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Mike Pope, Low-End Renaissance Man: July 2020 Issue

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Mike Pope, Low-End Renaissance Man: July 2020 Issue

Mike Pope… A Day in the life of a Bass Pontiff.

Mike Pope Cover - Bass Musician Magazine


From Editor, Raul Amador…


This ‘Day in the Life of Mike Pope’ cover has been in the works for several years. Kilian Duarte and his team spent a day with Mike at the Berklee College of Music. We are grateful to the faculty for allowing the team to record this day, and to the students that shared a glimpse into their growth process as bass musicians.

I sat down with Mike for a quick update earlier this year to get caught up on what has been happening since Kilian’s visit… here is what he had to share…


Now get ready for Kilian Duarte’s ‘Mike Pope… A Day in the life of a Bass Pontiff’. These eight videos are each loaded with great content. So, get comfortable and enjoy some very cool stuff!

Keep it low…
Raul Amador, Editor

For the uninitiated amongst us, Mike Pope is a jazz figurehead whose resume is one of the most impressive in our bass community.

With stage and studio credits such as Chick Corea’s Electric Band, Al Di Meola, Michael Brecker, and Blood Sweat and Tears, (among many, many others), he is a musical juggernaut and the working jazz musicians senpai. The creative mind behind the Fodera Pope preamp, as well as one of the integral designers in the foundation of Trick Fish amplification, he has a reputation both as an incredible performer, but also as a top-tier designer for bass tone and gear. 

To add amazement to injury, he also happens to be a pretty darn spectacular jazz pianist, (no seriously, his phrasing and harmonic knowledge on the instrument is ridiculous). A Fodera signature artist, and a Berklee faculty member who happens to also be a really down to earth and a fun dude to hang out with and grab a coffee.

I was fortunate enough to meet Mike in 2009; being a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young Berklee grad going on their first NAMM adventure, with a press badge and a 480p cam ready to make contacts and make first impressions.

When I had heard that Mike had come to Berklee as a faculty member, I reached out to him to see if a videographer and I could follow him around and document a ‘day in the life’ of a singularly awesome figure in the bass community. What proceeds is my videographer (Jeff Kesler) and I, documenting a full day in the life of an incredible musician interpolated in the heart of the Berklee faculty, showing his students learning and absorbing from his amazing wealth of musical knowledge. 

Featured Mike Pope performance videos:

For more information about studying music at Berklee College of Music visit berklee.edu. Follow Mike online at mikepopejazz.com

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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 Player Health

What is a Pinched Nerve? with Dr. Randy Kertz

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Dr Randal Kertz - Bass Player Health - Oct 2022

What is a Pinched Nerve?

In this month’s video, we will cover how to tell if you have a pinched nerve and when to seek professional help.

Dr. Randall Kertz is the author of The Bassist’s Complete Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health. Click here to get your copy today!

The Bassist’s Complete Guide to Injury Management, Prevention & Better Health

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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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Bass Videos

Working-Class Zeros: The Struggles of Working-Class Musicians – Episode #1

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WORKING-CLASS ZEROS With Steve Rosati and Shawn Cav

Working-Class Zeros: Episode #1 – Gig Triangle, Day Gig, and It’s Awesome But Is It Necessary…

These stories from the front are with real-life, day-to-day musicians who deal with work life and gigging and how they make it work out. Each month, topics may include… the kind of gigs you get, the money, dealing with less-than-ideal rooms, as well as the gear you need to get the job done… and the list goes on from there.” – Steve the Bass Guy and Shawn Cav

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Bass Edu

Premiere! Bass Playthrough With Foetal Juice’s Bassist Lewis Bridges – From the Album, Grotesque

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Premiere! Bass Playthrough With Foetal Juice's Bassist Lewis Bridges - From the Album, Grotesque

Premiere! Bass Playthrough With Foetal Juice’s Bassist Lewis Bridges – From the Album, Grotesque

Bassist Lewis Bridges Shares…

“Gruesome’s sparse intro marks a stark contrast from the intensity of the rest of the album.  The original intention was to keep the bass simple but colourful, however as I worked on it, the lines grew more expressive and the more striking flourishes began to emerge.  The intensity builds into a harmonic minor passage that takes us into the drop — a signature death grind cacophony.  This is where Foetal Juice thrives.  You’re getting a full-on right-hand barrage to in the face to take you into a groove-laden mulch-fest.

I owe my throbbing bass tone to the Darkglass Alpha Omega pedal borrowed from our sound engineer, Chris Fielding (ex-Conan), mixed with the clarity of the tried and true Ampeg SVT CL.

As mentioned earlier, colourful basslines are important, especially in a one-guitar band. Chucking some funny intervals and odd flourishes here and there brings life into the brutality. There’s no point sounding brutal if it’s not gonna be fucking evil too!

Recording this playthrough was hard work. This was not the fault of James Goodwin (Necronautical), who was kindly filming and is ace to work with, but because in true Foetal fashion, we had stinking hangovers — and that jam room was hot!”

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TW @FoetalJuice
IG @foetaljuice
Youtube: @Foetaljuice
Spotify
Foetaljuice.bandcamp.com

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