Planet Bass – The Steve Lawson Interview June  2004

What inspired you to first pick up a bass and what were your first attempts at playing it like?

My favourite member in most of the bands I was listening to in my early teens was the bassist - Nick Beggs in Kajagoogoo, John Taylor in Duran Duran, Curt Smith in Tears For Fears, so it stood to reason that bassists were cool. I then saw Mark King on a Saturday morning kids TV show - Level 42 were giving away their gear as a competition prize and there was way more bass gear than anything else, which proved that the bassist was the most important one in the band!

Who were your early influences and what did you learn from them?

Very early on I was listening to John Entwistle and Jack Bruce, partly because that's what the guitarist and drummer I was playing with were into, but also cos I couldn't make out the bass parts on most pop tracks, but on Cream albums, the bass was panned over to one side so you could isolate it.
Listening to those records taught me to turn the bass up!

Did you take lessons or are you self-taught?

I didn't have any bass lessons until I went to music college. I did have lessons in music at school, and did really well at composition. Just wasn't all that great at the history side when it came to passing exams. I really regret not having private bass lessons at an early age, as I'm sure I'd have progressed a lot faster if I had, but I lived in Berwick Upon Tweed at the time, which wasn't really a hot-bed of musical pedagogy.

What's the most important bit of advice you were given by another musician?

I don't think I was given much in the way of advice early on, I just got on with it, playing whatever came into my head. I was very undisciplined and had some glaring flaws in my playing, but was experimenting a lot which lead to a lot of very interesting sounds and a more adventurous approach to the bass as an instrument.

What's the most important bit of advice you could give to new bassists?

Get lessons, ask questions, read everything you can and listen to as much music as you can. Everything you hear is part of your musical education, so
make sure you're listening closely!

Where do you stand on the old fingers vs. plectrums debate and why?

Music is about noise, controlled noise. Whatever physical method you use to get the noise you want is valid. If that's playing Tuvan Horse-headed fiddle, fine. If that's playing bass with a pick or your fingers, great.
Diversity is a very good thing...

Do you play 4, 5 or 6 string basses mainly? Fretted or unfretted?

Mainly 6 string, fretted and fretless.

How would you define your style of playing?

Er.... I tend to play a lot of chords and melodies, being predominantly a solo player - it'd get pretty dull for the audience if I was sat playing grooves on my own with no band for hours on end, though I'm sure I'd enjoy it. I see bass as just a sound source, so I tend to process it a lot, and explore as many different techniques as I can.

Tell us a little about the artists and bands you have worked with, and how/if you adapted to playing with each of them?

Like any decent musician, I try to play what's right for the song or situation whilst injecting a little of my own sound into the mix. I focus on the basics like good timing, even tone, phrasing etc. and try to come up with interesting lines.

A lot of the playing I do with other people these days are in experimental duets - with Michael Manring on bass, Theo Travis on flute and sax, BJ Cole on Pedal Steel, Orphy Robinson on Vibraphone, Luca Formentini on guitar, Jez Carr on Piano and a host of others. In those situations I tend to try and find sounds and ideas that bring out the best in what those players and their instrumental sounds have to offer. I try to create a space in which they can sound great, cos that way we both sound great!

Of the artists and bands you've played with who was the most inspirational and why?

Michael Manring - I've been a fan of Michael's music for years, and finding someone who is so open to experimentation, so technically advanced on his instrument, with such great ears and a highly developed sense of the ridiculous is a God-send. I think we sound pretty flippin' good together!

Do you warm up before a concert and if so how?

I make sure my hands are warm, and during the soundcheck will try to take a few minutes to get comfortable on the fretless. I really should warm up more, and am going to start looking for a headphone amp in order to practice backstage before I go on...

Do you have any other last minute rituals or habits before a concert?

Not really - change out of civilian clothes into stage gear, I guess...

What do you drink onstage?

Water or red wine, usually.

Have you ever played while drunk or under the influence of drugs?

My first regular gig was with a New Orleans-style jazz band, who played for charity and were paid in beer. Early on in that band, I figured I was worth rather a lot of beer, and ended up drunk on a couple of occasions. I doubt I've ever played worse than I did in those situations, and was lucky not to get thrown out of the band. Not a mistake I chose to repeat.

What's the biggest disaster you've ever had onstage, and how did you cope with it?

Being electrocuted on stage in Germany - I was playing at a festival there with a Canadian singer/songwriter, and the power supply in the tent we were playing in was highly suspect. Eventually the lights dimmed on my amp and I went to unplug my bass from it to try and plug it direct into a DI box, but the entire amp casing was live and I got a full 240 volt shock. Not surprisingly, the rest of the gig was cancelled.

What's the biggest disaster you've ever had in the studio, and how did you cope with it?

Nearly losing an entire album when a hard disk crashed. I ended up shipping it to the States for data recovery, and since then have backed everything up religiously....

What's been your proudest playing moment?

Playing solo at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

What's been the most fun playing moment, and why?

Any gig with Michael Manring - that feeling that anything could happen and probably will is pretty marvellous!

What's been the least fun playing moment, and why?

Driving in a camper van with three people I didn't particularly like from London to Glasgow for a weekend to play one poorly paid gig with a crap singer.

What equipment do you use live and in the studio and why?

My gear has been built up over time, meeting various needs as they became apparent and keeping up with my changes in sound. I'm now as happy as I've ever been with my sound and think that live and in the studio it's almost exactly where I want it. I use Modulus basses, AccuGroove Cabinets, Lexicon processing, a QSC poweramp, Elites Strings, an E-Bow +, a Mackie Desk, Planet Waves Cables and a Visual Volume Pedal.

Are you fairly flexible about the equipment you use or must you always play with the same gear?

I know my gear rather well and tend to get hired for my sound as much as anything else, so I've never had to think about using anyone else's gear.
However, if I'm on a session I'll play whatever the producer wants me to play - you're there to do a job.

What one piece of equipment would you advise all bass players to own?

A decent bass. Spend the money there, you can always hire an amp for gigs or go through the PA.. Invest in a good bass.

Do you read music?

Of course - there's no reason not to. It's not hard to learn, and it gives you access to loads more music, as well as the option to pass your own music onto other people.

Do you play any other instruments, and how well?

A little bit of guitar, but nothing to write home about. I've never owned one, and haven't even played anyone else's for a year or so. Why would I, bass is way cooler!

Do you write or co-write songs and if so do you write on the bass?

I write everything I write on bass - melodies, chords, basslines... Bass has been my musical voice for 17 years so it's how I imagine all music sounding.

Do you ever play cover versions, and if so how do you learn the originals note for note or do you improvise you own parts?

Depends on what the intention was behind the original line. It's normally fairly easy to tell which parts on a song are integral to the composition and which are going to change in a live situation. Occasionally I get asked to record bass tracks to songs that are covers, and in that situation, I play what the producer is asking for - note for note or something with a bit more creative sparkle...

Do you sing? Do you feel it is important?

I don't sing in a band or for performance, but I do sing what I play, and I sing when I'm teaching, to make the point that we're trying to hear in our
heads what the note is before we play it - that way the connection between you and the music is much stronger.

If you could nominate one song that you've recorded to sum up your playing style and feel which one would it be?

Probbably 'No More Us And Them' from my solo album, 'Not Dancing For Chicken' - MP3 here.


What have you been doing recently?

Some session work with a couple of dance producers, my regular private teaching stuff, and most importantly putting the finishing touches to my next solo album, due out in August on Pillow Mountain Records (www.pillowmountainrecords.co.uk ), called 'Grace and Gratitude'. That's been a whole lot of fun, and I'm really happy with the way it's turned out.

Do you have a personal or band website? Or would you like to recommend any other useful websites?


www.stevelawson.net