Barbara Tanner (USA)

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When did you first take a bass in your hands Barbara? When I was in the studio recording music for an independent film. they didn't have a budget for a bass player and everyone looked at me because I played guitar and said "Ah come on it's two less strings than you play now. it will be a cinch". The engineer had a old G & L, Sea Foam Green, and handed it to me. I took it home and played what I thought a bass player would play. I think it turned out ok.

What attracted you to playing bass? Looking back now, I always heard the bass lines before anything else in a song. I don't know why the hell I didn't pick it up first! I have to take the long way, always I guess.

Where are you based? Los Angeles, California, USA.

Did you play any other instrument before you started playing bass? Yes guitar. In middle school I played the clarinet.

Can you remember the first song you ever learned on bass? All original tunes that I don't remember.

What was your very first public performance? I answered an ad for bass wanted for original rock band and learned the songs in a week and then played a club in L.A. I was thrilled that they thought I was a bass player and not a guitarist trying to play bass.

What’s your current band? Bandshe

What’s your main bass? A Musicman sterling 4 string and a 1975 Fender Precision with a jazz neck. My musicman has a white sparkle finish and my P bass is a tobacco sunburst and looks better and better all the time.Not sure about the actual wood used on either but my P bass is super light and I was so excited to find it because all the '70s p basses I had been looking at were tanks! Musicman is a rosewood neck and my Fender is a maple neck.

What strings to you like best? I prefer Dean Markley blue steel medium lights over every string I have tried.

What is your backline bass amp setup? Lately I have been using an Ashdown magc210t and I also have an Ampeg svt amp and 4 x 10 cabinet.

Fingers, plectrum or both? there is a time and place for both. Always a heavy pick and usually Fender.

What type of music do you play? Rock,pop,funk,disco,alt,folk,etc.

Who do you listen to when you’re not playing? I am huge music fan of so many types of music but what I have been listening to lately is moody atmospheric rock like Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, My Morning Jacket. I love jazz and blues too. Muddy Waters Electric Mudd is a great listen and Ahmad Jamal's "But Not For Me" is great. Poinciana is a great song. I am a sucker for the repeating groove bass lines.

Have you recorded? Independent releases and a compilation that you probably couldn't find.

What was your best gig/venue ever? One of the coolest gigs I ever played was with the Anna Montgomery band in Mishawaka at a place called The Midway Tavern. It's kind of famous for being a former speakeasy during prohibition. Al Capone used to frequent it.

What was your worst moment onstage? It was the funniest really. I was performing for a children's theatre company in Detroit. The band was playing this chromatic, tension building piece and the idea was for this huge rag doll to appear out of the fog at the peak of the music. well, the fog machine wasn't cooperating and so we kept repeating the the bit over and over until the guitarist and I ran out of real estate on our necks and then we would start over. this went on until finally they got it to work. it was anti-climatic by that time the doll was already on stage. it was a spinal tap moment for sure.

What’s your favourite album? The hippy in me says.....Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.

Do you own any other instruments? A native American flute, Fender Telecaster and some percussion toys.

Did you ever perform onstage without your bass? Yeah sure when I play guitar.

What’s your opinion on basses with more than 4 strings? My philosophy is- It's four strings and the truth but eventually I will pick up a five string. I really like the BEAD tuning that allows for some lower range notes.

What do you feel is the bass-players function in a band? The bass is the heart beat of the band. it connects the brain to the booty. When the audience is happy and want to dance and move around, that's because the bass player is good.

Did you ever have a famous person in your audience? Moira Kelly (Cutting Edge) used to come to some shows in this band I was playing with. I was playing guitar at the time. I remember at one show after we finished there were a lot of people standing around her staring at her. She complimented me on my playing. and I think rumour has it at the time she was dating Eric Clapton. i was like...."Me? are you kidding?"

What are your ambitions? I really want to tour and record more. I also want to write and collaborate with other musicians that have very different styles and backgrounds.

Thanks Barbara. See our Links page for Bandshe website - Ed.

thanks to Barbara for being part of BassGirls.Com
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