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Tales from the Pit: Blyss Gould and West Side Story by Jonathan Moody
Tales from the Pit: Blyss Gould and West Side Story by Jonathan Moody… I have always held Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece, West Side Story, on a pedestal. It was one of those shows that I had the opportunity to play in high school but passed on. Later, as I heard horror stories from the musicians in the pit, I silently thanked myself for backing out. Decades later (wow, I can say that now) I had the opportunity to tackle the behemoth that is WSS. A good friend – and smoking musician that you can find at www.bayareabassacademy.com – of mine, Ted “Blyss” Gould just recently tackled this as well, and we compared notes.
Blyss’ Specifics:
- West Side Story at the Contra Costa Civic Theater, for a 4 week run
- The pit consisted of 15 musicians, 12 feet above the stage on a narrow platform, like one of those little planes; the kind you think you’ll die in and the live on in the hearts and minds of millions of adoring fans. (ed. note: His sense of humor is another reason why I love this guy)
Gear used: Aguilar TH500, Aguilar GS112, Mike Lull MV5 Jon’s Specifics:
- West Side Story at Western Michigan University, for a 3 week run
- The pit consisted of 15 musicians, in the pit under the stage
Gear used: Kydd Carry-On Electric Upright Bass, EA iAmp Micro into a Schroeder Mini 12R
The physical size of the pit that Blyss was in led to him not being able to use a string bass for the show (which, since composed in the 50s, called for it). As he put it, “The physical space would not all an upright to fit in so I had to play electric using a piece of foam and palm muting techniques.” Both techniques are great for approximating the sound of an upright bass when the real estate just doesn’t allow for it. Blyss’ experience with the upright also helped make the sound more “authentic” to the original.
Blyss brought up an interesting point in terms of compromises that I hadn’t thought of. “I think that the biggest compromises came from the budget constraints. It’s always pretty obvious when less experienced players are there to get ‘the experience.’” Theatre work is a very different animal from the regular gig, and like he mentioned, it’s very easy to spot the people that are either new to the genre or have previously written it off as easy. I experienced this a little; as a “local pro” that was brought into a college level production, I was the minority as most of the players were students. Some had pit experience, but a lot of them didn’t realize the mental focus and attention that was needed (especially when talking about Bernstein). Despite being in a larger pit, Blyss still got the call to cover all of the cello queues that were left open. Yours truly didn’t have to worry about that; the keyboardist I played with is a monster and easily absorbed those parts into her book.
When playing with a larger pit that is close to – if not the same as – the initial orchestration, more care needs to be taken when looking at the bass score and figuring out which parts you keep and which parts aren’t important. And then, there are those shows that just have to be played completely correct. “West Side Story is so different from any of the other shows, where a lot of the music in pop oriented with very discernible grooves. Of course songs like “Cool”, “America” and “Officer Krumpke” have grooves but the show isn’t like, say “Hairspray” or “The Wiz” where you can take some liberties. The ink in the West Side book is there because that’s what they wanted you to play, nothing else.” I’ve found that Bernstein’s book is so intricately written that the instrument parts need to dance with each other, much like the actors on the stage. As Blyss put it, there is NO room for interpretation, improvisation or anything else. You’re playing your part, and it needs to LOCK IN with everything else or it sounds wrong.
In terms of gear selection, Blyss mentioned that the show really didn’t influence his decision at all (aside from the real estate constraints). I’ve personally found that having an electric-upright bass (my current one is the awesome CR-5M from NS Design) in my arsenal makes a lot of sense, and in the case of West Side Story, really came in handy.
In the end, Bernstein’s “West Side Story” is one of those shows that you don’t play; you strap in and hope that you come out at the end. It’s a demanding show that, when it locks in, is beautiful on so many levels. Thanks again to Blyss for taking the time to compare notes with me. Drop the man a line at http://www.bayareabassacademy.com on Twitter (@sonofabass) or on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/sonofabass).
If you’re a fellow “theatre rat” and would like to be included in an upcoming “Tales from the Pit” article, contact me at moody@justmoody.com or find me on Twitter at @monjoody. Thanks for reading, and have a great month!
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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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