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Walking on Water: Gigs For Commercial Bassists
For many bass players who are graduating from college or are simply trying to make a career as performer, the hope of finding a full-time gig can be daunting. With opportunities in arts organizations and production companies limited these days, the path of a professional bassist can be an uphill battle. But before you walk down to your local Starbucks and fill out an application, please consider something different: audition for an orchestra gig on a cruise ship.
If you’ve never worked on a cruise ship, there is a good chance you know someone that has. There are hundreds of ships sailing every corner of the world, and every one of them needs at least one electric bassist. With ships sailing each day of the year, major cruise lines are always looking for new players to fill their rosters. For commercial bass players, cruise ship employment opportunities are readily available. To be considered for a position, every applicant must undergo a brief audition. Some lines require a video recording to ensure authenticity, but often a phone audition along with credible references are sufficient.
The music played onboard ships require commercial skills. As the bassist in a ship’s orchestra, you’d be playing everything from theater shows, big band shows, jazz sets, and comedy shows. Needless to say, many different genres are played and you would have to be comfortable playing rock, jazz, pop, funk, and Latin grooves. Sightreading is a vital skill in this position as is the ability to follow lead sheets. Most bass positions are for electric bass. There are jazz gigs available for upright players as well, but these are far less common.
There are some considerations to be aware of before accepting a ship gig. Firstly, a pre-employment medical examination with laboratory tests (some lines reimburse for this, but many do not) are an industry-wide standard. The details of each line’s requirements differ slightly, but be prepared for getting a complete physical. You would also need a valid passport (and visa if you’re not an American citizen), and many lines require a criminal background check as well.
As for life onboard, most every cabin design is a bunked bed, shared cabin with another musician. Food is also provided onboard, many ships allow for dining in the passenger buffet area in addition to the staff mess. Complete healthcare, from the moment you step aboard until the end of your assignment, is provided. Also, travel is provided to and from the ship no matter where in the world the ship may be.
Contract lengths vary from three to seven months, depending on the line and urgency of the opening. People often wonder if there are short contracts available. They do exist in emergency situations but are not generally scheduled in advance.
The questions are endless when it comes to life on a cruise vessel. It is such a unique lifestyle that each person experiences it differently. There are concessions to be made for this kind of employment, namely being away from home for extended periods of time and living in small quarters. However, cruise employment can take you all over the world, provide steady employment, and introduce you to other professional musicians all while making money in an environment with very little expenses.
If you would like to audition or more information on cruise employment, please contact the author of this article at: bdransfield@sumanent.com.
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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