My First Group: "We Are Not Brothers"
My First Group
Last time I explained how to think bass, which I kind of figured out instinctively. Then I spent six months teaching my fingers to respond to my musical directions. Then I started looking for someone to play with besides the radio.
The cool thing about the bass is that you cant play it alone. I mean, is there anything worse than a bass solo? I could thump out a melody and say "Guess what that was." And nobody could ever guess.
Now, you have to play with someone and split up the musical load. You need a lead part, either a vocal or a guitar or mandolin or flute or whatever. Then you need a rhythm and chord part, usually a combination of a bass and a guitar, maybe drums but I don't want to reveal my bias there yet.
I found Carl sitting alone at a local eatery for lunch. I'd known Carl for about 15 years from work, where we had worked with each other on specific projects off and on throughout that time. I had never heard Carl play the guitar but had heard that he was good and could also sing. So I slid my tray up next to his at the table and said:
"I've been learning to play the bass and I'm almost good enough to try playing with you."
Carl graciously took up my offer and we met see if any good could come out of it. I don't remember the first songs we tried to play, but we had only three songs when we went to our first open mike at the Green Frog in Palouse, a place that no longer exists. The three songs went well enough that we didn't embarrass ourselves, so we tried again the following week at the Filling Station in Troy. Prior to that one we tried adding "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder. Here's how the practice went:
Carl: "Do you want to try a Stevie Wonder Song?"
Me: "Don't make me play I Wish!"
Carl, throwing his hands in the air: "THAT'S THE ONE!"
Well, we tried it and it turns out that the bass line is less complicated than it sounds. It's actually only two alternating chords, each of which are short runs of notes that are easily fingered. And despite us only having a guitar, a voice and a bass, it sounded pretty good. Anyhow, we got through two or three verses during that practice prior to the Troy open mike.
We played at Troy, and it went well enough that when they ran out of performers they asked if anyone wanted to play more and everyone in the crowd looked at us. So we went up there and pulled Stevie Wonder out of our ass and knocked 'em all down. At a couple of later gigs we would open with our version of that song and at the end people would sit there slack-jawed and someone would say something like "Who are you guys?" That always cracked me up.
We Are Not Brothers - I Wish
We Are Not Brothers - Norwegian Wood
Soon after that we played the Pullman Farmers Market, a crappy little event that was held that year in the small lot next to the Old Post Office. We had worked very hard to achieve a reasonable proficiency at 2 hours of songs. We played the first set to 8 vendors and maybe 15 milling shoppers. In the middle of the second set one of the vendors barged right up and asked us how much we would charge for a 4 hour gig. We were absolutely dumbfounded. Could not speak.The thought going through both of our minds was: "Wait! You want to pay us money to play music?!?" We mumbled around the fact that we only had two hours of music as yet. She says: "So what! Play it twice." She eventually asked us if we were "dumb or something." because we could not come up with a coherent thought on price. We eventually agreed on a price and we played, two days on the same weekend, the fall festival of a small organic farm on the road west of Lewiston on the way to Pomeroy. I could look it up but I'm too lazy.
We also got picked up by the Pullman Chamber of Commerce for a number of their social functions -- they didn't really listen, but just wanted some background noise at their events. A few parties here and there, and basically employed ourselves once or twice a month for the next two years, and with only two guys, the pay was decent, say, splitting a $400 gig, I easily paid for my $1000 kit (bass, passive pickup and amp) 6 or 8 times over.
This group played for a couple years until Carl got the crazy idea to move to Austin. Thus ended the group.
Here is a list of the other songs I have recordings of for this group, but have not yet uploaded them to Soundcloud (that much space goes beyond the free limit):
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Stuck in the Middle with You
Roxanne
52nd Street
Walk on the Wild Side
Route 66
Fly Me to the Moon
We Are Not Brothers, Mansplained
Lime and Coconut
Save All Your Lovin for Me
At Last
Blackbird
I'll See You in my Dreams
If I Only had a Brain
Josie
Fire and Rain
Minute By Minute
Natural Woman
But wait! I just found another pocket of songs we recorded when Terry G came over for a practice and sang harmony with Carl:
Moondance
My Love (Beattles)
She Caught the KATY
Something in the Way She Moves
Summertime
Whoa Darling (Beattles)
Wild World
Contact me if you want copies of these.
Last time I explained how to think bass, which I kind of figured out instinctively. Then I spent six months teaching my fingers to respond to my musical directions. Then I started looking for someone to play with besides the radio.
The cool thing about the bass is that you cant play it alone. I mean, is there anything worse than a bass solo? I could thump out a melody and say "Guess what that was." And nobody could ever guess.
Now, you have to play with someone and split up the musical load. You need a lead part, either a vocal or a guitar or mandolin or flute or whatever. Then you need a rhythm and chord part, usually a combination of a bass and a guitar, maybe drums but I don't want to reveal my bias there yet.
I found Carl sitting alone at a local eatery for lunch. I'd known Carl for about 15 years from work, where we had worked with each other on specific projects off and on throughout that time. I had never heard Carl play the guitar but had heard that he was good and could also sing. So I slid my tray up next to his at the table and said:
"I've been learning to play the bass and I'm almost good enough to try playing with you."
Carl graciously took up my offer and we met see if any good could come out of it. I don't remember the first songs we tried to play, but we had only three songs when we went to our first open mike at the Green Frog in Palouse, a place that no longer exists. The three songs went well enough that we didn't embarrass ourselves, so we tried again the following week at the Filling Station in Troy. Prior to that one we tried adding "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder. Here's how the practice went:
Carl: "Do you want to try a Stevie Wonder Song?"
Me: "Don't make me play I Wish!"
Carl, throwing his hands in the air: "THAT'S THE ONE!"
Well, we tried it and it turns out that the bass line is less complicated than it sounds. It's actually only two alternating chords, each of which are short runs of notes that are easily fingered. And despite us only having a guitar, a voice and a bass, it sounded pretty good. Anyhow, we got through two or three verses during that practice prior to the Troy open mike.
We played at Troy, and it went well enough that when they ran out of performers they asked if anyone wanted to play more and everyone in the crowd looked at us. So we went up there and pulled Stevie Wonder out of our ass and knocked 'em all down. At a couple of later gigs we would open with our version of that song and at the end people would sit there slack-jawed and someone would say something like "Who are you guys?" That always cracked me up.
We Are Not Brothers - I Wish
We Are Not Brothers - Norwegian Wood
Soon after that we played the Pullman Farmers Market, a crappy little event that was held that year in the small lot next to the Old Post Office. We had worked very hard to achieve a reasonable proficiency at 2 hours of songs. We played the first set to 8 vendors and maybe 15 milling shoppers. In the middle of the second set one of the vendors barged right up and asked us how much we would charge for a 4 hour gig. We were absolutely dumbfounded. Could not speak.The thought going through both of our minds was: "Wait! You want to pay us money to play music?!?" We mumbled around the fact that we only had two hours of music as yet. She says: "So what! Play it twice." She eventually asked us if we were "dumb or something." because we could not come up with a coherent thought on price. We eventually agreed on a price and we played, two days on the same weekend, the fall festival of a small organic farm on the road west of Lewiston on the way to Pomeroy. I could look it up but I'm too lazy.
We also got picked up by the Pullman Chamber of Commerce for a number of their social functions -- they didn't really listen, but just wanted some background noise at their events. A few parties here and there, and basically employed ourselves once or twice a month for the next two years, and with only two guys, the pay was decent, say, splitting a $400 gig, I easily paid for my $1000 kit (bass, passive pickup and amp) 6 or 8 times over.
This group played for a couple years until Carl got the crazy idea to move to Austin. Thus ended the group.
Here is a list of the other songs I have recordings of for this group, but have not yet uploaded them to Soundcloud (that much space goes beyond the free limit):
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window
Stuck in the Middle with You
Roxanne
52nd Street
Walk on the Wild Side
Route 66
Fly Me to the Moon
We Are Not Brothers, Mansplained
Lime and Coconut
Save All Your Lovin for Me
At Last
Blackbird
I'll See You in my Dreams
If I Only had a Brain
Josie
Fire and Rain
Minute By Minute
Natural Woman
But wait! I just found another pocket of songs we recorded when Terry G came over for a practice and sang harmony with Carl:
Moondance
My Love (Beattles)
She Caught the KATY
Something in the Way She Moves
Summertime
Whoa Darling (Beattles)
Wild World
Contact me if you want copies of these.
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