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Am I Calling It In? by Jonathan Moody
Am I Calling It In? by Jonathan Moody… My grandfather said that “you can learn something from everyone, even if it’s what NOT to do” and it seems that whenever I forget this saying of his, it finds a way into my life. The latest instance of this was when I was doing some research for some upcoming articles (which let me tell you, I’m getting very excited about). A colleague and close friend wrote to me – in response to a question I had – that “two-three hours of focusing on just music is a rare gift that we have.” It resonated with me for about a day, coming to a head during a double gig last night.
How many times are we just “calling it in,” and going through the motions over being totally committed to the task at hand? As a freelance musician, I wind up playing a lot of music that other musicians may lift their noses at, citing that it’s either below them or not something they want to play. Oftentimes the money is very good, but I also love jumping into a situation where I’m not that familiar in an effort to expand my knowledge base and learn some new things that may work their way subconsciously into my playing at a later date. I attack these new gigs with an open mind and willingness to learn from the more seasoned musicians in this field.
However, what about those other gigs that are “old hat?” To date, in the past seven years I’ve done 79 theatre productions at a variety of venues in and around the surrounding area. Very little surprises me anymore and I end up playing with many of the same musicians. But after my friend’s comment, I felt grandpa’s words sink in and I had to ask the question of myself.
Am I calling it in?
I’ve said it just now; very little surprises me anymore in the theatre realm. But I have to wonder if I’m subconsciously just putting myself on auto-pilot when playing a show, knowing that there is a clear roadmap in front of me, and while it IS live theatre, many of the productions I work with are top notch, eliminating any real possibility of a train wreck onstage. There is a clear and definite disconnect between the pit orchestra and the crowd (you can certainly hear them, but it’s not the same as when you’re the band they’re coming to see). That is still no excuse to present your best foot forward, and be completely present and in the moment.
As said previously, music is a rare gift that we have. How many of our friends and family are just in awe that we can play an instrument that looks completely foreign to them? We shouldn’t take this for granted, no matter how simple, easy, or “old hat” the gig is. We should approach every gig like it’s our first one, with that excitement of trying something new and the open mind to be in the moment and learn from everyone that’s performing with you. We deserve to present our best, to the people paying us (obviously), but more importantly to the crowd coming to see us, the other musicians we’re in the trenches with, but lastly ourselves.
No one likes to finish a gig and say “Eh, it was alright.” Take the time to approach everything with complete focus, and you might find out that the person that is teaching you what NOT to do was the person in the mirror. Have a great month, and feel free to share your thoughts with me on Twitter at @monjoody.
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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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