Latest
Biscuit’s Bassment, a Bass Musician’s Review: Spotlight on Ken Arnold
You may play Bass, but can you really “feel it in your soul”? If you have the talent, passion, commitment, and a story to tell about yourself and your music, you could have your very own review with me, right here at Bass Musician Magazine. I am looking to find the vast array of talented Bass players out there, from all genres of music, which so often go largely unnoticed. Both Bass Musician Magazine and myself feel that you should be heard about…world wide. So if you are interested in joining me in the “Bassment”, then please send me your full bio, pictures and tracks, and any questions that you may have, etc, to…..
biscuitandbass3@yahoo.com
I look forward to hearing from you all.
Hello and welcome again to “BISCUIT’S BASSMENT”…A Bass Musician’s Review. Firstly I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year for 2011 and hope that you have all enjoyed your Christmas and the accompanying festivities of the holiday season.
In this first issue of the New Year in Bass Musician Magazine, I would like to introduce to you a hard working bass player, who still has that real “passion” for his instrument and indeed life as well. He still is realizing his musical dreams to this very day. So please join me in welcoming Mr. Ken Arnold.
Ken was born to parents Gerald and Lucy in Rochester New York in the mid 60’s and was introduced to music almost from birth, as both of his parents were great music lovers, and listened to a wide variety of musical genres while he was growing up. His father was a mechanic, who also enjoyed playing the guitar and writing songs in his spare time. Ken’s mother was also a very enthusiastic singer as well, so there was lot’s to latch onto in those early years in a musical sense.
Ken reveals that his family came from very humble beginnings and had to survive on very little money, and had only few material assets in those early days, but he remembers that there was more love in their home than you could ever imagine, and that was more important than anything else.
Ken’s father began teaching him to play the guitar when he was barely old enough to hold one. Later on he also taught him how to read sheet music as well, and by the tender age of six he was already able to play all of the major and minor chords. Just a few years later the Arnold family and Grandma Lucy moved to Jacksonville, Florida when Ken was just eight years of age. Ken explains that Jacksonville was where most of his father’s side of the family lived at that time, and that the move to Florida was a very exciting time in many ways for him and that this would also eventually prove to be a place that would boost his music career in so many ways.
Ken found that the schools were very different in the South, but was eager to make as many friends as possible in this new environment, which led to a very fun filled upbringing and he quickly found that he had many “cousins” with which to pal up with. Ken’s family then moved away to Illinois for a brief period where Ken graduated at high school and then met up with many more experienced musicians including Jon Gentry, John LaTessa and also Jim Fitzgerald. Jon helped Ken with a proper technique for playing bass with his fingers, and Ken was never more enthused to play this way, than he first saw Geddy Lee playing bass with Rush on his favourite show at the time… Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert Ken was now totally in awe of just what the bass guitarist could do, and began to realize that maybe the higher you reach, the more you can accomplish, and this is where his tastes in music became more defined, as did his style of playing.
This was also the time when the quality of sound and tone began to really matter to Ken as well, and he found himself paying much more attention to his tone instead of just how loud he could play. Ken was now nearing the age of fifteen and he had already played two outdoor shows and a school dance, which fuelled the urge for him to accomplish even more. But despite all of this, Illinois did not hold the promise the family had hoped for and they would all ultimately move back to Jacksonville, which was a decision that made the entire family very happy. So indeed it was on that very last day of high school that the Arnolds hit the road and made their way back towards Jacksonville. But there was to be a twist to the tale.
Along the way Ken’s father decided to stop off just outside of Nashville Tennessee on that return to Jacksonville. On a fine bright summer’s day they all decided to stay at a National Park for the weekend. Ken and his father ventured into town where Ken found himself overwhelmed with excitement as this was to Ken, the Music City Capital of the World and here he was, standing right in the middle of it! The entire family fell in love with it there, so they decided to forgo the move all the way back to Jacksonville for the time being and to see what Nashville might hold for them all. The family all agreed they had found a new home meeting many great friends and quite a few Nashville legends along the way.
Ken’s family gained a position managing a motel on the Nashville strip which attracted many local and national touring acts, one being a band called “Bratz” (long before the dolls were ever a thought, ha-ha) and they happened to be staying at Ken’s parent’s motel. Bratz were playing the local hot spot called “The Brass A”, where Ken also helped with the lighting. It was at that very show called “Rocktober Fest” that Ken got his first taste of working with a high calibre production band. This earned him a spot working as the lighting engineer for their band on an ongoing basis, and he would also enjoy sharing stage time with them as well. When the tour ended it was now time for Ken to make his way on stage as the bassist for a touring band himself.
Upon returning from that first tour, Ken wasn’t even home a full day before he was introduced to Kari Reeves, the daughter of country music legend, Del Reeves, who hired him as her bassist to tour her first album.
So here was Ken Arnold at just 18 years of age touring with a band filled with musicians who in his own words, were “miles above his level”. And at last, he felt that he had finally accomplished his dream, but this was only the beginning.
Ken toured with Kari for several months, then returned to recording and playing with other acts such as “Damsel” touring in and out of Nashville until those bands eventually dissolved or moved on to other things. Now Ken wanted to get back out there as soon as possible and back on stage where he belonged, so he decided to leave the comfort of Nashville and head out to where the action was really going on at the time, in southern California. His Grandma Lucy was now living in San Diego and as she was always a huge supporter of Ken’s musical endeavours and really enjoyed having him around again. Los Angeles was just up the road and he had already met several great musicians there, so it was now time to try the L.A. scene and test his abilities there.
Talk about a complete shock to the system! The L.A. club scene was littered with bands that were dressed in the most wildly flamboyant outfits, and all of this was unlike anything Ken had ever seen before in his life.
Bands such as Motley Crue and Racer X were the hottest ones to go see back then, and it was in that environment that Ken found out just how fiercely competitive the music business really was, and still is of course. Talent seemed to be only a small part of what you needed in your repertoire to give you any chance of gaining gigs and recognition. Another problem was that at the height of only 5’6” (wearing boots) Ken found himself disqualified from many bands before even getting to play a note, simply due to his height (or lack of it ). But determination ruled Ken’s soul and he went on to relentlessly work his way through band after band, playing in and around the western area of the U.S., all of which was a wonderful experience, although this did nothing to ease the fact that he was feeling extremely home sick.
After his grandmother passed away, Ken felt that it was time to be back with the family. So in1987 he went back to Nashville only to find that the family had just decided to move back to Jacksonville, Florida again. After a couple of fruitless years in Nashville he eventually returned to Jacksonville himself in October of 1989 where he has remained ever since.
Looking back, Ken was now only 24 years old and had accomplished several tours all across the country, played on two albums and stepped up on stage with, what were in his eyes “superstars”. So what was left to do now?
There was, and still is so much more that Ken Arnold would want to accomplish, but so far all that he had achieved had only just barely managed to pay the bills, and he was certainly not rolling in money by any stretch of the imagination. But what he did realize was the fact that he had gained so much priceless experience, which left him with the determination to achieve even bigger and better things.
Throughout the years Ken Arnold has played with several bands, but few that would venture out of their “comfort zone”. But this all changed for him during the spring of 2005 when he hooked up with drummer Charlie Ost, who then also introduced him to keyboardist, guitarist and lead vocalist, Greg Arena. Ken also brought in a good friend of his called Mike Reilly on lead guitar and formed the band 629. After several live performances at places like the Hard Rock Live in Orlando and Jones Beach Band Shell in New York, 629 were eventually signed to an indie label called ‘Dobe Records’ who released their first album ‘Reflections’ in 2008. Just prior to that time Ken was approached by P.J. Rubal, who is the Artist’s manager for Spector Bass guitars, and it was he who would grant Ken an artist’s endorsement with Spector after seeing Ken’s rack of Spector basses at the Hard Rock Live shows. Ken has also just recently became an endorsee for Hartke Amplification Systems, so as we are both connected by Spector and Hartke, I guess Ken and yours truly are almost related, Ha-ha.
Ken Arnold and 629 are now currently working on their second album, which will be followed up with a tour very soon, so watch this space and keep your ears to the ground and watch out for them, and of course, Ken Arnold…On Bass!
Email Ken for further info at……… playbassken@aol.com
Band website…………………………. www.6-2-9.com
Ken Arnold on Facebook………….. www.facebook.com/KenArnoldJax
Gear News
New Gear: Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass
Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass…
Esopus Guitars is proud to announce the new “Tailwater” bass guitar, from legendary bass luthier Stuart Spector. This 32” scale bass is handcrafted by Stuart using the only finest woods and components at the Esopus Guitar workshop located near Woodstock NY in the Catskill Mountains.
From its fully carved spruce top (the top is carved on both its exterior and interior surfaces) with a thumb rest that is elegantly carved into the top, to its custom-made Fishman piezo pickup and super hard Carnauba wax finish, every detail of the Tailwater is part of creating the ultimate playing experience.
The Tailwater bass features a fully chambered spruce over alder body (15.5″ lower body bout width, 2.25″ body thickness measuring from the peak of the carved top) that delivers a super comfortable tonal tool for all your low-end needs.
Each Tailwater bass is hand-signed and numbered on the back of the peghead by Stuart Spector. A very limited number of Tailwater basses are handcrafted each year at the Esopus workshop.
“I am proud to present the Tailwater bass, a bass that I have spent the last three years perfecting. The Tailwater is a culmination of all of my 45 years of experience, knowledge, and passion for bass guitar crafting. I am so eager to hear what fellow musicians create with this exciting new instrument.” -Stuart Spector
Direct Pricing : $4995.00 plus options.
For more information about Esopus Guitars and Stuart Spector’s handcrafted instruments, visit www.EsopusGuitars.com.
Bass Videos
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Ian Allison Bassist extreme…
Most recently Ian has spent the last seven years touring nationally as part of Eric Hutchinson and The Believers, sharing stages with acts like Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, Rachel Platten, Matt Nathanson, Phillip Phillips, and Cory Wong playing venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Staples Center and The Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN.
I had a chance to meet up with him at the Sellersville Theater in Eastern Pennsylvania to catch up on everything bass. Visit online at ianmartinallison.com/
Latest
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @officialspector @bqwbassguitar @brute_bass_guitars @phdbassguitars @ramabass.ok @tribe_guitars @woodguerilla_instruments @mikelullcustomguitars @jcrluthier @elegeecustom
Features
Interview With Audic Empire Bassist James Tobias
Checking in with Bergantino Artist James Tobias
James Tobias, Bassist for psychedelic, Reggae-Rock titans Audic Empire shares his history as a musician and how he came to find Bergantino…
Interview by Holly Bergantino
James Tobias, a multi-talented musician and jack-of-all-trades shares his story of coming up as a musician in Texas, his journey with his band Audic Empire, and his approach to life and music. With a busy tour schedule each year, we were fortunate to catch up with him while he was out and about touring the US.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Dallas, Texas and lived in the Dallas area most of my life with the exception of 1 year in Colorado. I moved to the Austin area at age 18.
What makes the bass so special to you particularly, and how did you gravitate to it?
I honestly started playing bass because we needed a bass player and I was the one with access to a bass amp and bass. I played rhythm guitar and sang up until I met Ronnie, who I would later start “Audic Empire” with. He also played rhythm guitar and sang and we didn’t know any bass players, so we had to figure something out. I still write most of my songs on guitar, but I’ve grown to love playing the bass.
How did you learn to play, James?
I took guitar lessons growing up and spent a lot of time just learning tabs or playing by ear and kicked around as a frontman in a handful of bands playing at the local coffee shops or rec centers. Once I transitioned to bass, I really just tried to apply what I knew about guitar and stumbled through it till it sounded right. I’m still learning every time I pick it up, honestly.
You are also a songwriter, recording engineer, and a fantastic singer, did you get formal training for this?
Thank you, that means a lot! I had a couple of voice lessons when I was in my early teens, but didn’t really like the instructor. I did however take a few lessons recently through ACC that I enjoyed and think really helped my technique (Shout out to Adam Roberts!) I was not a naturally gifted singer, which is a nice way of saying I was pretty awful, but I just kept at it.
As far as recording and producing, I just watched a lot of YouTube videos and asked people who know more than me when I had a question. Whenever I feel like I’m not progressing, I just pull up tracks from a couple of years ago, cringe, and feel better about where I’m at but I’ve got a long way to go. Fortunately, we’ve got some amazing producers I can pass everything over to once I get the songs as close to finalized as I can.
Describe your playing style(s), tone, strengths and/or areas that can be improved on the bass.
I honestly don’t know what my style would be considered. We’ve got so many styles that we play and fuse together that I just try to do what works song by song. I don’t have too many tricks in the bag and just keep it simple and focus on what’s going to sound good in the overall mix. I think my strength lies in thinking about the song as a whole and what each instrument is doing, so I can compliment everything else that’s going on. What could be improved is absolutely everything, but that’s the great thing about music (and kind of anything really).
Who were your influencers in terms of other musicians earlier on or now that have made a difference and inspired you?
My dad exposed me to a lot of music early. I was playing a toy guitar while watching a VHS of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble live at SXSW on repeat at 4 years old saying I wanted to “do that” when I grew up. I was the only kid in daycare that had his own CDs that weren’t kid’s songs. I was listening to Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and The Doors when I could barely talk. I would make up songs and sing them into my Panasonic slimline tape recorder and take it to my preschool to show my friends. As I got older went through a bunch of music phases. Metal, grunge, rock, punk, hip hop, reggae, ska, etc. Whatever I heard that I connected to I’d dive in and learn as much as I could about it. I was always in bands and I think I kept picking up different styles along the way and kept combining my different elements and I think that’s evident in Audic’s diverse sound.
Tell me about Audic Empire and your new release Take Over! Can you share some of the highlights you and the band are most proud of?
Takeover was an interesting one. I basically built that song on keyboard and drum loops and wrote and tracked all my vocals in one long session in my bedroom studio kind of in a stream-of-consciousness type of approach. I kind of thought nothing would come of it and I’d toss it out, but we slowly went back and tracked over everything with instruments and made it our own sound. I got it as far as I could with production and handed it off to Chad Wrong to work his magic and really bring it to life. Once I got Snow Owl Media involved and we started brainstorming about a music video, it quickly turned into a considerably larger production than anything we’ve done before and it was such a cool experience. I’m really excited about the final product, especially considering I initially thought it was a throwaway track.
Describe the music style of Audic Empire for us.
It’s all over the place… we advertise it as “blues, rock, reggae.” Blues because of our lead guitarist, Travis Brown’s playing style, rock because I think at the heart we’re a rock band, and reggae because we flavor everything with a little (or a lot) of reggae or ska.
How did you find Bergantino Audio Systems?
Well, my Ampeg SVT7 caught fire at a show… We were playing Stubbs in Austin and everyone kept saying they smelled something burning, and I looked back in time to see my head, perched on top of its 8×10 cab, begin billowing smoke. We had a tour coming up, so I started researching and pricing everything to try and find a new amp. I was also fronting a metal band at the time, and my bass player’s dad was a big-time country bass player and said he had this really high-end bass amp just sitting in a closet he’d sell me. I was apprehensive since I really didn’t know much about it and “just a little 4×10” probably wasn’t going to cut it compared to my previous setup. He said I could come over and give it a test drive, but he said he knew I was going to buy it. He was right. I immediately fell in love. I couldn’t believe the power it put out compared to this heavy head and cumbersome cab I had been breaking my back hauling all over the country and up countless staircases.
Tell us about your experience with the forte D amp and the AE 410 Speaker cabinet.
It’s been a game-changer in every sense. It’s lightweight and compact. Amazing tone. And LOUD. It’s just a fantastic amp. Not to mention the customer service being top-notch! You’ll be hard-pressed to find another product that, if you have an issue, you can get in touch with the owner, himself. How cool is that?
Tell us about some of your favorite basses.
I was always broke and usually working part-time delivering pizzas, so I just played what I could get my hands on. I went through a few pawn shop basses, swapped in new pickups, and fought with the action on them constantly. I played them through an Ampeg be115 combo amp. All the electronics in it had fried at some point, so I gutted it out and turned it into a cab that I powered with a rusted-up little head I bought off someone for a hundred bucks. My gear was often DIY’d and held together by electrical tape and usually had a few coats of spray paint to attempt to hide the wear and tear. I never really fell in love with any piece of gear I had till I had a supporter of our band give me an Ibanez Premium Series SDGR. I absolutely love that bass and still travel with it. I’ve since gotten another Ibanez Premium Series, but went with the 5-string BTB. It’s a fantastic-sounding bass, my only complaint is it’s pretty heavy.
Love your new video Take Over! Let us know what you’re currently working on (studio, tour, side projects, etc.)
Thank you!! We’ve got a LOT of stuff we’re working on right now actually. Having 2 writers in the band means we never have a shortage of material. It’s more about getting everything tracked and ready for release and all that goes into that. We just got through filming videos for 2 new unreleased tracks with Snow Owl Media, who did the videos for both Love Hate and Pain and Takeover. Both of these songs have surprise features which I’m really excited about since these will be the first singles since our last album we have other artists on. We’ve also got a lot of shows coming up and I’ve also just launched my solo project as well. The debut single, “Raisin’ Hell” is available now everywhere. You can go here to find all the links distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jamestobias/raisin-hell
What else do you do besides music?
For work, I own a handyman service here in Austin doing a lot of drywall, painting, etc. I have a lot of hobbies and side hustles as well. I make custom guitar straps and other leather work. I do a lot of artwork and have done most of our merch designs and a lot of our cover art. I’m really into (and borderline obsessed) with health, fitness, and sober living. I have a hard time sitting still, but fortunately, there’s always a lot to do when you’re self-employed and running a band!
Follow James Tobias:
jamestobiasmusic.com
Facebook.com/james.tobias1
Instagram.com/ru4badfish2
TikTok.com/@jamestobiasmusic
audicempire.com
Bass CDs
New Album: Avery Sharpe, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
Avery Sharpe and his Double Quartet to release, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
A new recording will be released on JKNM Records by internationally renowned bassist/composer Avery Sharpe, “I Am My Neighbors Keeper” is scheduled for release in June 2024.
Sharpe has composed a new work that highlights our commitment to one another. Avery initiated the project as a response to the political and racial division that has grown over the past seven years in the country. “The U.S political climate has drastically changed in the past 40-plus years, especially during the last seven of those years. In this age of greed, which Sharpe refers to as “IGM,” I Got Mine, basic human compassion has been eroded. Racial, economic and social strides are being turned back.
“We have food insecurity, the unhoused, pandemics, school shootings, domestic violence, and an opioid problem, just to name some. There is a need to remind people that each of us is here on this planet for a very short period of time. It doesn’t matter if one has a religious approach or a secular approach, it all comes down to concern and compassion for each other. Through these compositions and recordings, Avery’s mission as an artist is to remind us that we all are interconnected and that ‘We Are Our Neighbor’s Keeper.’ When we help to uplift one, we uplift everyone,” Sharpe said.
Each movement in the piece describes the values we should strive for to help one another for this multi-media (video slide show during performance) and multi-discipline performance.
Many of Sharpe’s projects and recordings have been about “standing on the shoulders of ancestors, heroes and sheroes.” Among his recordings and projects, include “Running Man” (celebrating the athlete Jesse Owens), “Ain’t I A Woman” (about Sojourner Truth), and his most recent project “400: An African American Musical Portrait” (marking the 400 years from 1619 to 2019).
Avery Sharpe has recorded and performed with many jazz greats from Dizzy Gillespie to Yusef Lateef. He had an illustrious run of 20 plus years with the legendary Jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, of which he recorded more than 25 records with Mr. Tyner and performed countless worldwide concerts.
Visit online at averysharpe.com/
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
New Gear: The Dingwall John Taylor Signature Model
Interview With Bassist Edmond Gilmore
Have Fret Sprout? Sharp Fret Management… a How-To Video
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Interview With Audic Empire Bassist James Tobias
New Album: Avery Sharpe, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
