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Simone Vignola, Going to the Next Level

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by Marcos Alto –

Italian based musician Simone Vignola is growing in popularity fast. He just released his solo CD “Going to the next Level” and is touring around Europe and playing in clubs and bigger Festivals. Between the recording of his “Bonus Track” for the Asian release of his CD, and after a good Italian coffee, we had the time to talk with Simone.

Ciao Simone. Please tell us a little bit about you and how you got started playing Bass?

Actually, my first approach with music happened on guitar. My father was a guitar player and helped me with technique and different styles. When I was twelve I bought a jazzbass copy and loved it. I love the way the bass lets you move, the contact between fingers and strings. The role of the bass suits my personality. The role of the bass is important. Every note counts, and we have to bring everybody else to the groove. A non-musician doesn’t recognize the importance of the bass in a song, but he can feel that’s something wrong without its harmonic and rhythmic support.

Did you take lessons?

I studied bass with a teacher in my town, a dear friend called Enzo di Somma. He has an amazing style, and I tried to copy him a lot in the beginning. Then I understood that my sound was completely different than his, and after a couple of years I started practicing alone. I started playing upright bass at seventeen, studying jazz music with a local teacher Pierluigi Bartolo Gallo. At eighteen, I studied at the Italian Conservatory playing with the bow and studying classical music with the well known Maestro Nicola Buonomo. After six years you start to understand the dedication a classical career demands, and I was still loving the bass. I also studied electric bass for a short period with Antonio de Luise, a great jazz player.

Which bass players have been particularly influential on your playing?

First of all, I grew up with the Police. I consider myself a musician in the style of Sting, from both the singing and playing sides. As a bassist, he showed me the importance of staying underneath the music. I was also influenced by Flea from RHCP. My favourite technical expression is slapping, and I loved Flea’s sound, even though I don’t like MusicMan basses at all. When I was a teenager, I was more into rock and metal music. I was an “up the Irons” guy. Steve Harris influenced me a lot, his power and speed, the cleanest bass sound ever. The bass almost becomes the main instrument in that kind of music. As I got older, I discovered my passion for Les Claypool’s creativity and compositional innovation. I also took from Marcus Miller’s sound, and I studied Victor Wooten’s magical riffs. I also enjoyed Jaco Pastorius, but was starting to discover that I was a different type of player.

What kind of music did you play at that time?

I’ve always played every kind of music. At sixteen I was in a rock band called Inseedia. We did something like The Cure’s dark music with Crossover Music influences. It was a cool teen project. We did two albums, received positive feedback, and then we broke up. I then started working as session player, and start touring in 2005 with different Italian well known artists. This allowed me to play music from jazz to pop, and also worked with cover bands as well.

How / what was your first gig?

When I was at medium school I did some shows as “young classic guitarist” and this really makes me laugh. I don’t remember which the first one was, if it was in a church or at a conservatory’s auditorium…for sure it was in my town. The first bass gig was at an 18th birthday party. I was just twelve playing Beatles, Police and Dire Straits.

You continued as a sideman for other bands. Why did you start your own career?

Since I was a child, I had fun composing songs. I started working on music on the computer, recording and working with writing software. I also began writing lyrics and began working on a singer-songwriter approach. I tried recording the vocal part of a song of mine called “Time is Flying Again”, and liked it. Through the years I began to understand that the only one who could best translate my ideas was me. When you write something, you want to communicate that idea. It’s hard to explain to anyone else how to play or sing your songs, so I decided to do it myself. I tried to reach my ideal sound on each instrument I used for my music, and that’s why I played everything myself.

As a sideman for others, how do you find your bass part?

The most important and difficult thing is getting inside the artist’s mind. Playing your own music lets you understand how is important the writer’s point of view is. Sometimes the musician/singer you work for is a good one, other times they’re not. But in each case you must believe in what you’re doing. Moreover, even if you accept a job for several reasons, you can always learn from it. The second someone calls you, it’s good to understand he probably wants your personal vision for his music. As bassist, I try to build a river in which the song sails, trying to consider music as art, not a job. But once you’ve been paid, and you understand that you’ve worked. Sometimes I’ll get called to produce as well. Producing and arranging sound must come from your feelings. We have to produce what we think and hear, and not what everybody already knows.

You are playing so many different projects…Pop, Alternative Rock, Fusion. What kind of style do you feel most at home with?

I really like the way pop music communicates to people. It is fast and short. One word means a lot of them…one note is not enough…two notes are too much, so you have to be the perfect speaker. I enjoy trying to be perfect. It makes me a better player, and a better man.

Now I’ll try to explain what I think about playing different styles. In our real life, as in music, we are always looking for our place; the place in which we feel right and people seems like us. It is difficult for me to find my place because I’m the kind of person who likes all situations and their different feelings. So I find a direction, a way, and I walk down a street and it is my place in that moment. I’m always trying to go to the next level. Sometimes you feel the electric side, and sometimes you feel acoustic side, or one-man-band; other times you feel another artist’s shadow. By expressing all of yourself, you can give something to the world. If a piece is lost, your musical puzzle isn’t complete.

You completed your first CD called “Going to the Next Level” in 2010. It was well received, as it was very musical and had a great flair. You composed and arranged all of the tracks. Why did you want to make this CD?

As I said, I played with several artists and bands, and I grew up as session player in the so called “musical scene” in Italy. After I won the EuroBassDay Contest in 2008, I decided to seriously believe in myself as both bassist and composer. It was a strange period. I was looking for something, didn’t know exactly what, but I was sure I had to find it in the music. I was 21. I wrote a lot of songs like “Love Song” and “Still Life”, and I took an old one like “Time is Flying Again”. It was an important moment, and I totally changed my vision of the art. I was really lucky in finding a record label who believed in this project. This made me feel stronger, and I started working on my first single “Love Song”. After a good reaction, and an offer out of Europe, I started work on the full CD. This is the story. “Going to the Next Level” put order into my life. As the title says, I was looking to start a new life. “Going to” represents my dynamic on a way to live, “the Next Level” is what I have built through the experience. Sometimes I consider this CD “The best of an unknown artist”. I’m still waiting for the next level, I really don’t know how many CDs I’ll have to release before finding it.

How do you write/compose your compositions, do you play them on Bass?

At home I always have a bass and an acoustic guitar ready to play. I play both of them everyday. Sometimes I need to practice, other times I need to jam. There is a moment in which I feel the song is coming out, and I quickly and easily understand which instrument I need. Most of the songs of “Going to the Next Level” are focused around the bass, and you can definitely hear it. While I’m composing, I really like the possibilities the bass give me. Overtones, slapping, and tapping are the main components I use to make my riffs.

How do you get your ideas for the compositions?

Moment by moment my mind fixes ideas on different things, and I just develop them. For example in “Going o the Next Level”, the G was tuned to A (tracks 8,13), A tuned to Bb on track 11, tapping riffs on tracks 5 and 12, 7/8 implied on a 4/4 groove on track 6, and passing through different tonalities with the same rhythmical and harmonic loops. Obviously, I always write from feeling, and use what I’ve discovered before, ideas and techniques that better suite the song.

Do you write every new idea on paper, or do you record it immediately?

I record it as soon as I can, even if I’m with a girl, or a president 🙂

How do you start your recordings?

Talking in terms of a pop song, the first part I address is the chorus. It is the main part of the song, and I’m able to understand what that feeling was. After this, I start building the groove, and I always begin with the kick on the beat. As long as I’m conscious of the groove, I can put my notes anywhere I want. After the groove, I need the theme (mainly electric bass) and the guitar concepts. I often jam on the whole song with my acoustic guitar and then I search for the communicative parts. I try to capture the good moments. I compose the scheme with pieces of music and I have separate parts built by the loops. With the bass I can drive the loops. For example, if I have a guitar loop playing modal on a C major scale, I can decide which chord suites it better, and then create the bass line to fit the harmonic movement. Then I sing. I think the bass is the most important element in my music.

Do you have any recording recommendations for getting a great bass sound?

I find my dynamics to be a very important point of the final bass sound. Each note in a bass riff musts be on the same dynamic level, with the same volume and the same interpretation. Remember that each finger has a different sound. Rock style music could actually be recorded with one finger. With this work on finger control, we can obtain something like a build-in compressor in the hands. We will not need a lot of external compression or volume cuts on the bass track, creating a natural bass sound. It’s also important to watch which pick-up your right hand plays over. Play softly on the neck one for a round sound, and harder on the bridge pick-up for more attack.

How do you capture your bass tone in the studio?

I’m happy to be using a TC Electronic amp composed of one head and two cabs, a 2×10 and a 2×12. I use these to record three separated tracks per bass part, the amp’s direct output, a SM57 for the 2×10 speaker, and a kick microphone for the 2×12 speaker.

On your CD as well as your live gigs, you are both singing and playing…not many bass players are able to do this. Do you have any (practise) tips?

I consider singing and playing a default human ability. First of all you need freedom and conviction. Actually, bass parts are often very different from the vocal, and sometimes you have to play against the voice rhythm. When I find I can’t sing while I’m playing, I used to create an imaginary scheme (you can write it too) dividing, for example, a 4/4 bar into 16th’s with both vocal and bass parts on different lines. You can easily understand which note is before and which later, and then start. I interchange bass notes, vocal notes, and pauses.

You are touring now with your so called “Live-Solo-Set”. Why did you decide to tour solo?

First of all I like the one-man-band concept. Everything depends on you. You must learn and improve your relationship with the music. You must understand every note you play. Actually, you’re able to express yourself better. I believe that an artist’s musical speech must deliver his point of view. I think of myself as a DJ who doesn’t mix, he just creates his own vinyl. Every time is different, every show is a new one and, through the experience, it becomes better then the day before. This is “Live-Solo-Set”. It’s the world from the artist’s point of view in different moments, and who describes it better then him? I need just me. I enjoy touring alone. I have more time to experience new landscapes and new places.

What kind of Clubs/Venues are you playing?

It changes with what I’m playing. With my show, I can play in a small club or on a big festival stage during summer tours. Now I’m using a two cabs system, so I can bring one for small situations or both in bigger venues. By the way, you need a wide frequency balanced quality amp to hear the instrument in each kind of gig. I’m often playing at Bass Festivals in which I’m introducing the “Live-Solo-Set”. The bass role in my shows is considered strong, but different. Attention is given to the one-man-band and song-writer side. I’m also in a lot of exhibitions as a demonstrator, and endorser.

You won the Italian “BOSS Loop Contest” and now you will be at NAMM for the International Final. What do you think of using loop stations in your music?

The use of the loop station totally changed my perspective, especially the live one. It’s nice to build the song. The audience can follow you and understand exactly what you’re doing and how you’re making music. I look at the loop station as the “colour machine” I use in my songs. I have different light options ready to use driving the song with my voice and my bass. Of course this concept needs imagination and practice. By the way, the exercise that a loop station offers is great from a musical perspective as well. I’m doing some clinics centered around my live-looping method, mostly based on the bass role, explaining how I do loops and in which direction the looping goes. The “BOSS Loop Contest” was a great time, and I’m really happy about the confirmation of what I’m considering as the future of artistic expression.

What are your future musical projects?

I’m very happy about what’s happening right now. I hope in the next year to discover some new and different musical approaches, and to continue with new recordings, videos and live shows for my solo project. Actually, I’m curious to see what will happen in a “Next Level” way.

Solo Recordings

-Going to the Next Level (Japan Edition)        [King Records – 2011]

-Going to the Next Level                                    [Schoots Records – 2010]

-Love Song (Single)                                            [Schoots Records – 2009]

Videos:

LOVE SONG: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZQaKMo_soQ

ROUTINE: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkNDKsjSdsk

FAQ: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9MPMEQ61DY

Loop Contest: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqDpnwyq0Q0

Sites:

www.simonevignola.com

www.facebook.com/simonevignola

www.myspace.com/simonevignola

www.youtube.com/simonevignola

www.youtube.com/schootsrecords

Gear

-Basses:

Windmill J-Modern     5 string

Windmill P-Bass           4 string

Fender Roscoe Beck      5 string

Ibanez SR505bm            5 string

-Amp:

Head:                        TC Electronic Classic 450

Cabinets:                  TC Electronic 2×10

TC Electronic 4×10

TC Electronic 2×12

-Pedal board:

Vocals FX:                TC Helicon VoiceLice2

Loop Station:            BOSS RC-50

Tuner:                         TC Electronic Polytune

Bass Delay:               TC Electronic NovaDelay

Bass Synth:               BOSS SYB-5

Bass Flanger:           BOSS FL-3

Bass Filter:                EH BassBalls Nano

-Live-Solo-Set sounds:

Drum machines:      BOSS DR-760

Yamaha RY-30

Bass Videos

Interview With K3 Sisters Band

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Interview With K3 Sisters Band

K3 Sisters Band Interview…

It is very rare when I talk to a band where all the members play bass. The K3 Sisters Band is a perfect example of a group where Kaylen, Kelsey and Kristen Kassab are all multi-instrumentalists and take turns playing bass.

Hailing from Texas, these three sisters have been playing music since they were very young and have amassed an amazing amount of original music,  music videos, streaming concerts, podcasts, and content that has taken numerous social media platforms by storm. On TikTok alone, they have over 2.5 million followers and more than a billion views.

Join me as we hear the story of their musical journey, how they get their sound, and the fundamental principles behind these prolific musicians.

Here is the K3 Sisters Band!

Photo, Bruce Ray Productions

Follow Online:

k3sistersband.com/
TikTok
YouTube
Instagram
Facebook 

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Bass Videos

Interview With Bassist Danielle Nicole

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Interview With Bassist Danielle Nicole

Bassist Danielle Nicole…

Blues music has universal appeal. We all have our ups and downs and this particular musical genre often fits our reality. Just hearing that we are not alone makes us feel a bit better. 

Danielle Nicole writes and sings the Blues. She does an amazing job at delivering both exquisite smoky vocals but plays just the right bass line to drive the tune home. Danielle recently released “The Love You Bleed” last January and will be touring the album this upcoming year.

Join me as we learn about Danielle’s musical journey, how she gets her sound, her plans for the future and more.

Follow Online

daniellenicolemusic.com/
IG @daniellenicoleband
youtube.com/daniellenicoleband

Photo, Missy Faulkner

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Features

Bergantino Welcomes Karina Rykman to Their Family of Artists

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Bergantino Welcomes Karina Rykman to Their Family of Artists

Interview with Karina Rykman…

Karina Rykman…The high-energy bassist discusses her path on bass, her upcoming tour, how she came to find Bergantino through another Bergantino artist, and more!

A lifelong Manhattanite diehard New Yorker, Bergantino welcomes new Artist Karina Rykman. Jim and Holly had the privilege of meeting Karina and her band in Boston to see her perform. She lights up a stage with her charismatic passion as a bass player and singer – a true powerhouse of joy and energy. On stage, she smiles from ear to ear, hopping, jumping, and dancing; the entire room overflowing with positivity! If you don’t know this titan of bass yet, you will soon enough. Karina’s JOYRIDE 2024 tour picks up this month with the debut of her new album. We had the opportunity to ask Karina some questions about her career so far. 

You have quite the career that began at a very young age. You have so much going on!! Can you share some of your musical path highlights you are most proud of?

Oh man, thank you! What a long, strange trip it’s been. I’m proud of still being so absolutely enthralled by music after playing in a million bands and finally ending up at this current juncture: being able to make my own music and tour under my own name. It just seems completely surreal – every gig, every recording…I’m on cloud 9 being able to continue to do this, and we’re just getting started. I’m extremely proud of being so young and being able to learn so much from Marco Benevento, without whom I’d be absolutely nowhere. Being put up to a large task with enormous shoes to fill, and stepping in even though I barely knew what I was doing at the time. Every gig with Marco is extremely special to me. 

Tell us about your new album release Joyride and your 2024 tour.

Joyride is my debut record! It came out in August 2023, and we’ve been touring behind it nonstop ever since. You only make your first record once, and I’m so proud of this one – it’s fun, searing, lush, with chantable choruses and, of course, incredibly thick bass and infectious grooves. It was produced by Phish’s Trey Anastasio, who also contributes guitar parts to 5 of the 9 tunes. 

What makes the bass so special to you particularly, and how did you gravitate towards it?

There’s nothing quite like feeling the subs rumbling under your feet in a venue and being responsible for those sounds is thrilling. I played guitar first, at age 12, but essentially completely switched over to bass when I was 22 and got the gig playing bass with Marco Benevento. I haven’t looked back since, except for a few gigs on guitar here and there (notably in the house band on Late Night with Seth Meyers and on The Today Show backing up Julia Michaels). 

People hate this question, but: If you were constructing your personal Bass Mt. Rushmore, who are the four players that would make the cut and why?

Geddy Lee, Cliff Burton, Bootsy Collins, Les Claypool. The list goes on and on, of course, but those four have imprinted their unique styles upon my brain since I was so young, and I’m perpetually learning from them – even in the case of the deceased Cliff (RIP), going back and watching Cliff ‘Em All videos is something I do all the time. Endlessly compelled by these four players and their original takes on the instrument.

How did you learn to play?

I never took lessons, but in middle school and high school, I just surrounded myself with equally music-obsessed people. All we did was play music and go and see live music, which is wildly accessible when you grow up in New York City. I had a really tight-knit crew of amazing players as my friends, and everyone would teach each other riffs and licks. I was fearless – playing with people much better than me and saying “yes” to every cool opportunity that came my way. I essentially learned from playing in a million bands and playing along to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin records. 

Are there any other instruments you play?

I started on guitar, and still love to write on guitar. I can get around on keyboards a bit, but you’d never hire me as a keyboardist. The same goes for drums – I LOVE playing drums but you’d never hire me as a drummer. 

Describe your playing style(s), tone, strengths and/or areas that can be improved on the bass.

I play both with a pick and my fingers, depending on the specific needs of / vibe of the tune. I love playing fuzz bass and writing bombastic “lead bass” moments, which are a staple of my live show. I’d say I’m about the least “traditional” bassist in just about every way – which is both a strength and a weakness depending on how you frame it. I play what I hear, what I like, and I adhere to very few rules. I’ve always hated rules, and I didn’t start playing rock n roll to follow them. 

How did you find Bergantino Audio Systems?

I’m pals with Mike Gordon, bassist of Phish, and his tech is named Ed Grasmeyer. Ed suggested he bring Mike’s Bergantino for me to try out at a show I was playing in Vermont, and I fell instantly in love. 

You have been using the Bergantino Forté HP2 head. How have you been setting the controls on this and what changes to those settings might you make as you plug into your other individual instruments?

I love my Forté HP2! The versatility and headroom are incredible, and I’ve been having a lot of fun dialing it in at home. The real fun will begin this weekend when I take it out for 2.5 weeks of tour – dialing something in an apartment just isn’t the same as on a big stage with a PA and subs and all that good stuff. I like to roll my highs a bit and I keep “punch” on all the time. So far, it’s been a dream.

You are the inspiration behind Bergantino cab the new NXT410-C. Can you tell us more about this cab and your experience so far?

Firstly, I’m beyond touched to be the inspiration behind, well…anything! But this is truly insane, and such an honor. I love this cab. Not only is it light and extremely good-looking, it can handle all my loudest, most abrasive and obnoxious effects. My old amp didn’t come close, and could just fart out or I’d have to turn down to appease it. I’m a big fan of playing at earth-shattering volumes, so this is going to be a match made in heaven. 

We all love your custom-made Goldie Hawn bass guitar! Can you share more with us about this bass design and why it is so special to you?

Thanks! That’s made by “Zeke Guitars” – it’s the second custom bass he’s made for me! He reached out in the summer of 2019 and asked what my dream bass would be, and I said it was basically my 1978 Fender P-Bass, but lighter, whiter, with Lindy Fralins, gold hardware, and shorter scale. And, well..he did exactly that! I love that bass so much. And the gold, which is referred to as Goldie Hawn, was born in December of 2022, and has the same specs. I just love it, it sounds amazing and looks, arguably, even better. 

Jim and I were lucky to get to meet you in person when you came to Boston with the band. The members of the band are such a great group of people! Can you share more with all about the band and crew. 

I’m so lucky to keep such incredible company. My bandmates, Adam November and Chris Corsico, are not only unbelievable musicians but also incredible humans. We just laugh and laugh, and we’re there for each other when the road gets tough or we’re exhausted or whatever life throws at us. It’s the joy of my life to get to tour the world with these guys. And the crew! That night was Connor Milton on sound and Nick Koski on lights – we have a rotating cast of people who play those roles based on availability, and everyone who works for us are absolute consummate professionals and the sweetest humans. They are my team of experts and I just adore them so much. Shout out to Zach Rosenberg, Jeff Volckhausen, Dylan Hinds, Dom Chang, for being the best rotating crew a gal could ask for!  

What else do you do besides music? 

Not much! I love going to the beach! I love eating dinner! 

Because I am a foodie, I always ask people what their favorite food is!

Oysters, caviar, sushi. I’m a raw bar fanatic. 

At a very young age, Karina is a diligent hard worker. She juggles many balls managing her business and is savvy beyond her years. We are very happy to be working with Karina and are excited for her continued success!

Follow Karina Rykman:

Instagram: @karinarykman
X (formerly Twitter): @KarinaRykman
Facebook @karinarykman/

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Bass Videos

Interview With Bassist Ciara Moser

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Interview With Bassist Ciara Moser

Bassist Ciara Moser…

Ciara and I sat down for this interview a few months after the launch of her debut album, “Blind. So what?”

Blind since birth, she is a powerhouse of talent; she is not only a professional bassist, but also composes music, and is a producer and educator. I am just blown away by her talent and perseverance.

Join me as we hear about Ciara’s musical journey, the details of her album, how she gets her sound, and her plans for the future.

Visit online:

www.ciara-moser.com 
IG @ moserciara
FB @ ciara.moser

Photos by Manuela Haeussler

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Bass Videos

Interview With Bassist Travis Book

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Interview With Bassist Travis Book

Interview With Bassist Travis Book…

Bluegrass music has had a very solid following over many years and I am always happy to hear from one of the pioneers in that genre.

Travis Book plays bass for the Grammy award-winning band “The Infamous Stringdusters” and has recently released his first solo album “Love and Other Strange Emotions”. As if he wasn’t busy enough, Travis also hosts a podcast, Plays a Jerry Garcia music show with Guitarist Andy Falco, and is constantly gigging locally in his neck of the woods.

Photo, Seyl Park

Visit Online:

www.thetravisbook.com
www.thestringdusters.com
FB @ TheTravisBook
IG @ travisbook

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