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Where are you based
Mary? I live in Los Angeles, N.
Hollywood that is.
When did you first take a bass in
your hands? I first took up bass
when I was 17.
Did you play any other instrument
before you started playing bass?
I had played guitar first and keyboards.
What attracted you to playing
bass? I went to a club one night
and there was this bass player playing with his fingers and he had the
coolest way he moved and I said "that's what I've got to do." After I got
to know him, because I had to do this, I moved in with him, took over his
bass and about a month later I got a chance to gig with this band at a
frat party. I was very confused because we had to do three sets and I was
just learning bass.
Can you remember the first song
you ever learned on bass? The
first song I learned was Groovin' by The Rascals on his jazz bass!
What's your current band?
My current band is Kanary. Leslie is our guitar-playing singer and Tony is
our drummer. We gig all over the the states and our CDs can be bought on
cdbaby.com or our own band website (see Links, Ed). We now have
four CDs. Our last one is called "Only Dead Fish Go With The Current".
What's your main bass?
My main bass is a red G&L and I also have a black G&L, both 1980's model
2000.
What strings to you like
best? I use nickel round wound
any brand.
What is your backline bass amp
setup? My backline is Marshall
100 w bass amp with two 15's and two 10's. When we do large concerts I
like to use four 15's and two 10's. Loud is good!
What type of music do you play?
The music I play is alternative.
Who do you listen to when you're
not playing? I listen to bands
like Helmet, System, Green Day and Rage. I have another band I gig with
now and then called The Dogs, more of a punk band. We have three CDs out
there somewhere.
What was your best gig/venue
ever? The best gig I've done I
would have to say was with Iggy Pop in Detroit and the worst time on stage
for me was when I first moved to LA and I couldn't stop thinking that
there was going to be an earthquake that night. I couldn't concentrate on
my playing and I can't remember how well I did, I just remember how I
felt.
What's your favourite album/CD?
My favourite CD is Kanary of course and Rage, any of them.
Do you own any other instruments?
I own a couple of guitars and as far as singing, I can sing my own songs
and I do background vocals in my band Kanary.
Do you come from a
musical family? My mother's
sisters were musical, played the piano and sang. I grew up with music in
the house and I was happy. My mother or Father and brother do not play or
sing anything for some reason.
What would be your ideal
band line-up? I have the
instruments for my ideal band, bass, guitar and drums.
Do you see the bass as a
solo instrument? Bass can be a
solo instrument, I sure play it like it is.
What other bands have
you played with? Other bands
I've been in are The Dogs, from Detroit, and She Rock, from L.A. I've been
to Ireland with my punk band The Dogs. We gigged all over there and
England.
Have you recorded with
other artistes? Yes, I've
recorded with other artistes.
Active or passive
pick-ups? I favour active
electronics, you can be louder and why not?
What other instrument
would you like to play? I would
like to play the drums because I play the guitar and bass so that would be
the next thing to tackle now would'nt it. I could never be as good as our
drummer though.
Who would you like to
see live? Take me to a concert
tonight to see Rage Against The Machine, I wish I wrote like that.
Do you have a pet?
I had a horse that died, now I just have two dogs.
Do you write?
I write/compose, but I don't always like what I write. Makes my mad I cant
write like Rage. But I am who I am and there's not much I can do about
that. I write the music I get.
Any advice for a young
bassist? Golden advice for
someone who just bought their first bass - don't hold the bass too high!
Did you ever perform onstage
without your bass? I never
perform on stage without my bass.
What's your opinion on basses
with more than 4 strings? I
don't have a feeling about basses with more then four strings, I guess
it's what you like.
What do you feel is the
bass-players function in a band?
A bass player’s function in a band is to hold down the bottom end and keep
the beat moving, locked in with the drummer. My lines are very melodious,
bass lines that have a melody to them. I
like the old Mo-town bass lines. I grew up in Detroit so those are my
roots..
Did you ever have a famous person
in your audience? The band Kiss,
The Dolls, Sid Vicious, Tom Petty and a whole lot more famous people have
been in the audience when I have performed.
What are your ambitions?
My ambitions for the future are to make more money at this and to hear our
CD on the radio. I would love to gig in front of more people then I can
count. My ambitions musically would be to get a deal, hear my music on the
radio and gig all the major cities in the world. I'm so glad to be wanted
as a bass player.
thanks to Mary for being part of BassGirls.Com
text and images are copyright
of Mary Kay and
BassGirls.Com
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