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Where are you based Laurie? Brooklyn, New York, USA

When did you first take a bass in your hands? About 11 years ago.

What attracted you to playing bass? I found myself writing music that directly synchronized with drums; I was always very rhythmic so it was a logical step to play bass. I used to be in this post-hardcore band (Trust) who had lost their bassist and at the time we were a two guitar piece band. The drummer recommended I switch over because I played the rhythms better than the bassist they had. The rest is history.

Did you play any other instrument before you started playing bass? I used to play guitar but that changed quickly.

Can you remember the first song you ever learned on bass? It was either a song we wrote or a cover - it was a looong time ago.

What was your very first public performance? My very first show was at The Spiral, an old east village club back in 1993.

What's your current band? Currently I'm in two bands; in Devil Kit I'm the singer and bassist. In Grounded, I'm the bassist.

What's your main bass? My main bass is a vintage Fender Jazz, 1966 model.

Body colour/wood? Natural wood.

Neck/fingerboard? Rosewood.

What strings to you like best? My favourite has to be Ernie Ball Hybrids, 105 gauge.

What is your backline bass amp setup? I have an old GK 400 RB with an even older Ampeg SVT.

Fingers, plectrum or both? It's all in the pick (plectrum).

Which ones? I use these heavy 2.0 Dunlop picks. For songs with a little more speed, I switch to the 1.5 gauge.

What type of music do you play? Metal, Stoner, Doom, Thrash, hardcore, punk and all kinds of heavy music.

Who do you listen to when you're not playing? There's so much music to list! Sabbath, Kiss, Kyuss, Prong, Slayer, Motorhead - It's usually catchy, heavy and aggressive.

Have you recorded/released any CDs? Absolutely. All of the bands I've been in have recorded CDs. The releases vary depending on how old they are and if they're still being sold.

What was your best gig/venue ever? One of the best was a night I put on at CBGB called "Fast and Frightening". It was a whole night of metal and punk bands from across the country and the crowd response was unbelievable. One of the best shows I ever played.

What was your worst moment onstage? I think the worst was half way through the first song of the set-list, my E string broke and hell broke loose. Big mess.

What's your favourite album/CD? One of my current favourites is High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings.

Do you own any other instruments? I own another bass, an Ibanez musician with a built in pre-amp, it has a massive sound! I also still have my first guitar, an Ovation Preacher, looks exactly like a Gibson SG.

Did you ever perform onstage without your bass? In a band called Bitchcat, we used to do a cover of Motley Crue's "Live Wire". For that song, I would pass the bass to my rhythm guitarist so I can be the best Vince Neil I could be. It was fun.

What's your opinion on basses with more than 4 strings? I think they're for people who can't get over the fact that they can't play guitar, or that they think everyone wants to hear them be the Malmsteen of bass. Which by the way, nobody wants to hear.

What do you feel is the bass-players function in a band? To be the translator between rhythm and melody.

Did you ever have a famous person in your audience?  I suppose that depends on what you consider famous. I have mutual friends and acquaintances that are my buddies and other people consider them famous. There's Donna, who used to be Honey 1%'er from Cycle Sluts from Hell. There's Gina Volpe, who used to be in the Lunachicks. There's Jennifer Finch, ex- L7 bassist, Tracy from Nashville Pussy...I mean the list goes on...

What are your ambitions? To play lots of shows, record great albums, to tour constantly and above all, to have fun.

Do you have a website? Yes we do (see Links page - Ed.)

Anything else? Thanks for asking me to be part of this website, it looks like it's going to be the new search guide for bassists. Congrats!

 

 
thanks to Laurie for being part of BassGirls.Com
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