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Jennifer, Where are you
based? San Luis Obispo, California,
USA.
At what age did you first take a
bass in your hands? At the age of 15
Did you play any other instrument
before you started playing bass? I
started with drums
Can you remember the first piece you
ever learned on bass? Carry On by
Crosby Stills & Nash
What is your ideal line-up for a
band? I've always preferred the trio
line-up of guitar, bass and drums.
What’s your main bass?
MusicMan Sterling is my main bass, but I often play my MusicMan Bongo as
well.
Body colour/wood?
The Sterling is Blue Dawn, the Bongo Sapphire Black
Have you a preference for active or passive electronics?
I prefer active electronics.
What type or brand of strings to you like best?
I use Ernie Ball Extra Slinky
How often would you change your strings?
About every four or five shows.
What is your backline bass amp
setup? I use an Ampeg SVT-4 PRO,
stereo into 4 Ampeg Classic series 4x10 cabs.
Fingers, plectrum (pick) or both?
Always fingers
What type of music do you play? I
play instrumental rock-jazz fusion.
Who do you listen to when you’re not
playing? I enjoy listening to most
everything, but some favourites are Steve Morse Band, Rush, Victor Wooten,
Miles Davis, Foo Fighters, Zeppelin, Triumph, Stanley Clarke, Steve Vai,
Steve Lukather, The Stones, The Police, Genesis, Louis Armstrong, Dixie
Dregs. All good stuff.
Have you recorded/released any CDs?
The band has released three albums and a DVD. Our self-titled album came
out in 1998, Suspension in 2001, Rock Show (DVD) in 2003, and most
recently Burn Season in 2004.
What was your best gig/venue ever?
I find that every gig has something unique about it that makes it special,
so usually the last show was the best show. But playing with Ted Nugent
was pretty fun.
Have you ever made the cover of a magazine or been featured in print?
I've been featured in Bass Player magazine and have written some articles
for the now defunct Bass Frontiers Magazine.
What other instrument would you most
like to play? I would like to play
drums like Stewart Copeland.
What was the best concert you were ever at?
I've seen so many amazing shows, it's difficult to say. All of the Rush
shows have been awesome, Dixie Dregs, Michael Hedges. I recently saw Bunny
Brunel, Billy Sheehan, Tony MacAlpine with Virgil Donati on drums at the
Baked Potato in Hollywood - that was pretty sweet.
Do you write/compose?
Travis will come up with the rough idea for a song, then I will come in to
shape and arrange those ideas. So I do consider our songwriting efforts a
collaboration.
Do you see the bass as a solo
instrument? The bass has come a long
way in terms of being accepted as a solo instrument. There are so many
great players out there pushing the boundaries of the bass guitar and I
look forward to seeing what the next twenty years has in store for the
instrument.
Give one piece of advice to someone
who has just bought their first bass?
Listen to everything. All kinds of music, all kinds of instruments.
What’s your opinion on basses with
more than 4 strings? I prefer the 4
string. It is typically the role of the bass to hold down the low end and
the groove; more than four strings can sometimes get in the way
What do you feel is the bass-players
function in a band? The bass player
has many functions, but fundamentally your groove has got to be in the
pocket.
What are your ambitions, musically
and personally? I think it's
important to love what you do and have a great time doing it. My goals are
to keep playing my music and hopefully inspire a few folks out there to
follow their heart and do what they love.
Thank you Jennifer. See Links
page for Travis Larson Band website - Ed.
thanks to Jennifer for being part of BassGirls.Com
text and images are copyright
of Jennifer Young and
BassGirls.Com
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