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Freelancing in a College Town: Respect the Genre by Jonathan Moody
Freelancing in a College Town: Respect the Genre… By a show of hands (figuratively, of course), how many of you all, when asked the question “What kind of music do you listen to?” answer with “I like anything, really.” Also, when asked what kind of music you like to play, follow suit with “I can play anything.” Now honestly, how many of those styles of music can you listen to (at length), let alone play well? This latest installment of my freelancing series is about respecting the genre that you are playing, instead of just saying that you’re familiar with it.
Case in point: I had backed up a very talented singer/songwriter named Kristin Luna Ray (find her at www.kristinray.com) on occasion when she was in town, playing at church. Thanks to Facebook, I found out that she would be in town on Sunday (last night), playing a Kirtan. I asked her when and where (thinking it would be great to see/hear her again), and she followed it with “Do you want to sit in?” Never one to turn down the opportunity to try something new (my wife would say I’m a “trial by fire” kind of guy), I jumped at the opportunity.
I grabbed her latest album and listened to it all weekend, as well as looked up the definition of Kirtan to get a greater understanding of what was going to happen. Having never been to one – let alone played one – I wanted to make sure that whatever I was going to do was going to serve the music. And that is the first point I want to make; do your homework. Music is a historically and spiritually rich thing, and you need to know what you are stepping into, and make sure that you’re serving it appropriately.
And with that, I want to bring up another point that I see all too often in our younger musicians; don’t assume anything. Just because a style of music is similar to one you are well versed in does not guarantee that you’re going to be able to go into that gig and nail it. I’ve played with a lot of jazz guys that are well versed in hard bop and everything post 1950’s jazz, and watched them fall completely on their face when the gig is all swing/dance hall classics from the 1930’s.
Back to the Kirtan. With fretless in hand (after listening to her album, I thought that the best choice), I walked into the Kirtan and set up. Now, initially I was told that she’d have some charts for me, but as we all know, when you’re on the road you may not have time to come up with these. I had a couple of lead sheets, but for half of the songs I’d be relying on my ears and whatever she could tell me from the bandstand. She also said to watch the drummer and dulcimer player as they’d all help me through it. And this brings me to my next point; take direction, but more importantly, take it gracefully. When it came down to it, they were all the experts in this genre of music that I was not familiar with. I was relying on them and their expertise to be able to play this gig; they were the teachers and I was the eager student. Anything I could learn would not only benefit the overall gig, but my personal musical journey as well.
Again, I’ve seen many musicians take this for granted, thinking that their chops and technique are going to get them through the unknown gigs. I’ve had that mentality before, and I’ve ruined a good amount of gigs by thinking “Oh, it’s just a blues gig. That stuff is easy.” Technically, yes. Musically, by no means is the blues easy. And those of you that have played the blues (or in blues bands), know what I mean. And to those overly-patient old bluesmen that this (then) young upstart sat in with, you have my deepest respect.
The Kirtan started, and went rather well as we gelled musically as a quartet and moved through song after song for the 90 minute set. Afterwards they all thanked me for my playing, mentioning that they appreciated how I could play so subtly and sweetly when needed. Truthfully, I just listened to what was happening, and tried to make sure that whatever I was playing would add to the overall music. Much like that quote about making your bass playing be as fluid as water (I think Vic said it?), I tried to fill up the sonic space where it was needed. Sometimes that was sitting on the low B, and sometimes it was providing something more. And even at times, that meant playing nothing at all.
As a musician (freelance or otherwise), you will have a number of opportunities (which I suggest you take) to stretch your musical vocabulary and knowledge by playing new genres. All of the points we’ve covered above are a good starting place to get you in the proverbial ballpark to be able to walk in and play that gig. But the biggest thing I can mention in regard to respecting the genre is exactly that; respect. Musical styles are similar and can draw some influences from what you may already know. That doesn’t mean that just because you can play style A, that everything that’s similar to it is a piece of cake. All it means is that you’ve got a small idea of what “might” happen, which I’d argue is more dangerous than no knowledge at all. But with the respect for each and every genre of music that comes your way, you will have the attitude and the ability to learn and grow. You will also have the respect and appreciation of the musicians you play with.
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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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