewhat
embarrassing..
What's your favourite album/CD?
Too many! Dark Side of the moon - Pink Floyd; Crime of the Century -
Supertramp; Who's Next - The Who; Led Zepellin II; Can of Bees - The Soft
Boys; NextDoorLand - The Soft Boys; The Dead Students - Martin
Newell; Rarer Gifts - The Lonely Tunnel Into Summer; Great Central and
Essex Hideaway - Kimberley Rew.
Do you play/own any other
instruments? I have two acoustic
guitars (home/live), two basses, and one electric 6 string. I also have a
plethora of percussion, and a midi keyboard that I haven't used yet!
What other instrument would you
most like to play? At the moment
I'd like to be able to be good at lead guitar but really I'm most happy as
a bass player.
What was the best concert you
were ever at? Tooo difficult ..
I LOVED watching the Soft Boys.. I was knocked out by Status Quo and Chuck
Berry (only last year). I loved Dr Feelgood, The Pirates and Albert Lee.
Pink Floyd in Bristol in the 1970's .. I floated outa there..
Do you sing?
Yes .. some songs are more difficult than
others.
Have you ever performed onstage
without your bass? Yes .. I've
played rhythm guitar and keyboards (hated that.. can't move!), tambourine
and just sang!
Have you played outside your own
country? Germany, Austria,
Holland, Spain, Italy, Denmark, France.
What's your opinion on basses
with more than 4 strings? Sorry
..can't really see the need for them. Bit posey.
What do you feel is the
bass-players function in a band?
The Glue. The heart. The knitting between the drums (rhythm) and
everything else (music).
Did you ever have a famous person
in your audience? How
about Alan Rickman? That count? (Sure does - a fine actor ~ Ed.).
What are your ambitions?
I would love to have a large
audience who'd all come to see ME play.. and think I'm great.. one can
still dream ... I have others too.
thanks to Lee for being part of BassGirls.Com
text and images are copyright
of Lee Cave-Berry and
BassGirls.Com
|
