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At what
age did you first take a bass in your hands Anna?
At first at 11 or 12, I played for maybe 6
months with my brother and his mates before I quit. I picked up the bass
for good at the age of 19.
What attracted you to playing bass?
I was infatuated with The Sweets bass-player Steve Priest!
Where are
you based? In Pitea, in the northern
part of Sweden.
Did you play any other instrument
before you started playing bass? I
played the piano and I sang.
Do you come from a musical family? Yes. My older brother is one of the
guitarist in my blues-band since 1987, We´re called Ramblin' Minds. My
father also played the guitar when he was alive. He liked jazz.
Can you remember the first piece you
ever learned on bass? The first real
bass piece I learned was The Rolling Stones 'Live With Me'.
What was your very first band?
It was called Donkey Kong after the computer game.
What other bands were you a member
of? I´ve been a member of The Boot
Rock n´Roll Project, Snuff Box Four, Love Purses, Nose Trouble, Onkel
Fester, Anna & Leo,Olsson & The Grownups. I have also played in different
kinds of temporary bands such as various revue orchestras. My main band
Ramblin Minds' has also been on tour with a big band (13 horns) and
with a stand-up comedian. I have played school shows with an all-women
band to encourage younger girls to play. At work, I teach at Pitea College
of Music and I sometimes join bands such as FH & The Others, Chick & Dix,
SJB, Pedestrian Nation...right now I play with a band called Who´s Who and
in a Janis Joplin project.
Tell us about your current band?
Its called Ramblin Minds, named
after a Robert Johnson song. We started in 1987 as a blues-oriented
rockband, two guitars, bass, drums, three vocals. As time went by we got
more and more a genuine blues band with both Chicago, west-coast and
jump-blues on our repertoire. In 1994 a hamonica player joined us and
we've been the same line-up since then. We´ve worked a lot with one of
Sweden's foremost stand-up comedians, Ronny Eriksson. We have made a
number of TV shows as his house band and two CDs as well. On our own we
have since then made two CDs, Strollin in 2000 and In A Sober Mind in
2005, We tour all of Sweden and Finland and Norway once in a while too.
Preferably blues clubs and festivals with some radio shows as well. In
2004 we toured with a great big band, Norrbotten Big Band and sometimes we
play with a three-piece section from that band as well. We play both
original material and others. Sometimes we play a totally different kind
of music, Dylan & The Band and for those occasions we join with a
keyboardist, Bjorn Sjoo.
Our members are: Leo Holmberg: guitars and vocals, Anders Wedin: guitars
and vocals, Mikael Backman: Harmonica, Katarina Pettersson: drums and
myself on bass and vocals.
How did you come to join/start this
band? Me, Leo and Katarina were at a
club that was a great music scene back in the late eighties. After a great
jam one late, late night we decided to form a band. The other guitarist we
originally had in mind to play with wasn´t available so my brother took
the offer, and the rest is (for us at least) history.
What is your ideal line-up for a
band? Blues: Two guitars, harmonica,
drums, bass, vocals. Soul: guitar, organ, horn section, bass drums,
vocals.
What’s your main bass?
It's a Fender Jazz bass from 1962. I also
use a 1965 Fender Precision.
Do you think that the wood affects
the tone/sound/sustain of your bass?
Yes, a lightweight bass has a woodier sound
that I like.
Have you a preference for active or
passive electronics? As I´m an
old-fashioned girl I prefer passive electronics .
What type or brand of strings to you
like best? I use D'Addario
nickelwounds 045-100 for my Jazz bass, on my Precision I use flatwounds
also DÁddario (Chromes)
How often would you change your
strings? As seldom as possible, when
the intonation is affected. Maybe once a year.
What is your backline bass amp
setup? I use an Ampeg V4B from -74
through an Ampeg HEN 4 x 10' cabinet.
Fingers, plectrum or both?
Fingers
Have you played double or acoustic
bass? Yes but I sold the one I had,
A Bjarton (swedish brand) from 1951.
Who do you listen to when you’re not
playing? STAX/VOLT complete singles
vol 1-3
Who did you listen to as a young
teenager? The Sweet, The Beatles,
Slade, Chuck Berry, Stones, The Who.
What was your best gig/venue ever?
I like it when its hot and sweaty,
and the audience is the listening kind.
What was your worst moment onstage?
When a man had puked in the case were one of the guitarist keeps all his
strings, pedals etc.
Has anything funny happened with a fan or fans?
Well, I´ve received many mails with different kinds of suggestions :)
Tell us about any magazine you have
been featured in or on the cover?
Well we´ve been reviewed many, many times but I don't think ever in
English.
What other instrument would you most
like to play? I would like to be a
killer organ player!
What was the best concert you were
ever at? Pete Townsend's Deep End
Project in Brixton, London
Do you write/compose?
Yes I do
Do you see the bass as a solo
instrument? No.
Apart from your own projects, have
you played recording sessions with other artistes?
Yes a few
If you could be taken to a concert
anywhere on earth tonight, who would you want to see live?
Anything with either Duck Dunn or Mudcat
Ward on bass.
Do you have a pet?
I have a 14 year old cat named Prillan.
Give one piece of advice to someone
who has just bought their first bass?
Have fun!
Have you ever performed onstage
without a bass? Yes, often as a
singer but also as a piano player and guitarist sometimes.
Have you played outside your own
country? Yes in Norway and Finland
Where would you most like your band
to play/visit? A couple of genuine
American blues clubs would be nice.
What’s your opinion on basses with
more than 4 strings? Too many.
What do you feel is the bass-players
function in a band? To give a tone
to the bass drum.
Did you ever have a famous person in
your audience? Many famous Swedish
blues people, and comedians but Kim Wilson from the Fabulous Thnderbirds
is likely to be most famous worldwide.
What are your ambitions, musically
and personally? Have fun and get old
Thanks Anna. See our Links page for
Ramblin' Minds website - Ed.
thanks to Anna for being part of BassGirls.Com
text and images are copyright
of Anna Wedin and
BassGirls.Com
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