Bassist Rob Marshall – Bass Musician Magazine Q&A

Meet Bassist Rob Marshall in this Bass Musician Magazine Q & A…

Name:

Rob Marshall

Born In What City: 

West Bend, WI

Current Band(s) I Play With: 

Via Coma

CD’s I’ve Released/ Been a Part Of:

Figures – June 12, 2012

Bridges EP – March 9, 2009

Describe The Way You Play Bass:

Being the lead vocalist and lyricist of Via Coma, I find myself writing and playing parts that aren’t necessarily the most complicated, rather it’s what helps mold, shape and accompany the melody.

What Made Me Decide to Play Bass:

I can’t really remember a pivotal moment when I decided that bass was the instrument for me. I had dabbled on guitar before really diving into bass but I think it was a lot of little things that lead up to my pursuit of it.

Musical Influences:

Every and anything. I believe you can learn something from everyone even if it’s something you don’t want to do.

Favorite Musical Styles:

Once again, every and anything. There’s a lot more at work in the subtleties of bass playing and writing that tends to go under appreciated most of the time but when a bassist is doing right, people feel it.

My Bass(es):

Early 70’s Fender P-Bass

Mid 80’s Gibson Grabber G-1

My Amps and Other Gear:

Head: Ampeg SVT-4 PRO

Cab: Ampeg 8×10

Pedals: Line 6 DL4, Line 6 FM 4, Boss DD-20 Giga Delay, Electro Harmonix Bass Micro Synth, Paul Cochran Timmy Pedal, Keeley Compressor, Keeley Modded RAT, Boss RV-5, Boss Chromatic Tuner TU-2

Best Bass Advice You’ve Ever Received:

Less is more.

One Piece Of Advice For Other Bassists:

Less is more (haha).

Favorite Quote or Life Philosophy:

“A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. We provide the music, and you provide the silence.” – Leopold Stokowski

What Would You Be Doing If You Weren’t A Musician:

If I weren’t a musician… It’s really hard to think about what I would do, but I suppose I’d still be engaged in something that involves proactive, discipline and a lot of trial and error. Originally, I was going to school for creative writing so I think I’d maybe be pursuing that a bit more.

What You Can Look Forward to From Me this Year: 

We’re putting out our debut record on June 12th and it’s the first full length album I’ve ever been a part of, and the first recording I’ve ever done that I’ve been 100% proud of. It’s an incredible feeling.

Find Me Online: 

Website: viacoma.us

Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/viacoma

Twitter: twitter.com/viacoma

Facebook: facebook.com/viacoma