Bass Books
WE NEVER LEARN The Gunkpunk Undergut, 1988-2001 By Eric Davidson
We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988–2001 is the first and only book on the last great wave of down-and-dirty rock’n’roll, one whose hangover can still be felt in bars and clubs across the globe. The book is the next chapter in the Please Kill Me/American Hardcore/Our Band Could Be Your Life succession. Musician and journalist Eric Davidson (Village Voice, CMJ, SF Bay Guardian) was there as this scene unfolded as the frontman for Ohio punks the New Bomb Turks, and he tracks the roots and history of this largely undocumented movement. This is the last generation of punks and rockers to conquer city after city without the diluting force of the Internet.
The Black Lips, the late Jay Reatard, The Dirtbombs, The White Stripes, The Reigning Sound, The Hives–success stories who all sprang from an underground music scene where similarly raw bands, enjoying various degrees of success and hard luck, played in venues ranging from dive bars to massive festivals, but were mostly ignored by a music industry focused on mega-bands and shiny pop stars.
These bands weren’t swept up in the “alternative rock explosion.” They played and acted like a bunch of punks, yawned at the Green Days and Offsprings of the world who were supposedly bringing “punk” to the masses, played Sonics bootlegs in their tour vans as much as Iggy Pop, the Ramones or Black Flag, and had soaked up just enough of music biz history to know that they would never be welcomed—even through the servant’s entrance. They reveled in ’50s rock’n’roll and ’60s garage rock while creating their own wave of gut-busting riffs and rhythm.
The bands that populate this book–The Dwarves, Gories, Supersuckers, Mummies, Oblivians, Billy Childish, Rocket From The Crypt, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Cheater Slicks, Teengenerate among them–gained little long-term reward from their nonstop touring and brain-slapping records. What they did have was free liquor, good drugs, guilt-free sex, and a crazy good time, all the while building a dedicated fan base that extends across America, Europe, and Japan.
Truly, this is the last great wave of down-and-dirty rock’n’roll, one whose hangover can still be felt in bars and clubs everywhere in the world.
About The Author: Eric Davidson (Brooklyn, NY) had his share of good times as the singer of the Columbus,Ohio punk band New Bomb Turks, who have played hundreds of gigs in dozens of countries on three continents (and countless labels), but has retained enough brain cells to recall the lurid details of a scene as sprawling and multicolored as any in the history of rock’n’roll.
Visit online at www.weneverlearnbook.com
AUTHOR APPEARENCES
Brooklyn, NY Friday, June 11 Academy Record Annex 96 North 6th Street Reading and pre-Nobunny/Spits soiree! 7 PM
Brooklyn, NY Saturday, June 26 The Bell House 149 7th Street
Launch party!!! NEW BOMB TURKS reunion gig plus Livefastdie! Reading at 6 PM; bands start at 8, $12
Seattle, WA Tuesday, June 29 Easy Street Records 20 Mercer Street reading/book signing, 3pm
Seattle, WA Tuesday, June 29 Snoose Part Deux 10406 Holman Rd. reading/DVD showing, 9pm
San Francisco, CA Thursday, July 1 Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk Street
Happy hour pre-Eddy Current Suppression Ring/Thee Oh Sees party, 6:30 PM, FREE
Los Angeles, CA Wednesday, July 7 Stories 1716 Sunset Blvd.
Columbus, OH Friday, July 9 Wexner Center 1871 North High Street reading/DVD; 9pm www.wexarts.org After-party at Café Bourbon St.
Columbus, OH Saturday, July 10 Surly Girl Parking Lot Blow-Out 1126 North High Street
New Bomb Turks gig plus – get this – the Gibson Bros. and Scrawl!!! 8 PM
Chicago, IL Tuesday, July 13 Museum of Contemporary Art 220 East Chicago Avenue reading/DVD; 9pm
If you are an electric bass player, this is an exciting time to be alive as this relatively new instrument evolves around us. Some creative individuals have taken an active role in this evolution and made giant leaps in their own direction. Lee Barker is one of these inventive people having created the Barker Bass.
Fortunately, Lee is also an excellent writer (among so many talents) and has recently released his book “Plausible Gumption, The Road Between a Christmas Toolbox and The Barker Bass”. This book is a very fun read for everyone and shares a ton of details about Lee’s life in general, his experiences as a musician, a radio host, and a luthier. Now I am fortunate to have the great opportunity to gain even more insights into this renaissance man with this video interview.
Plausible Gumption, The Road Between a Christmas Toolbox and The Barker Bass is available online at Amazon.com
The Bass Space: Profiles of Classic Electric Basses.
The definitive book for lovers of the low-end. Willie G. Moseley, Senior Writer for Vintage Guitar Magazine, profiles more than 100 historic and unique electric bass models from such makers as Alembic, Danelectro, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Hamer, Kramer, Rickenbacker, and many others.
Rare and legendary instruments, from the earliest attempts at amplified basses in the mid-1930s to the cutting-edge instruments of today, are presented in more than 250 color and period photos.
The main feature of this book is the exclusive coverage of historic and one-of-a-kind basses owned and played by such famed musicians as: Bill Black (Elvis Presley), Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge), Mark Egan (Pat Metheny Group), John Entwistle (The Who), Paul Goddard (Atlanta Rhythm Section), Bruce Hall (REO Speedwagon), Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Benjamin Orr (The Cars), Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick), Carl Radle (Derek and the Dominos), Gene Simmons (Kiss), Steve Wariner, and others.
The Bass Space: Profiles of Classic Electric Basses is available online at Amazon.com
Bass Books
Review: The Bastard Instrument, A Cultural History of the Electric Bass by Brian F Wright
I was intrigued when The Bastard Instrument showed up on my desk… let’s dig in!
When we dive into the history of our beloved instrument, the bass, we find roots that go back as far as the 15th century. This instrument was a member of the violin family and was for the longest time, an acoustic instrument. As the years passed and music changed, there was a need for the instrument to evolve and the electric bass was born.
Comparatively, the electric bass is a relatively new instrument with its earliest appearances dating back to the 1930s and it is exciting to be an electric bass player while this history unfolds around us. Fortunately for us and future generations to come, Professor Brian F. Wright has taken on the herculean task of documenting the trajectory of the electric bass with this excellent book.
The Bastard Instrument presents an extraordinary amount of fine details about the instrument itself, the development of the amplification to handle its output, the pioneers that dared play it, the rapidly evolving music that flourished because of its presence and so much more.
When I first started reading this book, I noticed that it felt a tad academic, like a textbook (it might be one someday) or a doctoral thesis, but to present all this information accurately, this approach is more than appropriate. Another detail that might be a bit of a spoiler is that the book only gets us up to the late ’60s. I was left wanting more as we know that so much has happened in the bass world since that time frame; I hope there is another volume in the works to get us up to the present!
All in all, “The Bastard Instrument, A Cultural History of the Electric Bass” is a must-read for all of us who play electric bass and understand its essential place in music.
I found that there was a lot that I already knew but also quite a bit that I was unaware of. I believe that to know and understand where you are, you must know the history of exactly how you got here.
Highly recommended.
The Bastard Instrument is available at Amazon.com (beginning July 2024)
The Bassist’s Complete Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health
I have often thought that it would be great if the doctors who delivered us as newborn babies provided us with a user manual to help us navigate through life in the best way possible. Now Dr. Randall Kertz, D.C. has produced a manual specifically designed to address the many possible afflictions plaguing us bass players.
Many of you will remember volumes 1 & 2 of this book and our first review in 2007. The new complete guide combines the two volumes and features over 20 pages of new material including interviews, techniques, and conditions.
If you play bass, you can read this book cover to cover and walk away with a ton of relevant and helpful knowledge. Another option is to search out issues relevant to you specifically (I found quite a few of my own with helpful options). This is possible because the book is very nicely organized into six chapters that address Pain, Conditions, Techniques, Road Issues, Inspirational Q&A with some of the biggest names in the bass community (too many to list here) and finally How to get relief.
All said, this book is essential if you play either electric or upright bass to the point where they should issue you one when you get that first bass in your hands.
Lastly, if you have this book and you have specific questions, Dr. Kertz is readily available through his website, www.drkertz.com. As if that was not enough, he has a wealth of knowledge you can find right here on our website at bassmusicianmagazine.com/author/randallkertz
Get this book… Live long and play bass well into the years! Available on Amazon.com
The Bassist’s Complete Guide to Injury Management, Prevention & Better Health is now available!
A compilation of Volumes 1 & 2 of the acclaimed Bassist’s Guide with 20+ pages of new interviews, techniques, and conditions, The Complete Guide puts everything in one convenient place.
Available at Amazon.com and from our friends at Bassline Publishing
Follow Dr. Kertz’s Bass Player Health at Bass Musician Magazine
Gear News: Future Impact V4 Guitar & Bass Synth Now Available in the U.S.
Interview With Barker Bass’s Inventor and Writer Lee Barker
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #4 – Boutique and Vintage Basses, Dress Code for Summer Gigs
Gear News: Ibanez & Graph Tech Launch Multi-Scale Bass with Cutting-Edge Tuning
Album: John Entwistle, Rarities Oxhumed – Volume Two
July 15 Edition – This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Gear News: Future Impact V4 Guitar & Bass Synth Now Available in the U.S.
Gear Review: Joyo Monomyth – A Versatile Modern Bass Preamp
Luthier Spotlight: Garry Beers, GGB Basses
