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Jam Night: Slap Basics With Doug Johns
Meet Doug Johns –
So, you know how my articles have always ended with the phrase, “Get out there and jam with somebody?” Well, the other day, down at a local club, I did just that.
I got a last-minute call to fill the bass chair at a local jam night – which, incidentally, I’m glad to see “jam nights” are still alive and kickin. Coming up in the music scene, that was pretty much the way you shedded out material you were working on: hit the local jam night.
Anyhow, the thing I want to touch on concerning that recent jam night is: LISTENING! Or, in some cases, the lack thereof.
Throughout the night, different cats would come up to play, and very quickly you could tell what his or her agenda was. You have all sorts of musicians who want to hit the stage – fully rehearsed bands looking to book a future date at the club, cats who want to sit in with the host band, and just all-around great musicians looking to bring it to the stage.
But no matter who hit the stage that night, the one thing that kept coming to my mind was listening. It seems so simple, but it’s the key to anything musical; everything falls under the umbrella of listening.
Communicate: When sitting in, listen to the other cats – talk before you play wherever possible. “Hey, whaddaya guys wanna do?” And when the beat kicks off, listen to the drummer – get a feel for the pocket. Is the drummer ahead, behind, on top? Find out quickly, and set your groove right where it compliments everything best.
Volume: “Seat” your instrument’s volume – whether it’s a bass, keys, guitar or vocal – so that you’re working WITH the other band members, not against them. Listen for the overall volume of the ensemble, and ease your instrument into the mix.
Watch: Chances are, you’re going to get thrown a curve ball – and that’s the greatest thing about a jam night! Keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for cues the other musicians might give (i.e. a hand gesture for upcoming chord change).
Listen: This is most important. So it’s funny that when I try to write about listening, it’s tough for me. Listening is something that’s never-ending, something that you can only learn by playing in different situations. You truly have to earn it. Truthfully, you have to get on the stage…. And screw up!
Through these inevitable mistakes, you really learn the lessons that stick with you. Keeping your ears in tune with the musicians around you will make you a better player, period.
By listening, you’ll learn how to add to the bigger picture instead of competing with it, and that’s what will keep you working. Don’t hit the stage looking for openings to cram in the latest lick you’ve learned – just let it flow naturally. By doing that, your ears will direct your actions; that is the essence of a truly great artist.
Now, I’m not saying to never play those awesome licks that you’ve been working on when you’re on the stage – I’m just trying to stress the utmost importance of developing your ear first (through unfamiliar musical situations) so that the real You will flow from your heart and soul.
When you do step out, and it’s appropriate to do your “spot,” you’ll play naturally because you’ve been listening, soaking in the chords. The music becomes a part of your soul, and the whole band will sound better for it.
As for me, I had a new groove I’d been dying to run past an audience. But when I tuned in to the musicians on stage with me at that jam night, I knew it wasn’t the time or place. Listening – instead of playing – made the whole performance stronger.
Now, get out there and jam with somebody!
Thanks ~
Doug
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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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