Your Influences Influences

As many of you know, I've been part of a number of projects in various styles.  Many of you also know I'm a dyed in the wool metalhead.  My bass playing and love for metal has some parallels going on.  Even more so, my creative side about metal has more parallels with my non-metal influences.  There has always been a stigma about blending other styles of music into your metal.  Us bass players have been doing that the whole time though.  Former bassist of Metallica, Jason Newsted sites how he had no choice but to be influenced by Motown by way of his upbringing in Michigan where the whole Motown sound originated.  I can site players I love like Steve Harris, Bob Daisley, Geezer Butler, and John Entwhistle.  Who were their influences though?  No matter how superhuman these folks playing is, their style didn't materialize out of thin air.

Some of the most famous artists have very little problem siting their influences and what they've come up on.  Let's take Rush's Geddy Lee for example.  He sites Yes' Chris Squire as an influence as well as Motown famed bass player James Jamerson.  Some of you may think "Chris Squire, yes, Jamerson I don't hear it."  Geddy does!  In fact, the late 80's he would say how his Wal basses gave him "that Motown sound".  Nobody hears "My Girl" in the tune "Roll The Bones"?  That's O.k., that's not the point.  The Who's John Entwhistle and Cream's Jack Bruce have also sited James Jamerson as a game changer for them.  Of course many of us now can site Geddy and Jack as influences.  See where I'm going with this?  I don't believe it's enough to just learn how to play "The Trees" by Rush, I believe it's important to know where it came from.

These folks came up on styles where the bass was equal to the presence of the guitar or primarily driving the tunes.  We're talking counter melodies, interplay with the drums, muting, and a slew of other styles and articulations.  Otherwise, what are we bass players doing but doubling guitars the whole time?

I thoroughly accept the fact that my influences influences have influenced me.  That the stuff my sister would listen to while I was growing up stuck with me and has molded me as a player and songwriter.  A little Duran Duran, or Tears For Fears never hurt any bass player.  Those Carpenter's and Air Supply 8 tracks on family road trips contributed to my style as well.

As I tell many of my students, I don't sit at home and play James Brown all day though I do play James Brown at home sometimes.  You better believe that when I do have it on that I'm listening very carefully.  As the years pass and I meet new folks or play with new artists, my vocabulary grows... always plotting how I'm going to use some of my new flavors in my next metal tune.

Can you hear the parallels? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAF8P8DCDKY&feature=related