Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 188

STEFANIE
Interview by Andreas Farmakalidis

Stefanie Drootin-Senseney
big-harp.com
facebook.com/BigHarpMusic
Twitter @BigHarp
Some of the band(s) I Play With:
Big Harp, The Good Life (I’ve
toured and / or recorded for lots
of other bands, like Bright Eyes,
She & Him, Azure Ray, Wardell,
Maria Taylor, Orenda Fink,
McCarthy Trenching)
Gear I Use:
Basses: Aria Pro II Cardinal
Series Bass, Aria Pro II SB,
Gretsch hollowbody
Amp: Orange Terror Bass head,
Ampeg 4x10 cabinet
Pedals: Big Muff, MicroPog, 90s
Ibanez Delay pedal

Stefanie grew up in the Valley in Los Angeles,
CA. She plays and sings in the band Big Harp
with her husband Chris Senseney, and they have
just finished their third album with producer
John Congleton. She is also a member of
The Good Life and has been a touring and/or
recording member of bands like Bright Eyes,
She & Him, and Azure Ray.
What made you decide to play bass?
My brother took me to a Firehose concert as
a teenager and I fell in love with Mike Watt’s
bass playing. That year, I picked up my first
Aria Pro II at a pawn shop on Sherman Way in
the San Fernando Valley and started an all-girl
punk trio with my high school friends.
How/Where did you learn to play?
I took a few lessons, but I really learned from
playing in bands. I mostly played in punk
bands where we all played by ear, until my
good friend Conor asked me to play in his band
Bright Eyes. I showed up at practice and they
started calling out chords. It was kind of a trial
by fire, but I figured it out by watching fingers
and using my ears. It was the beginning of me
really starting to understand the instrument.
Who are your musical inspirations, both
male and female?