Features
Interview With Bassist Craig Schoedler: Bass Legacy
Interview With Bassist Craig Schoedler: Bass Legacy…
Craig Schoedler’s third release, Bass Legacy, marks a decided departure from his solo bass releases, choosing, this time, to display his rich keyboard-based compositions and engaging ensemble playing. Co-Produced with Guitarist/Engineer Rich Kurtz, and released on 01/29/2022, Bass Legacy proclaims Craig as a mature smooth instrumental music bassist and generous bandleader. Joining Craig and Rich are the exceptional Drummer/Percussionist Larry Marshall and Keyboardist Bob Coulon who together form a musically wealthy rhythm section that has the ability to present both musical depth and enough space to allow the listener to the sea of melodic lines featured herein, and each tune presents cool spaces for daring solos that don’t distract from the overall listening experience. Saxophonist Eric Marienthal steps out front on “Power”, “Terminal A”, and “Resilience”, while Saxophonist Bill Evans lends his unmistakable voice “Adani”, and “Krong Kong”. Finally, Kristina Pruitt presents beautifully lilting vocalizations to both “Burlington” and “Rainbow Bridge”. This is a very cool record to listen to!
Congratulations to Craig (and Rich) for producing one of the best records I’ve heard in some time!
Must hear tracks: “Terminal A”, “Adani”, “Burlington”, “Rainbow Bridge”
BAJ: Hi Craig! Congratulations on the release of “Bass Legacy”. What is the meaning behind the title, and how did the compositions come together for the record? Also, what was your process for bringing these particular musicians together?
CS: Thanks Brent and congratulations on your career as well!
I had been writing and practicing these 8 tunes for about a year. I was ready to record, but then the pandemic hit. So, I continued working on them for an additional year. The title “Bass Legacy”, is directly influenced by living through the pandemic and I started to view this project as a legacy – in case it was my last recording. These past few years have shown that we’re all very vulnerable. I do have another, most important legacy with regards to my family! So, “Bass Legacy” just refers to my life as a bassist/composer. I’m always thrilled to work with one of my best friends Rich Kurtz of Cadencemusicstudio.com, who co-produced and engineered this project. He is a master in the studio and we work together extremely well. It was also great to work with my life-long friend, Larry Marshall on drums and percussion. We played together many years ago. So, this was a great reunion for us. I have known and respected Bob Coulon (Piano/keyboards)and Kristina Pruitt (vocals) for many years also so they were an obvious choice for me. I had the great pleasure of adding Bill Evans (sax) and Eric Marienthal (sax) —their playing is just amazing and was a perfect fit for this project.
BAJ: Along with the composition process, mentioned previously, how do you go about identifying solos for the tunes once they are written?
CS: Soloing has always been a focus of my playing. I have been influenced by Mike Stern, Michael Brecker, John Patitucci, Chick Corea, and my Mentor, Jeff Andrews. I try to become extremely familiar with the tunes and I spend many hours soloing over each one. I’m a huge fan of how John Patitucci develops melodic ideas. I do sound like myself when I solo. But, there are definite shades of my influences (particularly John Patitucci, and Jeff Andrews) that shine through.
BAJ: The other lead voices you chose… (Eric, Bill, and Kristina), did you have their particular voices in mind as you composed the material? Or, was there a different situation you could tell us about?
By the way, the addition of Kristina’s vocalizations added a wonderful depth to the record. Kudos!
CS: I was definitely hearing Miles Davis’s “Amandla” sound for “Adani” and “Krong Kong”. Bill’s concept of playing was a perfect fit. I was also very pleased with how Eric’s playing style fit the tunes that he was on. They’re both world-class players for sure and it was great to have them on this recording. I noticed that “Burlington“ and “BVI” would be great tunes to have piano/keyboard solos, so I thought of Bob Coulon right away and he nailed it. When listening back to my bass melodies for “Rainbow Bridge” and “Burlington “, I noticed that I kept singing along. This inspired me to get Kristina Pruitt to sing on these tunes. Kristina is an outstanding vocalist and she was the first and only person that I thought of—perfect choice.
BAJ: Was there any special way you prepared (musically) for the recording of this material?
CS: A few years back I would compose melodies and chord changes a section at a time. Over time I had many of these song segments. Sometimes I would compose a song from start to finish, but sometimes I would find segments that fit together very well. I then programmed the chord changes into my keyboard and would solo over them 4 hours per day all thru the pandemic. My wife Helen and two Dachshunds Hansel and Gretel knew “Bass Legacy” very well before I even recorded it.
BAJ: How are you presenting this material in a live format?
CS: I am the total opposite of a multi-tasker, so I have a very simplistic approach towards music lately. My main goal is to improve my playing and record a new album every 5 years or so. While I will probably pursue jazz festivals for 2023, I would be very happy to play bass for other artists (recording remotely or tours). I’m more focused on having people listen to “Bass Legacy” than to perform it live. But we’ll see.
BAJ: There has been a lot of new music being released – as so many of us found ourselves on lockdown. Are any of the tunes on Bass Legacy ‘old’ ideas that found ‘new’ life” during the lockdown? Or, are the tunes all very recent?
CS: Most of the tunes were completed at the beginning of the pandemic, but a few reflect my life during. It’s very ironic but the tune “Power” was composed at a very difficult time early on in the pandemic—Feb 5th, 2020. On that day, I felt extremely powerless, and this song actually represents how I wanted to feel. I guess this tune could have been called “Fake it till you make it”. My younger son Alex lived in Burlington for 6 years so we would visit him during that time. The tune Burlington is a tribute to Vermont. BVI is a tribute to the British Virgin Islands and the times that I spent there. I wrote Rainbow Bridge for my Dachshund Max (Mahatma) who died in Nov of 2020. To me, the tune “Krong Kong 2020” is an expression of the fear and turmoil that we all felt that year. I picture a Godzilla-like creature coming in and destroying all of our lives in 2020.
BAJ: Thank you for taking the time to walk us through the record, Craig! Again, Congratulations! Is there anything you’d like to say in closing, to our readers?
CS: It was very great to connect with you after 20 years Brent. I wish you well with your CDs which sound great btw. I encourage all readers to get a “Legacy” of their own out there. This album is dedicated to my awesome wife Helen. I want to also mention that one of my main mentors (Jeff Andrews) passed while my album was in its early stages. After that, I was on a mission to get a recording out just to honor him in some way. I hope that he would be proud.
Visit online at:
craigschoedler.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/Craig-Schoedler-682716858413289/
Bass Videos
Artist Update With Bassist Derek Frank
Bassist Derek Frank…
Many of you will remember the last time I chatted with Derek Frank was back in 2017. The main thing that impressed me was how busy Derek was and how he juggled playing with many huge acts.
Now, I am happy to hear that Derek launched a new album last March titled “Origin Story” where he digs deep into his roots and pays homage to Pittsburg.
Join me as we get caught up after all these years and hear the details about the new album, how Derek gets his sound, and his plans for the future.
Photo, Stephen Bradley
Featured Videos:
Visit Online:
www.derekfrank.com
www.instagram.com/derekfrankbass
www.youtube.com/derekfrankbass
www.facebook.com/derekfrankbass
Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Graham Stanush
Bassist Graham Stanush…
Return to Dust is keeping Grunge alive and well! They have a new self-titled album that went out on May 3rd, 2024 and will be super busy promoting this project in the near future.
Graham Stanush is the bass powerhouse driving their sound and adding vocals to the mix. Join me as we hear all about Graham’s musical journey, details about the new album, how he gets his sound and their plans for the future.
Featured Videos:
Visit Online:
linktr.ee/returntodust
instagram.com/returntodustband/
twitter.com/Returntodustbnd
youtube.com/@returntodustband
tiktok.com/@returntodustband
Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes…
It is always great to meet a super busy bassist who simply exudes a love for music and his instrument. Erick “Jesus” Coomes fits this description exactly. Hailing from Southern California, “Jesus” co-founded and plays bass for Lettuce and has found his groove playing with numerous other musicians.
Join us as we hear of his musical journey, how he gets his sound, his ongoing projects, and his plans for the future.
Photo, Bob Forte
Featured Videos
Visit Online
www.lettucefunk.com
IG @jesuscsuperstar
FB@jesuscoomes
FB @lettucefunk
Bass Videos
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Ian Allison Bassist extreme…
Most recently Ian has spent the last seven years touring nationally as part of Eric Hutchinson and The Believers, sharing stages with acts like Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, Rachel Platten, Matt Nathanson, Phillip Phillips, and Cory Wong playing venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Staples Center and The Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN.
I had a chance to meet up with him at the Sellersville Theater in Eastern Pennsylvania to catch up on everything bass. Visit online at ianmartinallison.com/
Features
Interview With Audic Empire Bassist James Tobias
Checking in with Bergantino Artist James Tobias
James Tobias, Bassist for psychedelic, Reggae-Rock titans Audic Empire shares his history as a musician and how he came to find Bergantino…
Interview by Holly Bergantino
James Tobias, a multi-talented musician and jack-of-all-trades shares his story of coming up as a musician in Texas, his journey with his band Audic Empire, and his approach to life and music. With a busy tour schedule each year, we were fortunate to catch up with him while he was out and about touring the US.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Dallas, Texas and lived in the Dallas area most of my life with the exception of 1 year in Colorado. I moved to the Austin area at age 18.
What makes the bass so special to you particularly, and how did you gravitate to it?
I honestly started playing bass because we needed a bass player and I was the one with access to a bass amp and bass. I played rhythm guitar and sang up until I met Ronnie, who I would later start “Audic Empire” with. He also played rhythm guitar and sang and we didn’t know any bass players, so we had to figure something out. I still write most of my songs on guitar, but I’ve grown to love playing the bass.
How did you learn to play, James?
I took guitar lessons growing up and spent a lot of time just learning tabs or playing by ear and kicked around as a frontman in a handful of bands playing at the local coffee shops or rec centers. Once I transitioned to bass, I really just tried to apply what I knew about guitar and stumbled through it till it sounded right. I’m still learning every time I pick it up, honestly.
You are also a songwriter, recording engineer, and a fantastic singer, did you get formal training for this?
Thank you, that means a lot! I had a couple of voice lessons when I was in my early teens, but didn’t really like the instructor. I did however take a few lessons recently through ACC that I enjoyed and think really helped my technique (Shout out to Adam Roberts!) I was not a naturally gifted singer, which is a nice way of saying I was pretty awful, but I just kept at it.
As far as recording and producing, I just watched a lot of YouTube videos and asked people who know more than me when I had a question. Whenever I feel like I’m not progressing, I just pull up tracks from a couple of years ago, cringe, and feel better about where I’m at but I’ve got a long way to go. Fortunately, we’ve got some amazing producers I can pass everything over to once I get the songs as close to finalized as I can.
Describe your playing style(s), tone, strengths and/or areas that can be improved on the bass.
I honestly don’t know what my style would be considered. We’ve got so many styles that we play and fuse together that I just try to do what works song by song. I don’t have too many tricks in the bag and just keep it simple and focus on what’s going to sound good in the overall mix. I think my strength lies in thinking about the song as a whole and what each instrument is doing, so I can compliment everything else that’s going on. What could be improved is absolutely everything, but that’s the great thing about music (and kind of anything really).
Who were your influencers in terms of other musicians earlier on or now that have made a difference and inspired you?
My dad exposed me to a lot of music early. I was playing a toy guitar while watching a VHS of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble live at SXSW on repeat at 4 years old saying I wanted to “do that” when I grew up. I was the only kid in daycare that had his own CDs that weren’t kid’s songs. I was listening to Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and The Doors when I could barely talk. I would make up songs and sing them into my Panasonic slimline tape recorder and take it to my preschool to show my friends. As I got older went through a bunch of music phases. Metal, grunge, rock, punk, hip hop, reggae, ska, etc. Whatever I heard that I connected to I’d dive in and learn as much as I could about it. I was always in bands and I think I kept picking up different styles along the way and kept combining my different elements and I think that’s evident in Audic’s diverse sound.
Tell me about Audic Empire and your new release Take Over! Can you share some of the highlights you and the band are most proud of?
Takeover was an interesting one. I basically built that song on keyboard and drum loops and wrote and tracked all my vocals in one long session in my bedroom studio kind of in a stream-of-consciousness type of approach. I kind of thought nothing would come of it and I’d toss it out, but we slowly went back and tracked over everything with instruments and made it our own sound. I got it as far as I could with production and handed it off to Chad Wrong to work his magic and really bring it to life. Once I got Snow Owl Media involved and we started brainstorming about a music video, it quickly turned into a considerably larger production than anything we’ve done before and it was such a cool experience. I’m really excited about the final product, especially considering I initially thought it was a throwaway track.
Describe the music style of Audic Empire for us.
It’s all over the place… we advertise it as “blues, rock, reggae.” Blues because of our lead guitarist, Travis Brown’s playing style, rock because I think at the heart we’re a rock band, and reggae because we flavor everything with a little (or a lot) of reggae or ska.
How did you find Bergantino Audio Systems?
Well, my Ampeg SVT7 caught fire at a show… We were playing Stubbs in Austin and everyone kept saying they smelled something burning, and I looked back in time to see my head, perched on top of its 8×10 cab, begin billowing smoke. We had a tour coming up, so I started researching and pricing everything to try and find a new amp. I was also fronting a metal band at the time, and my bass player’s dad was a big-time country bass player and said he had this really high-end bass amp just sitting in a closet he’d sell me. I was apprehensive since I really didn’t know much about it and “just a little 4×10” probably wasn’t going to cut it compared to my previous setup. He said I could come over and give it a test drive, but he said he knew I was going to buy it. He was right. I immediately fell in love. I couldn’t believe the power it put out compared to this heavy head and cumbersome cab I had been breaking my back hauling all over the country and up countless staircases.
Tell us about your experience with the forte D amp and the AE 410 Speaker cabinet.
It’s been a game-changer in every sense. It’s lightweight and compact. Amazing tone. And LOUD. It’s just a fantastic amp. Not to mention the customer service being top-notch! You’ll be hard-pressed to find another product that, if you have an issue, you can get in touch with the owner, himself. How cool is that?
Tell us about some of your favorite basses.
I was always broke and usually working part-time delivering pizzas, so I just played what I could get my hands on. I went through a few pawn shop basses, swapped in new pickups, and fought with the action on them constantly. I played them through an Ampeg be115 combo amp. All the electronics in it had fried at some point, so I gutted it out and turned it into a cab that I powered with a rusted-up little head I bought off someone for a hundred bucks. My gear was often DIY’d and held together by electrical tape and usually had a few coats of spray paint to attempt to hide the wear and tear. I never really fell in love with any piece of gear I had till I had a supporter of our band give me an Ibanez Premium Series SDGR. I absolutely love that bass and still travel with it. I’ve since gotten another Ibanez Premium Series, but went with the 5-string BTB. It’s a fantastic-sounding bass, my only complaint is it’s pretty heavy.
Love your new video Take Over! Let us know what you’re currently working on (studio, tour, side projects, etc.)
Thank you!! We’ve got a LOT of stuff we’re working on right now actually. Having 2 writers in the band means we never have a shortage of material. It’s more about getting everything tracked and ready for release and all that goes into that. We just got through filming videos for 2 new unreleased tracks with Snow Owl Media, who did the videos for both Love Hate and Pain and Takeover. Both of these songs have surprise features which I’m really excited about since these will be the first singles since our last album we have other artists on. We’ve also got a lot of shows coming up and I’ve also just launched my solo project as well. The debut single, “Raisin’ Hell” is available now everywhere. You can go here to find all the links distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jamestobias/raisin-hell
What else do you do besides music?
For work, I own a handyman service here in Austin doing a lot of drywall, painting, etc. I have a lot of hobbies and side hustles as well. I make custom guitar straps and other leather work. I do a lot of artwork and have done most of our merch designs and a lot of our cover art. I’m really into (and borderline obsessed) with health, fitness, and sober living. I have a hard time sitting still, but fortunately, there’s always a lot to do when you’re self-employed and running a band!
Follow James Tobias:
jamestobiasmusic.com
Facebook.com/james.tobias1
Instagram.com/ru4badfish2
TikTok.com/@jamestobiasmusic
audicempire.com