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Letting the Innate Showmanship Emerge
Letting the Innate Showmanship Emerge…
With the continuous emergence of new bands, people have now gained knowledge that groups are always comprised of these members: the most-loved lead singer, the axe-wielding lead guitarist, the reliable rhythm guitarist, the energetic drummer, the occasional keyboardist, and the least recognized of all, the quiet bassist. But things have now changed as the once-underrated 4-stringed player image of just staying on the side wings has been debunked. Respected bass-wielding musicians such as: wunderkind John Myung of Dream Theater, groovy Jermaine Jackson of the Jackson 5, KISS glam rocker Gene Simmons and the most beloved Beatle Sir Paul McCartney among others replaced such myths by exuding an unforgettable presence during performances. Shuffling to the beat, donning outrageous costumes, jumping 10 feet in the air, and taking the lead vocals are some of the flamboyant additives these icons give.
The global phenomenon of show-stopping bassists also raged other continents, one of which is Japan. With the country helmed as Asia’s Technological Wonderland, Japanese musicians took much advantage of the advancement in terms of musical equipment. One such JRock or Japanese Rock bassist would be Tetsuya Ogawa or more popularly known as Tetsu. Founding member of L’Arc~en~Ciel, which literally translates to rainbow in English. Currently joined by members: Hyde, Ken, and Yukihiro, the quartet made waves in the local industry in 1991. With the British Gothic Rock genre as their major influence, Laruku has been able to produce 25 full-length albums and countless chart-topping singles in their 22 years in the music business. The band has been known to don excessive leather, eclectic hairstyles, and brightly-colored wardrobe. Adding to the flamboyancy of the group is their tendency to turn each of their gigs into an audio-visual carnival.
As a bassist, Tetsu himself gave audiences an electric performance to no fail. Thundering tempos, wicked slapping, and rapid dexterity are omnipresent in all of his presentations. He has this amazing ability to beguile Western bass players through the bass line inputs he marks in each song. Letting the sound of the bass speak for itself, the deep tones coming from the constant flick of each metal string resonates evenly. Regarded as a technical and anal bass player, Tetsu prides himself the fact that his skill is the result of years of practice and of being a natural perfectionist.
With the global popularity of L’Arc~en~Ciel, Tetsuya and the band were given the opportunity to perform in the Madison Square Garden. The company that owns this has been in partnership with Foxwoods Resort Casino. This leisure resort offers countless slot machine games to choose from, similar to the number of choices PartyCasino offers as well. With an array of colourful casino slots, patrons are visually-stimulated. Seeing cheery images while trying out slot machines actually give positive vibes to players. Such casino gadgetry also relaxes guests. With a simple flick, one can already gain huge pay-offs with ease. Those who are unsure of how to start playing their favourite card game online can always check on the Getting Started tab. Those with advanced playing skills can sign up for the VIP membership to maximize the features of the game and their account.
While L’Arc~en~Ciel was able to reach international acclaim even in Western shores, Tetsu still upholds one thing whenever he performs: that a bassist should let his skills emerge through his innate showmanship.
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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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