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Just Outside Of Normal by Stuart Hamm
Just Outside of Normal by Stu Hamm Review by Raul Amador –
I met Stu in Anaheim this past January at Winter NAMM. I was standing in the consistently long line to get coffee at Starbucks one morning and he walked up right behind me and we got to talking… I don’t think I have ever met such a nice, down to earth guy. We chatted about music and the Bass and before you know it I have this CD to listen to. Anyway, I just want to thank Stu again for sharing his work with me, especially one of such extraordinary caliber!
I really enjoyed every track on this CD. Stu promptly demonstrates that he is the master of his domain. He plays what he chooses with such confidence it actually made me smile. There is groove, there is speed, there is technique and there are some very unorthodox choices. Stu Hamm has his own “voice” and isn’t afraid to “speak up”! The extraordinary group of musicians that Stu recruited to collaborate on this work facilitates such expression.
Let’s start with “The Obligatory Boogie”. Stu starts us off with a driving rock tune that gets your pulse going; Great to wake up to and drive to work with. The bass work here is precise and impressive!
Now, lets get “Going to California”. We are treated to a musical vision of beauty and grandeur. It’s like seeing pictures but with your ears. This take is soothing, melodic and loaded with tasteful tones including harmonics; I really like the chromatic progressions here.
“The Clarinet Polka” would have been the last tune I expected to hear on the CD but there is, and it is really good. You might wonder how I might know what I am talking about but I admit that I played the accordion as a child and spent a fair amount of time in Polka halls in Colorado listening to the likes of Frankie Yakovich. Who but Stu would play this?
“Windsor Mews” is built on some very cool variations of counter-sliding chords and Joe Satrinis’ guitar playing fills out the piece with some lip-curling playing.
“Just Outside of Normal”, the title track, is another visual piece that takes us to the great Midwest. Let your mind wander to a farm just outside of Champaign, Illinois where Stu grew up. Listen for the Dotar solo by Stu’s brother Bruce. Total Americana.
Now a classical piece! “Adagio” is extremely beautiful and masterfully done and on our instrument! Full of feeling, I can barely see to type this review as my eyes tear up… thanks Stu…
“Big Roller” shows us a swinging version of Stu. The solid Bass platform allows this piece to highlight more of the other musicians where violin, sax, drums and piano take us back in time to an era of music long past.
“Uniformitarianism” has an ethereal kind of “New Age” feel to it; this is a tune that makes you want to think deeper thoughts about life in general. Frank Gambale on guitar reaches those high notes that scream out but in a good way. The bass scaffolding under this tune is deep and multidimensional.
The finale “Lucidity” is the only “vocal” piece and is a soothing, lullaby-like piece with the voice of Malika Ataoui who sings with Cirque Du Soleil. The bass backdrop has a “Happy Trails” quality and is complimentary to the relaxing feel of the tune.
So, there you have it. “Just Outside of Normal” is an amazing piece of work that I intend to enjoy on many more occasions! Discover Stu Hamm’s talent for yourself, you will not be disappointed!
Just Outside of Normal by Stu Hamm is available at Amazon.com
Visit online at www.stuarthamm.net
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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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