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Shalini Chatterjee,
what attracted you to playing bass? The low sound, and the importance of bass in rock and roll and blues. It's
like having a melodic version of drums.
Where are you based?
Forsyth County, North Carolina, USA.
At what age did you first take a bass in your hands?
Seventeen
Did you play any other instrument before you started playing bass?
Yes, violin for 10 years. I was a Suzuki player and not very good. I sold
my violin this year. It was about time! I never wanted to play violin
anyway. I think it was my pushy mom's idea. I wanted to play guitar when I
was little. But like I said, my mom was pushy so at 8 I found myself with
a violin. Yuck.
Can you remember the first piece you ever learned on bass?
Probably
something I made up. I should have spent more time learning covers but I
was anxious to make up for lost time, having wasted so much of it on
violin, I wanted to jumo right into an original rock band.
What was your very first band?
Kissyfish
What other bands were you a member of?
Let's see, I played bass in Yuji Oniki's band in Berkeley California in 1991, also briefly joined a SF vocal
type band on bass in 1991 called Spirit House, and played bass in Cathy Lynch's band in SF called
The Dust (formerly the Hungry Ghosts) from '91-
'92. Then I formed Vinyl Devotion, In 1997 I moved here to North Carolina and played
bass in a band called Glory Fountain for a while. Then it was back to my
own stuff so it's just been that and playing bass in Mitch Easter's Band
which is somewhat demanding. These days I have my own band called Shalini and
I also play bass in Mitch Easter's band.
What’s your main bass?
In my band I play a Fender Precision reissue. I
also have a blue Tokai Talbo - it is aluminum with active electronics. Quite
a spectacle. In Mitch's band I play a Chandler Royale which is a 12-string
electric bass. The Fender is Black with a gold pick guard. The Talbo is
blue aluminum. The Chandler is red mahogany, I think. The Chandler is tres
deluxe and actually belongs to Mitch.
Do you think that the wood effects the tone/sound/sustain of your bass?
I
don't know, I'm just a bass player. I have had
trouble with the active pickups on my Talbo and need to get them replaced.
They tend to squeal. Active electronics can be useful if you want to get
certain deliberate sounds. I'm happy with both.
What strings to you like best? Flat wounds.
How often would you change your strings?
I never change my strings. My
basses are so sludgy and gross that when I lend them to people, they clean
them, which I kind of wish people wouldn't do.
What is your backline bass amp setup? With the Chandler, I play through a
Fender Twin. I also play the Fender bass and the Talbo through a custom
blue Matamp.
Fingers, pick or both? A nice big Clayton
0.80 mm. pick.
What type of music do you play?
Rock music/pop music
Who do you listen to when you’re not playing?
New and older rock, mostly.
Not much "indie rock". Also modern jazz, like Blue Note artists.
Bill Charlap is my favorite of those.
Have you recorded/released any CDs?
Yes, three singles and 4 CDs.
What was your best gig/venue ever?
We've played in a few really good
venues but mostly just bars. I've played in bars in SF , Madison WI., and
in the regional Southeast and out to the Midwest. None of these stick out
as stellar although we appreciate being treated politely. So many times
the band is not treated well. Twelfth and Porter in Nashville
Tennessee was
nice, although we played there 5 years ago. The Grey Eagle in Asheville,
North Carolina
is a new place that's really good. Nice sound person, good sound, the band
get s a discount on food that's available all night, we got paid, etc. In
SF, The Bottom if the Hill was a good place to play although the staff was
rather creepy, but that's SF in the nineties for you.
What was your worst moment onstage?
I've just had a couple, once when my
amp died in the middle of a song in 2001, and once when I totally blanked
out during an outdoor show in 2003, at very humid outdoor show. Everything
sounded wretched and I just lost all concentration.
Were you ever on a TV show? Yes, if you call Cable TV a TV show. We were
on some show in 1995.
Did you ever make the cover of a magazine?
No, ha ha.
What’s your favourite album/CD?
That changes all the time. This summer I've had two favourites: the new
record from Soundtrack of Our Lives, called Origin Vol. 1, and Twin Cinema
by the New Pornographers.
Do you play/own any other instruments? Let's see, 4 basses and 4 guitars,
3 amps.
What other instrument would you most like to play? I wish I were a better
keyboard player and a better marimba player. I'm still kind of at an
amateur level.
What was the best concert you were ever at?
Recently, it would have to the The Soundtrack of Our Lives show this year,
July 3 at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina. It was magic. And it went by
in the blink of an eye. The music and playing were exceptional.
Have you ever performed onstage without your bass?
Yes, when playing
guitar. I have also played other instruments onstage. Mitch had an
acoustic version of his band a couple years ago, and I played 6 string
bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards and marimba. It was really fun.
Have you played outside your own country? No. We hope to get out of the
USA sometime.
What’s your opinion on basses with more than 4 strings?
I like the 12
string a lot! I've never played an 8 string but they sound great. I don't
really care for 5 strings despite the low B which can sound cool, it's so
low. Something about 5 strings looks really dorky. I wonder why.
What do you feel is the bass-players function in a band?
To play bass as well as you can, to be functional, reliable, and listen to
the drummer. The bass is the heartbeat of the band.
Did you ever have a famous person in your audience? Just once in
1994, at the Paradise Lounge in SF, when my band Vinyl Devotion was
playing. It was not a very well-attended show because Hole and the
Lemonheads were playing up the street at Slim's. But Peter Tork of the
Monkeys was in the audience. He looked bemused and looked not much
different than when he was a TV/music star. That's it. We mostly just play
in bars, and have never been part of a boutique rock scene.
What are your ambitions? To be as interesting a performer and songwriter I
can be. To sing well and put something out there that someone might
identify with. Also to cultivate my personal style.
Anything else? I'd like to add
a word about my motivations for playing. I just feel compelled to do it ,
because it is exciting to be part of something that is alive. Putting
bands together and writing songs is hard work but it is interesting
because it's making something from nothing, while putting forth my ideas
in the world, hopefully in a form that is interesting and fun to other
people. Also I like going to new places and hanging out. Being in a band
that plays out quite a bit, although not very glamorous places, keeps us
out. I don't want to live my life staying in and seeing the same people
and doing the same things. I'm fighting that all the time. Playing music ,
writing it and keeping a band going forces me to think constantly, both on
a musical and a real world level. I would rather die than get stale.
Finally, I like to go out and check other people's bands out. I have a lot
of respect for and interest in musicians who are doing this with a true
interest in music - and not just hitching a ride to be cool or to get on
some guest list. Musicians who are 'lifers' are easy to spot and are the
most interesting because you can tell they have put their whole selves in
it. They're obsessed like I am. It's fun to know you're not alone, and a
good antidote to the dreary, conventional world and the conservative
tone of the USA.
Thanks
Shalini. See our Links page for Shalini website - Ed.
thanks to Shalini for being part of BassGirls.Com
text and images are copyright
of Shalini Chatterjee and
BassGirls.Com
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