Bad Copy

Early on it was watching music videos on MTV when I was a kid. I got into music at a young age but watching bands on MTV really sparked my interest. Musicians were cool and seemed like they were having fun and that was what I wanted to do. Once I started going to shows, seeing and meeting people around my age playing shows, that inspired me and showed me that I could be up on stage doing that too.

I played drums in school band for 2 years when I was in junior high. So I originally wanted to play drums. I remember going home and telling my dad I wanted to play drums and asked if he’d buy me a drum set. He firmly and quickly said “No” and I believed him. He didn’t want to put up with the noise. I probably sulked about it for a day or 2 and then went back to him and asked if he’d buy me a bass guitar instead. I thought I had a better chance of getting that. He said he’d pay for half which was great parenting on his part. He made me be more responsible.

It was my freshman year of high school. I was 14 years old and had a job at the time so I saved up some money. I got my mom to take me to a little music shop that’s not around anymore called Park Place Music which was on Belmont and Harlem in Chicago. I picked out a black Series 10 bass. I think it was $110. I paid half and my dad covered the other half. That was my main bass in those early years when I was learning to play and figuring out how to start a band. I also have a fond memory of running into an older local musician named Tito who lived around the corner from me. I ran up to tell him that I bought a bass and he said something like “Good job, kid. There are too many guitarists out there. We’re all going to need a good bassist to play with.” And that was a push for me in the right direction.

I saw a post on Facebook where they were looking for a bass player. So I responded to their ad. They sent me 4 songs and told me to learn them. I worked on them for a few days and then went in for my audition. I remember walking in and meeting the band. Then we went downstairs to jam. We got through the 4 songs decently well. I don’t think I screwed them up or made them have to stop or restart songs at all. I took it seriously. They invited me upstairs to have a beer and we all talked and got to know each other a little better. Then they invited me out to the garage to listen to some other demos they had recorded. Then I remember Matt asking if I wanted to go back downstairs to run through the 4 songs again. So that was a good sign. They didn’t just dismiss me or kick me out. They had some other auditions lined up after mine. A few weeks later they had a conference call with me and told me that I was in and that was it. That was August of 2017 and I’ve been with them ever since. We are now family.

Well, the songwriting process for all Take The Reins songs starts off with Courtney coming up with a song theme or lyric idea and then strumming away and finding a basic chord progression she likes on acoustic guitar. She then works with Adam Krier (Lucky Boys Confusion, AM Taxi) on it. Then she brings the song to us and we all start jamming on it and figuring out our parts.

After that, we take the song back to Adam as a full band and he tweaks things and gives advice on where he thinks it should go. We take that and go off on our own with it and really make it our own. But the songs are usually only about 85% done until we get to the studio with Mr. Dan Precision and then he helps us tweak everything into the final finished products you hear on the recordings. We all get to do our own thing and spice up our parts a bit.

As far as bass parts, Matt has a really good ear for things and even though he can’t explain what he’s hearing in his head, he’ll point out a part of a song and tell me to have a bass fill here or there. Dan Precision will do the same. So that’s fun. You can get some cool ideas for bass parts from non-bass players. I am always open to explore that.  So both Dan and Adam are like our 6th and 7th members of the band. We love them both.

I’ve played in many bands over the years. Mainly as a temp or fill in bass player. I’d get calls in the past – “Hey man, can you learn 12 songs in a week? We have a show booked and we need you.” That was always a fun challenge but I never found my home. I always felt like a fill in bass player.

During that time, I didn’t have to write or record which was kind of nice. I just had to learn songs that were already written and then reap the benefits of just going out and playing them live.  I totally enjoyed that. But now with Take The Reins, I do get to help write and record on top of playing many shows and travelling around so that’s been a lot of fun and very rewarding for me. And I found my home with them.

As a bassist, I’m all about having good chemistry with my drummer. We are the sonic link between the rhythmical and melodic elements of the band. Besides that, I think I’ve always been kind of a hype guy for bands. I’m full of energy onstage and always moving around. I feed off the energy of the crowd. I’m very social in the scene and good at promoting. I like booking shows and networking with other bands, musicians, and fans.

My earliest bass influences are Duff McKagen from Guns N Roses and Eric Avery from Janes Addiction. Before I even owned a bass, I just thought these guys were cool. They both had bleached blonde hair, had really cool style both in their playing and fashion. They played cool white basses and had great stage presence.

I have way more basses than I need. I’m an Ernie Ball Stingray guy and have owned many over the years. So those are my basses of choice and usually what I play live. But I have many others. I have a Jackson, an Ibanez and I have a Washburn bass I stole from my high school. As for amps, I have a small, medium and large set up ready to go depending on the show. My main bass rig I use with Take The Reins is a Gallien Krueger – 1001RB head, a Korg pitch black rack tuner and a Line 6 wireless system. I’m running that through a GK Neo 4×10 cabinet.

When I was starting out, I only used bass combo amps. My first amp was a Crate BT100. I used that for years and then decided I needed and deserved an upgrade. So I sold that off and bought a Crate BT220 which I still have. That’s my medium set up. I also have an Orange 100 watt amp for practice at my house or to use at smaller shows.

I do not use any effects. I play clean straight out of my amp.

I practice on my own almost daily. I still practice just like I did when I was starting out at 14. I just jam along to songs I like. I’ll make playlists to jam along to. I have a few different playlists. I have a miscellaneous punk rock playlist, a Take The Reins playlist, a Low Profile playlist, and a Misfits playlist where I just rip through 30 mins of Misfits songs. I like playing to these often just for fun and to keep myself in bass playing shape.

The band usually meets up to practice about once a week. This is the first band I’ve played in that does not have a set day of the week to practice. So we get together when we can depending on work, family and show schedules.

I’ve always been a fingers guy. When I was first starting out, I was talking to an older, experienced bassist and I asked him what I should do. He told me do whatever feels more comfortable. At 14, I saw guys like James Jamerson, Les Claypool, Flea and John Entwistle playing with their fingers so I just started playing like that and still do.

I should probably be able to play with a pick better than I can. There are things that a pick using bassist can do that I can’t do or emulate with my fingers. I said that I’d practice playing with a pick during COVID downtime and I tried it for about half an hour and threw it down and just went back to playing with my fingers.

I’d have to go back to my original 2 bass influences. I’d love to sit down with either Duff McKagen or Eric Avery. I think I’d be a little star struck like Chris Farley in his hilarious SNL skits where he interviews celebrities. I’d probably annoy Duff with questions like “Hey Duff, remember all your cool bass parts on Appetite for Destruction? Those are awesome!”

I love live music. I love going to shows. I can find enjoyment seeing pretty much any style of band play. I’m a big supporter of local bands and go to way more shows at smaller venues rather than the bigger mainstream band shows and festivals. I’m an animal lover.  I have a dog and 2 cats. So I spend a lot of time with them. I love spending time with my girlfriend. Doesn’t matter what we do, we just enjoy each othe.  I love being outside. So I walk and ride my bike a lot. I like my alone time but I also like my social time hanging out with friends. Having that balance keeps me happy.

Metro in Chicago is my favorite venue to both play and go see shows at. I’ve been lucky enough to play there twice now with Take The Reins. I like to support the scene and support my friends so you can catch me at all the smaller club shows like Liars Club, Cobra Lounge, Reggie’s, Live Wire Lounge, and Beat Kitchen. I go out often to see bands I like that are passing through town on tour or go see my friends’ bands play.

Oh man – great question. I love food and love trying new food and restaurants. We have it all here depending on what you like and what you’re in the mood for. Beat Kitchen, Reggie’s, Bottom Lounge, and Cobra Lounge all have great food and staff. So when I play those venues, I plan on showing up hungry and order food there before I play.

I’m a big fan of diners. So if you can find a cool non-chain diner, I’m always down to check those out. I started doing a ‘Pizza Tour’ on my Facebook page a few years ago. I have a folder dedicated to mom and pop pizza joints. I try to stay away from chains. So I’ll snap a pic of my pizza and link the place to try to generate some more business for them if I can. You never know what you’re going to get. I’ve had some low expectations from a small hole in the wall strip mall pizza place but have been pleasantly surprised by many of them. Usually people from out of town go to the major chains – Lou Malnatis and Giordanos. I have not ordered those in years. Go find yourself a small hole in the wall place. You might be surprised.

Some other cool places to check out are 90 Miles to Cuba and Maya Del Sol.

Get out to the small local clubs if you’re looking for live music, want to have fun and party. Stay away from the chain restaurants. You can eat at an Applebee’s anywhere. Go check out Maya Del Sol instead.

I’m a White Sox fan. I’m not a Cubs hater. I’m a Chicago fan. So I’m happy whenever any of our teams are doing well. But during the Crosstown Classic here, I’m all about the White Sox.

Stick with it. Find some cool, like minded people to jam with. Jam with people who are better than you. Learn as much as you can. Be a sponge and soak up whatever knowledge you can. Be open minded to different genres of music. Get out there and support your friends and fellow musicians. You can learn a lot by watching and hanging out in those environments. Stay away from negative people and drama. Stick around with the people who love and support you. And most importantly, have fun. I’ve quit bands because it stopped being fun.

I’m all about playing live. That is seriously like a high for me. When I’m on stage playing live, I am not worrying about anything in my life. I am completely in the moment and enjoying the energy flow between me, my band mates and the audience.  

Off the top of my head, I love Helmet – Meantime, Quicksand – Slip, Jets To Brazil – Orange Rhyming Dictionary, Gorilla Biscuits – Start Today, Screeching Weasel – My Brain Hurts, Suicide Machines – Destruction by Definition, pretty much every album by Strung Out, The Flatliners and Thrice. I’m a huge fan of all 3 of those bands and like everything they put out. I try to go see them live every time they pass through Chicago.

We have a bunch of cool shows lined up. Some fun weekend runs of shows playing around the midwest. We are playing both TI Fest in Chicago and FEST in Gainsville, Florida in October. Courtney has some really cool song ideas that are all in the works. We’ve slowly been writing some new songs and have 3 songs all partially done. So once we have more time off from playing out, we’ll continue to write and then head back to the studio to record new music. We recorded a cover song that will be coming out on a special comp later this year. So be on the lookout for that. We’re excited for you all to hear it.