Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 183

What do you feel are the advantages?
It is almost a novelty to have a girl on bass
as a part of the band. I don’t mind that at
all. People REALLY pay attention to the girl
onstage, which means we have to be twice as
good as the boys; for me this is an advantage
because it challenges me.

Do you find that you constantly have to
prove yourself... as a musician, or a
musician that happens to be a female?
In the very beginning I did, but everyone has
to prove themselves when starting out. It’s all
about just feeling comfortable in your own
skin. That confidence resonates to others.

Do you feel, as a female bassist, that
you receive the professional respect
afforded male bassists?
I think that since I am a solo artist that fronts
the band, and sometimes puts the bass down
and just sings, I am not compared often to
“Bassists”. I have been told that it takes a lot
of concentration to sing lead and play bass
with a heavy groove. I do think that if I were
more of a sideman and seen just pla Z[