Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 152

KIM Interview by Ty Campbell Kim Lee This interview is part of the ongoing ‘Bass On Broadway’ series in Bass Musician Magazine, highlighting the Lower Broadway Nashville Bass Scene. Click: Gage Boecker Click: Scott Petersen Click: Jon Quintero Click: Zach Sturms Click: Michael Pisculli Kim Lee has been performing on Broadway for the last five years and gives us her insight on being one of the few female bassists (and an amazing bassist) on the Broadway scene. What influenced you to choose bass as your main instrument? I’ve played other instruments (piano, flute, saxophone) my entire life, and I’m actually a (terrible) guitarist too! It’s a cliché, but it holds true in my case that the bass chose me. A working and respected NC cover band, Triad, was looking for a bassist, and I made an impulsive decision to audition as a bass player. (I had no clue what I was doing, and these guys had 20 years more musical experience than I did!) I had so much fun learning to play the bass and tackling their set list that it has stuck with me ever since. I got the gig, and it has been my preferential instrument since 2005. What specific challenges do you face as a female bassist? Music is a predominantly male field, so that can be a challenge, and there is a learning curve involved. I have found that it is essential to work as hard as my male cohorts. What is expected of male musicians as far as their playing, gear, and professionalism is also expected of me. I