With the summer being hot enough, The Torch took a little break. As fall rolls in, I figured it's about time we feed the flame once again. The autumn winds inspired me to pick up some of the best creepers I could find! These three bassists are not afraid to give you a fright; Hailing from Philly, St Louis, and Boston, respectively, I present Mikey Rude of Suburban Murder, Roman McLea of Arkangela, and Brandon Blackout of Attraction to Tragedy and Shadows of Eyekhana.

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Meryl “LJ” DeWitt: How old were you when you got your first bass? What was your first bass?

 

Mikey Rude: I started playing guitar first when I was around 14, and got a cheap B.C. Rich Warlock. When I was 21, I moved in with an ex and she played guitar, did vocals and knew a drummer, just needed a bassist. She just so happened to have an old bass laying around, which is how me playing bass all began. Don't remember what type of bass it was but it was easily the worst instrument I have ever played in my life.

 

Roman McLean: I was about 10 when I first got a guitar. It was a knock off Fender and I quickly started playing every beginner's favorites; "Seven Nation Army" "Iron Man" but I wasn't very gravitated towards it. I got a Dean bass as a Christmas gift around 13 years old and I had found my true love.

Brandon Blackout: Well the first good ol' four string I got my hands on and started playing was a Fender Precision bass, which was customized to have a cool Abbey Road plate by the bridge. I was about six or so at the time. However, the first bass that was officially mine was some low end Yamaha bass. Worked as a starter but you can only shape your tone so much with what's designed as a building block.  And for this one, I believe I was twelve.

 

LJ: For anyone wanting to learn, what would you suggest as a starter bass?

 

Roman: A simple Dean was a good starter bass for me. I wouldn't recommend playing shows with them, but to learn, they're a good starter.

 

Brandon: Oddly enough, my current bass I've used for most 2016 shows would make a fantastic starter as it's quite affordable and plays great. It's an Indonesian-made SUB Ray 5 which is essentially a Musicman Sterling made out of cheaper material. Still has Ernie Ball's signature kick though! 

 

Mikey: Whatever feels comfortable, unless you wanna start like me and play the heaviest, worst sounding bass with the highest action possible. Anything you play after that will feel and sound amazing.

 

LJ: Through trial and error in your career, is there any of your mistakes you'd warn young bassists to be cautious of?

 

Mikey: Start writing your own stuff as soon as you get the hang of your instrument. I wish I started doing so sooner.

 

Roman: Change your damn strings. They're more expensive than guitar strings, but new strings are a necessity for a good sound.

 

Brandon: An early dilemma I faced was the direction I wanted to take. If you're a bass player, then your role isn't to play a rhythm guitarist's parts. Accentuate the drums, but don't limit yourself either. Like most things in life, say fuck it and play what you feel sounds cool but find ways to make it work musically. I spent too much effort on being a third guitar player to the point where I missed out on a lot of what I wanted to be playing. Just focus on what you'd like to play. 

 

LJ: What's the biggest stage nightmare you've ever had?

 

Mikey: Not quite on stage but the first show I ever played. I had my bass in a girl's car and she went to go get coffee and disappeared. Twenty minutes before my set I was already anxious and the bartender says some girl called saying she locked her keys in her car along with my bass. Miraculously she got the cops to unlock it and got it to me in time.

 

Brandon: I'm fortunate enough, probably jinxing myself, to have not had any major mishaps or nightmares but I've had my fair share of wire or amp scares where suddenly what was making sound now isn't. That's part of the beast but I've also jumped and unplugged myself or pulled DI boxes down by forgetting I was plugged into them. I praise the individual that made me wireless. 

 

Roman: We were headlining a show at a local venue called Fubar, and there wasn't much of a sound check at all. So, when we started I could barely hear my bass at all. I had to be right in front of the bass cab just to barley hear any bass. To turn it up I'd have to climb over behind the cab to reach the cab head, but since we transitioned pretty quickly through our set there was no time. So, we went through that whole show without much bass at all which was a bummer, but at least the crowd was distracted by my leggings with the word "slut" on them.