Where are you based Stephanie? Louisville, Kentucky,  United States

When did you first take a bass in your hands? 5 years ago

What attracted you to playing bass? It was easier than guitar.

Did you play any other instrument before you started playing bass? I taught myself how to play guitar then bass.

Can you remember the first song you ever learned on bass? I think it was a bass line to an Ani DiFranco song.

What was your very first public performance? An open mic and I played with the rhythm guitarist of my band before we were a band and we weren't very rehearsed and not too sober.

What's your current band? The Blue Umbrellas

What's your main bass? A 4 string JB Player but everyone thinks it's a Musicman. I wish!

Body colour/wood? It's metallic blue.

Neck/fingerboard? Maple neck. 34" scale. Rosewood fingerboard.

What strings to you like best? Anything light gauge.

What is your backline bass amp setup? A Behringer Ultrabass BX1200. It's a small 120 watt kickback amp.

Fingers, plectrum or both? Fingers.

What type of music do you play? Whew, well we play original music that draws from folk, rock, pop, country, and just about everything else. It's hard to put our music in a certain genre.

Who do you listen to when you're not playing? Ani DiFranco, K's Choice, Lindsay Mac, Bettye LaVatte, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Sigur Ros, Modest Mouse, Allison Krauss, LCD Soundsystem, Pink Floyd, Keane, Guster, Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Massive Attack, Rage Against the Machine, NIN, there's too many.

Have you recorded/released any CDs? A self-titled EP (The Blue Umbrellas) and a full-length CD (Metamorphose).

What was your best gig/venue ever? Playing with Antigone Rising before they became big was probably the coolest thing we've done so far. I am sure there are others but that one sticks out in my mind.

What was your worst moment onstage? When my bass decided to stop working in the middle of a set. We had to end the gig right there.

What's your favourite album/CD? There are too many.

Do you own any other instruments? A Yamaha APX5A acoustic/electic guitar and a Rogue AB-304 acoustic/electric bass.

Do you sing? Yes.

Did you ever perform onstage without your bass? I do sing a song without my bass and I feel naked and weird.

What's your opinion on basses with more than 4 strings? How do they do it? 4 is enough for me.

What do you feel is the bass-players function in a band? To help the drums keep the rhythm and lead guitarists in time and provide some good low end.

What are your ambitions? The elusive record deal and on a smaller, more realistic scale, to become a better songwriter and bass player.

 

 
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