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Where are you based Nic?
London, Canada
When did you first take a bass in
your hands? I never really
started playing seriously until about a year and a half ago. However, four
years ago, I had a friend who played bass and he let me play and mess
around with it a bit, just having fun with it.
What attracted you to playing
bass? My love for guitar. You
can play guitar without trying bass.
Did you play any other instrument
before you started playing bass?
Yes, guitar and stupid instruments in music class.
Can you remember the first piece
you ever learned on bass?
"Killing In The Name Of" ~ Rage Against the Machine
What was your very first public
performance? In Barrie at The
Foundation with my current band ANTI-HERO.
What’s your main bass?
A cheap Yahama, but I like it cause it's light. Expenses aren't
everything, but what you make due with it is what's worth it in the end.
Body colour/wood?
It's blue and wood? I'm not sure, but that sort of thing doesn't really
matter to me.
What strings do you like best?
Factory Strings (the ones that come with the bass, heheh)
What is your backline bass amp
setup? Peavey 200 watts TNT
Series
Fingers, plectrum or both?
I'm left handed so I use a guitar
pick because I can't move my right fingers as fast.
What type of music do you play? Hard Rock with my band, in my
spare time, I like to play metal.
Who do you listen to when you’re
not playing? Pantera, Death,
Slayer
Have you recorded/released any
CDs? ANTI-HERO - "Unpretty"
released in June 2005.
What was your best gig/venue
ever? It's a tie between our
last show at the Reverb (Toronto) and Warped Tour in Barrie. The reason is
because The Reverb crowd was crazy and spontaneous - everyone there was
going insane for the music and at Warped Tour, it was a fun experience and
I met lots of cool people.
What was your worst moment
onstage? It's a tie between
having to play with only one foot (when my foot got stabbed with a nail)
and when Jesse knocked my patch chord out of the amp and I kept playing
unknowing.
What’s your favourite album/CD?
That's a tough one, but for bass riffs, Death's CD titled "Individual
Thought Patterns", but in general, my favourite album is Pantera's album
"Great Southern Trend Kill".
Do you sing?
Yes sometimes, but more scream.
Did you ever perform onstage
without your bass? When I'm
playing guitar!
Do you come from a musical
family? I come from a family where
my parents were definite music lovers, but didn't actually play any
instruments. They used to put me to sleep by putting on records and having
me dance to the whole thing front to back.
Are your siblings involved in music?
I've taught my little brother how to
play some guitar and he's been playing for about a year now.
Do you see the bass as a solo
instrument? It can be depending on
the song. When I play, I kinda like to go off from everyone else and play
my own little thing, but still sticking to the chord progressions
obviously. I just am not a fan of when bassists simply just follow the
exact guitar line without throwing any interesting techniques or patterns
into it.
Apart from your own projects, have
you played recording sessions with other artistes?
I haven't played on other
albums for different artistes but I've given a lot of people different
ideas for song structures and suggestions on how to improve songs. Whether
they used them or not was really their choice in the end.
Have you ever been to Ireland?
NO!! Actually, my trip to the States
was just last weekend, let along Ireland. However, I'd like to go and
drink a few with the Irish.
What other instrument would you like
to play? I enjoy playing my electric
guitar and am interested in trying out the Double Bass. As well, I'd like
to learn a bit more on drums. I know the basic beats, but that's about it. I own a Dime Series Washburn
guitar, and a Squier Katana guitar. I bought the Katana guitar because it
was only made for a year.
If you could be taken to a concert
anywhere on earth tonight, who would you want to see live?
Pantera, but that's not going to happen as Dimebag Darrel is dead because
some misinformed idiot decided to shoot him. However, if I had to choose a
band that still exists today, I'd really like to see Rob Zombie (back in
The White Zombie days), because he was the one who initially got me into
metal.
What CD are you listening to most
these days? Morbid Angel's
"Domination"
What are your ambitions, musically
and personally? I just want to be
able to make a living doing what I love; music. I'd really like to keep
playing in ANTI-HERO, but as well, I'd like to form a side metal project
in which I would front the band.
Do you have a pet?
No, but I want one, well actually, I want an iguana, doberman, and a black
cat.
Do you write/compose?
I write lyrics for stuff I may end up using someday in my metal projects,
and I come up with little riffs here and there that I record onto a
tapedeck that I throw together to make songs.
Do you have a day-job or do you play
professionally?
I have two; waitressing, and
secretarial work, believe it or not! haha!
Give one piece of “golden” advice to
someone who has just bought their first bass?
Don't put it (the bass) down! Keep
it with you at all times and play until your fingers bleed!
What’s your opinion on basses with more than 4 strings?
For some people, they work because
they need more than four strings to co-ordinate harmonies with guitars in
some bands, in others, they just
buy them for the look and I think that's totally pathetic. There is no
point in buying something if you aren't going to use it to its full
extent.
What do you feel is the
bass-players function in a band?
In my opinion, I believe the bass player's function is to keep the rhythm
and the lead in harmony along with providing the ballsy undertone of the
music.
See Nic and Anti-Hero's website on our Links page - Ed.
thanks to Nic for being part of BassGirls.Com
text and images are copyright
of Nic VanHaverbeke and
BassGirls.Com
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