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An Interview with Andy Irvine by Selina “The Fox” Metoxen

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Interview with Bassist Andy Irvine

An Interview with Andy Irvine by Selina Metoxen

Touring the country with just a common cold; at least that’s what Andy Irvine thought back in the early part of March. So why not continue to tour? It’s just a cold, right? As weeks passed, he began to have complications with his breathing which lead him to believe he had come down with pneumonia, so he made a trek to the doctor. He was immediately admitted into the hospital where X-rays revealed that he was carrying fluid that consisted of a viral infection in his chest between the ribs and lungs. An operation to repair the damage caused to one of his lungs was inevitable. While awaiting surgery, Irvine made a short video of himself doing what he loves to do. “My little video I made playing the bass in my hospital bed got 133,000 views in 48 hours. I suddenly realized exactly how much reach my educational and inspirational goals with musicianship had achieved” he said. Many of Irvine’s friends donated to assist with his medical expenses and, as a token of his appreciation; he gave away copies of his DVD “Joyful Musicianship” for free. In mid-June, Irvine announced that he would be back on tour in the US and has since been touring overseas as well.

In 1982, at the age of 12, Irvine didn’t choose bass, he was appointed to play the bass by a local band in his neighborhood. “They needed a bassist, so they told me if I played bass, I could be in the band” Irvine said. So, he went and got a bass and fell madly in love with it. “I knew the moment I held my first bass guitar, within the first 20 seconds, it would be what I would do for the rest of my life” he added. Who would have known that one day, little Irvine would grow up to become an author, educator, band leader/recording artist, composer, MI product specialist and freelance music writer? “I live off my craft and have for several years now. It requires a lot of hard work and serious focus to make a living with music but it can be done.” He goes into detail explaining the steps he took to be able to do such a thing in his book “Passion and Action – A Musician’s Journey.” “Don’t be misled in terms of my earnings; it’s not glorious. I only make enough to live and enjoy my life in Colorado and that’s good enough for me.” says Irvine.

Five years ago, Irvine formed a life changing relationship with Warwick founder and President Hans Wilfer that started as a friendship and developed into an artist endorsement and unique business cooperation. “I brought some marketing ideas to him that were well organized and a passion he found interesting. My detailed grass roots – face to face workshop/clinic events both inspire and simultaneously offer great brand exposure” says Irvine. Warwick’s “The Sound of Bass” Clinic Tour featuring Andy Irvine launched in 2011. Since the tour has begun, Irvine has traveled to and toured throughout 26 countries on 6 continents around the world. “My events are always fun, educational and inspirational” Irvine says. His place in the Warwick family is far more than that of an endorser. Though he does not “officially” work for the company, Irvine contributes in many areas as an independent contractor including: making many demo videos, research and development of new designs, events management, and even project management such as the new Nashville Custom Shop showroom.

So, what has Andy Irvine been up to lately? We caught up with him to ask a few questions.

BMM: What is on the horizon for you in the next 6 months?

Irvine: I just released my first ever completely high quality bass course through True Fire entitled- Andy Irvine – Bass Mechanics – Crucial Groove. This bass learning course features 2.5 hours of content, a massive amount of technique and playing concepts, in addition to 12 play along tracks, with tabs and notation provided for all. I will also be offering online lessons on Skype. For anyone who is interested, they can email me at andyirvine.ai@gmail.com for more information. December will be family time, and then January will bring the NAMM show with Warwick. The spring will likely include travel to Warwick HQ in Germany and also back to Nashville several times building up the Warwick community there. We’ll be making some cool new live interview/performance videos from the stage of our beautiful new custom shop showroom there.

BMM: What are your future long term goals?

Irvine: I will continue to strive and grow as a player, an artist, and as an educator. Or, at the very least, continue expanding my reach to inspire players how and where I can. I will certainly write another book. I also have a goal of launching a lecture series at the university level, talking to young musicians and artists about modern entrepreneurial creativity and building multiple revenue streams all within music and art.

BMM: Folks might like to know, what are your interests outside of music?

Irvine: When I’m not touring internationally, I love the quiet country life here in the mountains of Colorado. I enjoy my animals (dogs and horse, and mule) and time with my family. I adore Skiing in winter, and dirt biking, boating and just being outside in the summer. I love reading, writing and photography. I also enjoy working other jobs completely unrelated to music, like construction and landscaping.

Interview with Bassist Andy Irvine-2

BMM: Where do you find balance between the music business side of your craft and the artistic side?

Irvine: Working in the Music industry, in addition to being an artist/band leader, is the best possible situation for me. The reasons being: first of all, I like to stay busy, to make my own choices and moves, and I need to earn consistent “adult money” to finance and feed my insatiable creative side. Secondly, I really enjoy the business side of things, I love learning about manufacturing, marketing, sales, distribution, branding, public relations, and I truly love being part of a team. Music is extremely passionate, personal and sometimes intense; we all can burn out if we put too much pressure on ourselves to earn with only the playing part. I live to create, and to continuously improve the overall quality of the artistic works I publish. If people dig what put out there that’s great, but honestly I create for myself, simply to feed the muse that was magically born into me long ago. I strive to find a balance between creativity and business.

BMM:  What drives the desire to improve and what type of regiment do you keep with practicing?

Irvine: These days my primary focus and interest is in grooming the creative side of my playing, I practice composing. I seldom spend time working on new techniques anymore. I’ve come to a place where I have established a personal style, and I like the way I play. Rather, I find it far more useful to spend what limited time I have for “practicing” on writing music. I start with a groove, then create some harmony and a chord progression for it, I begin to incorporate some melody, then I assemble my ideas into a song form with an intro, an A section, and a B section, usually a bridge and finally an outro. Then, I get it to the point where I can play it all from beginning to end without stopping. Next, I immediately record a live video performance of it. I post them all on my Youtube channel. Later, when I get set to record an album, I re-visit the many song sketches I’ve compiled and choose the best that fit well together, and tweak them to complement the flavor and instrumentation of the album project I’m setting out to produce.


 

Interview with Bassist Andy Irvine-3

Irvine has contributed much to the bass community. His biggest contribution is his YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/TheFreebasslessons where he posts free bass lessons and various performance videos on a regular basis. With over 200 videos and almost 10,000 subscribers, his channel has become very popular with musicians from around the world. He is also known for his generosity in giving away his DVD, book and CD’s from his website www.andyirvinebass.com . It goes without saying, Irvine is dedicated to helping others improve their bass playing skills and is willing to answer music and gear related questions when he can.

 

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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