Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 116

when necessary. I grew to have an incredible respect for bass guitar and good bass players. You come to find that they are quite few and far between. How/Where did you learn to play? I’m self-taught, but I’ve taken lessons from some of the best. They may not know they were teaching, but I was taking notes the entire time. I am a lead vocalist as well as the bass player, so I paid attention to those that were doing the same thing and doing it well. Players like Doug Pinnick from Kings X and Geddy Lee from Rush were always fascinating to me. Ultimately, I got my first actual “lesson” from Russell Jackson, a blues cat from Vancouver, BC, who after 10 years of playing with the master of blues (BB King) decided to break off and start his own project. He always claimed to be a player and not a teacher and had no interest in teaching anyone anything about technique, but after seeing me perform, he took a special interest in my ability and told me, “If any of these knuckleheads have a chance of making it in this business, it’s you and I want to help you achieve that.” He told me that I had the worst technique of anyone he had ever met, and I doubt I’ve changed a lot since then, but many of the things he taught me, I still use to this day. When I feel myself getting sloppy, I resort to what he taught me and it keeps me in check. Who are your musical inspirations, both male and female? I grew up on country music and was fascinated with Wynonna Judd’s voice. All female country singers had pretty voices, crystal clear like bluegrass angels, and she was raw and sounded like a female Elvis to me. Joan Jett was the reason that I became a player and why Photo: Laura Godwin I o v m C H w a A f b I c f i i i a s c w o I m o T m o a h 2 t j I h a i p i