Artist Spotlight

Bergantino Welcomes Suzy Starlite to Their Family of Artists

The British songwriter and multi-instrumentalist shares her amazing history as a musician and her journey to falling for the bass!

Whitinsville, MA (October 22, 2024) – Full of life and with a plethora of amazing stories, Suzy Starlite has had quite the career as a lifelong songwriter. The fearless, well-traveled multi-instrumentalist is no stranger to trying new things, which has led her to becoming an award-winning radio broadcaster as well as an award-winning motorcycle racer. With this adventurous spirit, Suzy found herself gravitating toward the bass later in her career and instantly fell in love! Bergantino sat down recently to learn more about her amazing story – interview here:

What inspired you to want to start playing bass and who drew you to it?

I was messing around with a cheap bass guitar and our Sequential Tempest drum machine in the studio when Simon and I had just moved to France. Simon had a four-on-the-floor groove going down and I joined in. He looked at me with wide eyes and said “You’re a bass player”. Of course, I didn’t believe him but he insisted saying I had a natural feel for the groove and the way I played on the one.

To cut a long story short, a few months later I decided that I would start learning and see how I progressed and, more importantly, if I was any good. A year later I was on tour!

We’ve read that, besides singing and playing the bass, you also play many instruments! Can you share what other instruments you play?

My first instrument was a harmonica when I was a child followed by descant and treble recorders. At Grammar School I played French Horn and now play piano, fife, synthesizers (specifically my beloved Prophet 5), mandolin, percussion and acoustic guitar. I like to make sounds with anything so that can range from a child’s xylophone to a kazoo. Simon bought me a Leaf Audio microphonic soundbox for Christmas two years ago which is great fun.

Tell us about your first music teacher. What lesson did you learn from this person and still use today?

I grew up in Ross-on-Wye in the beautiful countryside of Herefordshire – just think of The Shire where the Hobbits lived and you get the picture.

I attended St. Joseph’s Convent even though my family weren’t Catholic because it was renowned for being an excellent school and my first music teacher at the age of four was Sister Cuthbert or ‘Sister Bertie’ as we liked to call her.

She was the oldest nun in the Convent – so wrinkly she looked 150 years old and played the piano during our morning assemblies. The whole school marched into the room to the tune of some Classical god – single file – military fashion – no talking – eyes straight ahead – we were a student army of disciplinary excellence.

Sister Bertie taught singing, descant and treble recorders. I remember the silhouette of her habit as we practised – holding our recorders unusually high at 95 degrees which I always thought was rather strange compared to all the other schools.

What did I learn from her? Well, my first introduction to reading music and a sense of discipline – if you’re going to do something – give it your best!

What was your first bass?

My first bass was a Gretsch ThunderJet. It’s a semi-hollow short-scale fitted with flat wound strings and has that great vintage sound – perfect for those ‘60s punchy lines you hear in Free and The Beatles.

I chose it because I have small hands and thought it would be a great instrument to learn my chops on. On the advice of Andy Seward, who I mention later, I fitted Thomastik-Infeld flat wound strings.

It’s a mighty fine-looking bass and people would come up to me at the end of gigs and all they wanted to talk about was my bass and how sexy it looked hahaha.

What are the basses you have and use now?

Not long after the ThunderJet my husband Simon bought me a surprise wedding present in the shape of a Mike Lull M4V – their version of a Jazz bass with a Hipshot drop D peg and Lindy Fralin pickups. I was stunned – I’d never been given a present of this magnitude before and also deep down I thought oh crikey – I already have one, why do I need another? That’s how naïve I was.

The M4V is such a versatile and exquisite bass we bonded straight away. This is my Avatar dragon where I truly became one with my instrument and really took off when it came to my playing.

I also have a 1974 Fender Precision which my son James gave me. Simon had given it to him as his 18th birthday present and he thought I’d make better use of it. I was blown away! The P bass is great for tracking in the studio. It sits so well in any mix and you can’t mistake its signature sound.

I also have a King John acoustic bass made by Roger Bucknall of Fylde Guitars. It’s a magnificent instrument which I bought from bassist Josh Clapp who is well known in the UK folk scene.

Sadly he contracted Lymes disease and couldn’t play any more so we saved up and a year later I became custodian of this old soul which is one of the finest sounding acoustic basses you will ever hear. There’s history in the wood, Sting has played it and it has also graced the stage of the Royal Albert Hall.

I have one more bass – a Mike Lull custom Starlite T4. It’s influenced by the design of a Gibson Thunderbird but again with a Hipshot drop D, stainless steel frets and the only bass I have fitted round-wound strings (Curt Mangan). The headstock is smaller and lighter than the Gibson so you don’t suffer the dreaded neck dive.

And the sound!! Oh, she is a mighty fire-breathing dragon!! Talk about attitude!!! You can hear it on Saving Me from our latest studio album STARLITE.ONE.

Each bass has its own personality which gives me flexibility when recording and it’s not just the sound, it’s the way they make you play.

I think there could be room for a couple more though, specifically a Rickenbacker 4002 and a Gibson EB2 – everyone needs a semi-acoustic bass complete with mudbucker.

Who are the musicians who inspired you and what qualities do you admire about them?

It’s always a hard question to answer as I’m all about the song so I’m inspired by musicians across all genres, except perhaps death metal – the screaming disturbs me – but you never know as tastes change.

I’ve always had a thing for a great groove and love dancing which meant I was out nearly every weekend at my local nightclub. The first big concert I attended was Stevie Wonder when I was 16 which set the bar for live performances

I’m also enchanted by beautiful melodies and harmonies of which Karen Carpenter was my childhood musical companion growing up. The emotion was all in her tone and understated delivery – something I think perhaps we are coming full circle back around to.

When writing STARLITE.ONE we created a very eclectic playlist which featured Silver Apples, through Roxy Music, Leonard Cohen, Miles Davis, Arvo Pärt, Can, Sterolab, Low, Nick Cave, Jacques Brel, S P A R K S and Scott Walker to name a few.

There was also a liberal splash of my new favourite band The Smile which consists of Johnny Greenwood and Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Tom Skinner, formally of Sons of Kennet. Hell, take a listen yourself!

To me, it’s all about the song: melody, performance, instrumentation and production.

In terms of bassists, there were four people that I decided to study when I first started to learn the bass and am documenting that story as part of my Walking The Bass Line series for Bass Musician Magazine – written especially for new bass players. They are John Paul Jones – Led Zeppelin, Andy Fraser – Free, Jack Bruce – Cream and Carl Radle – Eric Clapton.

You studied at Salford University in the ’90s. What can you share about this experience?

I passed the audition to attend the very first course of its kind in the country for Media & Performance which was the best and also the most challenging thing I have ever done.

The course was based in the Adelphi building which was an old structure – four stories high with big high ceilings and hidden corridors, welcoming you with a big shiny red front door – just like the TV series Fame.

As soon as I walked inside I had goosebumps. You could hear all kinds of music and brass instruments echoing down the corridors. We had our own studio theatre and the canteen was a real melting pot of activity.

They also ran the first-ever degree in Popular Music & Recording so there were also some really cool musicians hanging around. The biggest treasure however lay underground in the basement which was full of analogue recording studios. It felt like heaven and practically lived in that building.

My course was a tapas of everything from acting, script-writing, videography, radio, contemporary dance, dramatical history, singing to dance and musical theatre. I chose this because I needed to find out what I wanted to do and what I was any good at – if anything.

What I discovered is that the music called me more than anything else.

I started writing songs at age 16 with my acoustic guitar and really wanted to play one of the lunchtime concerts – which was unheard of for a ‘drama’ student. So I recruited some of the guys off the music course and under the moniker I Never Used To Like Brussel Sprouts was the first drama/media student to play a hallowed lunchtime concert.

This then opened the floodgates for everyone and we had loads of drama/media students merging with the musicians – it was brilliant. I also fronted a folk rock band called Megiddo and we toured the UK folk circuit for a few years, self-releasing our album On The Outside.

The hardest lesson and the biggest thing I have learned is that it’s all about contacts more than talent.

Describe your playing style(s), tone, strengths and/or areas that can be improved on the bass.

I’ll give it a go. You see I never really listened to bass until I started to play and didn’t know what it did. I reached an understanding having listened to the four bass players above plus Tina Weymouth and Carol Kaye. The latter two created riffs and lines that defined the song. Would ‘Psycho Killer’ or ‘The Beat Goes On’ sound the same without that bass line? One band where the bass – and rhythm section – is consistently fabulous is Roxy Music. Listen to Manifesto – outstanding work.

I try and connect the drums with the rest of the band with a combination of groove, riffs and melodic lines.

Almost all the tone comes from your fingers and to get consistency I play quite softly letting the amp do the work. I love flat wound strings, which combined with a big valve (tube) amp define what I want to hear.  As you know the first big cabinet I bought was the Bergantino NV610, which combined with the 200W vintage HiWatt DR201 or Supertone Matamp 200 really floats my boat.

I do play very loud on stage – it’s that energy that really makes the bass work for me.

I am constantly learning and trying to improve my technique. Playing with a pick was a big challenge for me as I had never used one before and now I am trying to achieve consistency in volume and tone. It’s a love-hate relationship but sometimes that is the only sound that will do. What changed my mind was using the P bass fitted with flatwounds and the Ellio Martinez string-damping system. Instant ‘60s vibe.

How did you and your husband Simon Campbell meet?

I first met Simon when I was living on the Isle of Man. He heard about a singer-songwriter living next to the sea in Laxey through his friend Lenny Conroy who was a postman by day and music promoter on the weekend. Simon and I met up and I played him some of my songs which he really liked.

We ended up gigging as an acoustic duo and then he got a band together for me playing all my original songs named Starlite. So, Simon ended up being the guitar player in my band and we gigged at festivals and all over the place. Then we accidentally fell in love and the rest is history.

How would your bandmates describe you?

Crikey – that’s a really hard question to answer.

I can be edgy, as I like to get it right and very passionate when playing whether that’s calm for a ballad or jumping around on stage. I have been called intense and off-the-wall which is a fair comment.

Our original drummer Steve Gibson calls me bass queen which is very complimentary and all stems from when his pro-drumming mate Paul Burgess came to see us in concert in Manchester a few years ago and he said to Steve – “finally you have a great rhythm section”.

Describe the creative process when you write new music.

There’s no set way when it comes to writing. It can come through a riff or a melody. I like to jam with our drum machine and/or Simon and see what comes out.

Lyrically I’m always writing ideas and certain phrases down that inspire me and then I trawl through all those ideas and see what still resonates. I now write mostly on piano as I fell into a nasty chordal trap when writing on guitar, but occasionally write a bass line that we work with. Piano allows me to plonk around until things hit me.

I have never been into music theory and hence do things that aren’t conventional or strictly ‘correct’.

How has social media impacted your music?

There is no doubt that SM has given musicians more reach but as a result, there’s a lot of ‘noise’ and it’s difficult to be heard.

The algorithm is a difficult beast to ride, especially when your audience demographic is older than a teenager. Festival and gig bookings now rely heavily on the number of likes, subscribers and plays you have, which in turn affects people’s perception of you.

This can easily be manipulated if you have the right marketing/PR firm working for you plus the many thousands of pounds you need to pay for their services.

Our first foray away from the algorithm was being avid users of Mastodon following the whole Twitter/X debacle.

We now use a subscription-based platform called Substack where we host our blog/podcast VIBES. Substack is really growing and hosts many independent authors and musicians.

On VIBES we post articles, music, videos, lyrics, art, photography, The Supertone Show podcast (a music & chat show) plus whatever we feel inspired to write. You can create paywalled content available exclusively for your paid subscribers and it works well for us. It also has a microblogging feature called Notes which enables us to replace X and Facebook et al. We feel this is where the future lies for independent creatives.

Of course, we still post to the bewildering number of SM sites, but generally simple links back to VIBES and Notes.

We have found YouTube to be the best algorithmically based platform as it seems to pick you up if you have good content.

We use Bandcamp for our streaming/downloads and music subscriptions, YouTube/VIBES for videos, and Shopify for our merchandise sales: vinyl, CD, clothing and products for guitar and bass.

What led you to Bergantino?

One of the foremost bass players in the UK folk scene is Andy Seward. He was producing Simon’s second solo album The Knife and when he found out we had just bought a 1974 Hiwatt DR201 valve amp he suggested we compliment this with a Bergantino NV610. He recommended I speak with Mark Stickley at Bass Direct who supplied both of my Bergantino cabinets. That’s the story!

What drew you to the Bergantino NV610 and the HD112?

The NV610 is a perfect cabinet for that vintage sound so it was a no-brainer. Naturally, I looked at the Ampeg 8×10 but to me, the Bergantino sounded tighter and punchier, especially with flat wound strings. I use the fabulous HD112 for smaller acoustic gigs and it’s such a great sound.

We also learned about your love of motorcycles! Care to tell us more about this?

I decided to learn to ride when I turned 40 so I bought a 125cc Yamaha motorcycle off eBay and was out every weekend learning to ride on long ride-outs with my friend John Wood from Mossley, Lancashire.

I loved the freedom it gave out in the open air – it was exhilarating. My first lesson we drove up across the tops in Lancashire on the way to Leeds – it was snowing and very cold. Woody told me to relax in the seat like a sack of potatoes and follow in his tracks which was pretty hairy – then we stopped on the side, put our wet gloves on the engine to dry out and he broke out a flask of coffee with a wee drop of brandy in it to warm us up.

I do have a couple of memories that I still can’t quite believe happened. I was offered a Ducatti 650cc motorbike to ride at the Isle of Man TT Ramsey Sprint. When I saw the guys get it out of the van it was a proper sprint bike with roll bars and it was huge! I’d never ridden anything more than a 350 before and that was in a field where I fell off so I had a major challenge.

I spent the whole day trying to get it right, I’d either not be revving high enough and would stall going from first to second gear – then I nearly came off at the start so the guys burned the tyre out for me to get it a bit sticky – I’d get back on and give it another shot.

You had to queue 45 minutes to get your chance for a run so that’s what I did – all day. On my 12th and final run, I just decided to give it a Guy Martin mindset and ended up crossing the line as Winner of my Class and Fastest Woman of the event. It was a crazy and magnificent experience!!!

I was also asked to be Crew Chief by Richard Barks for the Lonan Gentleman’s Fellowship which was the first team to represent the Isle of Man at Speed Week in Bonneville, USA. Richard was a champion Manx motorcyclist and he aimed to break a world land speed record riding The Manxman – a 500cc motorcycle, which they hand build in garages behind the team’s houses in Laxey.

I had to work out how to export a bike plus all our tools to Los Angeles and then get us through inspection, pick up nitrous oxide in Salt Lake City etc and oversee the whole operation.

We had an incredible experience and ended up breaking two world land speed records and were deemed the most successful rookie crew in the history of Speedweek.

Amazing!! I’ll never forget driving in convoy across the salt flats at sunrise with all the other qualifiers – you had to repeat the run a second time to break a world record. The CB radio was on – a man was chatting away like it was NASA and we were so excited – it felt like we were about to take off for the moon!

Do you have a sidecar for Marc?

I don’t ride any more even though I still have my 1958 Classic 200cc Ariel Colt motorcycle which now lives in our Supertone recording studio. I had to make a choice and decided I wanted to play bass and follow the musical path. With motorcycling it’s often a case of not ‘if’ but ‘when’ you come off a bike and I really don’t want to damage my hands or any part of me come to think of it.

If I still rode he would be more than welcome as my passenger!

You’re at a party and it’s a little stale – what’s your party trick or hidden talent that you’re busting out to get the place rocking?

In the ‘90s I used to programme and present radio shows and DJ at clubs. Top tips – assess the people there – change the music to suit – put on a classic tune – pump up the volume and get a groove on!

Last one! Describe your perfect meal!

My husband Simon is the main cook in our family and I love his work. We eat very well as if you shop sensibly, the food in Portugal is inexpensive and of excellent quality. The Portuguese grandmothers will stand for nothing less!

We are both into Indian, Middle Eastern and North African cuisine and have recently bought a fantastic Lebanese cookbook by Salma Hage. I was a vegetarian for a long time and don’t eat much meat so a balance of vegetables with spices is fantastic for me.

So something like freshly made Hummus, Cucumber and Yoghurt salad, flatbreads (which I make), Tabbouli and marinated chicken simply grilled all accompanied with a glass or two of Portuguese vinho tinto, finished – if in season – with delicious white melon from the Alentejo region (the best I have ever tasted).

When we go out I really enjoy the fish here in Portugal. The country sticks right out into the Océano Atlántico and the water and fish are as fresh as you can get. Simply cooked over coals – it’s sensational.

Thanks so much for the interview. I am so happy and honoured to be welcomed into the Bergantino family of artists.

Follow Suzy!

https://starlite-campbell.com/suzy-starlite and check out her gear page: https://suzystarlite.com/equipment

 

 

Bergantino Welcomes Marc Brownstein to Their Family of Artists

The innovative bassist/sonic explorer/DJ discusses his life of touring with Disco Biscuits, the current tour with the new album “Revolution in Motion, and more!

 

Whitinsville, MA (May 16, 2024) – Marc Brownstein is the king of “Trance-Fusion” – a subgenre that his band Disco Biscuits has been in the center of for the past two decades. As a founding member of the band from their days at UPenn, Marc has quite the experience under his belt, and each tour has gotten more and more exciting. Disco Biscuits is currently on tour with their new album Revolution in Motion, a full multimedia experience accompanied by a 25-minute animated film that tells a story of intergalactic travelers finding their way on Earth.

D.J. Brownie! What made you want to be a musician and start playing bass and who drew you to it?

I was drawn to music after John Lennon was assassinated. I was raised in NYC and the city was just going crazy. I was 7 years old at the time and my thought was, wow why is everyone freaking out so much, this guy must be really special. And so I started to check the Beatles out and that was the beginning of my journey with music. 

A question from one of your fans and fellow bass players Karina Rykman: “How do you keep your bubble of positivity intact and thriving”?

Well it’s funny she should ask. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the run of positivity we are experiencing now began right at the beginning of tour at the beginning of January 2023 when we had Karina opening for us for a week. I can say that her positive energy on tour definitely left its mark on the rest of our tour. Some people are so naturally happy and positive that it leaves you feeling that way, sometimes permanently!

Besides the bass guitar, what other instruments do you play?

I dabble with piano, guitar, and I can make my way around a drum kit if I get into it for a few weeks. I’ve played flute and saxophone as well at different times. I also play the double bass. But I would say Piano is my second instrument at this point. I play everyday.

What is your favorite (and least favorite) thing about touring?

The best part of touring is the 4 hours on stage with the band. But also getting to visit so many great places all of the time. That’s the silver lining.  The only thing I don’t love about touring is missing my family.

Tell us about your first music teacher. What lesson did you learn from this person and still use today?

My first music teacher, Mrs. Koslov, 2nd grade, I just was at her funeral a few weeks ago. I eventually became best friends with Mrs Koslov’s son and we stayed in touch for my whole life. She taught me a lot but really she was the one who gave me the courage to perform. My first public performance ever was a piano version of Eleanor Rigby.

What was the first bass you had?

This is tough. I think I had a standard Ibanez jazz style bass first. Within a year or two I got an American Fender Jazz bass.

What are the basses you have and use now?

My main bass is an Elrick 5 string by Rob Elrick. I also have a Q5 Modulus and an Alembic 5 as well. Oteil (Burbridge) sent me a Roscoe custom 6 during the Pandemic that I like to play. I also have a Sire Marcus Miller, a newer American Fender Jazz bass, a custom Ibanez SDGR, an Ibanez BTB and an Elrick 5 string Fretless bass which is my main bass at home.

Who were the musicians who inspired you and what qualities do you admire about them?

I was deeply influenced by Phish when I discovered them in college. I admired their ability to mesh jazz, classical and rock Improvisational styles. I was very inspired by classic jazz musicians. Miles. Monk. Coltrane. Dexter Gordon. Cannonball Adderly. Mingus. This is the generation of musicians that laid the groundwork for what we do now.

You studied and started the band Disco Biscuits at UPenn. Tell us more about the origins.

The band just sort of linked up in the quad (dormitory) and we started to set up our gear and jam for fun. Within a short time I realized the guys I was playing with were really talented and so I applied to the New School for jazz and went and spent a year crash coursing music at a high level so I could return to Penn and start a band with them.

You have a new album “Revolution in Motion,” that you’re currently touring on. How is it going?

The tour has been amazing. It’s one of the best tours we ever had in our career. We sold out more than half of the shows and are receiving really great feedback across the country.

I watched the video on YT for Revolution in Motion. The Choreography, production, color, cartoon characters, and theme were so much fun. Space aliens and psychedelic art, pop ups like a comic book, and you in your alien jump suit with your baseball cap were amazing. Loved! How was this collaborated? 

We have a co-writer on this project named Joey Friedman. He conceived of the concept for the album and he had a very specific vision for what the visuals would look like. He spent hours and hours with the animators (Blunt Action) and the AI animator (Todd Kushnir) working through each iteration to make it come to life in the way that it was conceived.

Link to video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD-VmObIg5M

How would you describe the music you create for Disco Biscuits?

We always hoped that the music we created would be the weirdest and craziest music of all time but we describe it as Trance-Fusion, which was a name that was drawn from jazz-fusion, the mixing of jazz with rock and roll instruments. We found our own sound by mixing trance music with rock and roll instruments, hence the genre title. It was renamed Jamtronica many years later by the folks over at SiriusXM who started a radio show called the Jamtronica show to highlight acts from our scene. I was the host of that show for the first 3 years.

Describe the creative process when you write new music.

These days the creative process is a team effort. Usually we start by combing through improvisational sections of music from the tours to see if we can find any melodies or chord structures that are song worthy. When we find it we bring it into our DAW (ableton) and creating a grid. This is easy for us because we often play to a time clock on stage. From there we start building out the structures of the new piece of music while Joey and maybe me or Aron or Jon will start working on some lyrical concepts. Within an hour or two we start to record some of these initial lyrics and melodies and Jon usually starts to adapt them and tweak them to make them comfortable for him to sing. Usually within a few hours we are able to walk away with a very advanced demo of a new song. It’s been an extremely fruitful experience that has left us with albums worth of the best material we’ve had in decades.

The lighting for your shows is amazing. Who does the lighting design work and choreography for the tours?

Our new LD is known as Herm, but his name is Alex. We know him as Herm though. He came to us from the band Twiddle at the beginning of this year and has totally revitalized the visual elements of the stage show. He’s a really great fit and we feel grateful to have been linked up with such a massive talent. It was luck and timing and some might call it fate.

How would your bandmates describe you?

My bandmates would probably describe me as energetic and talkative and headstrong but also they might notice that I’ve become really good at going with the flow and backing their creative instincts. They may further describe me as anxious and nervous but may also notice that these elements have been remediated of recent. Mostly I think they would describe me as loyal and dedicated.

How did you find Bergantino Audio systems?

I was first introduced to it by Ed Grasmeyer who I know as Mike Gordon’s tech in Burlington. I was playing a show at Nectars and needed a backline and Ed came and set me up with the ForteHP2 and I was blown away by the tone. I then noticed Karina Rykman was using Bergantino as well and that’s when I started to think I needed to get in contact with the company. Karina was opening for the Biscuits on Boston and that’s where I had the chance to demo the forte hp2 in the context of the biscuits stage show. I haven’t looked back since that night.

Tell us about your experience with the Forté HP2 on the tour?

There are so many things that I can say about it but the most notable is that I’m not struggling to hear the frequencies that I want to hear on stage anymore. I used to have to boost the bass everywhere. In an EQ pedal, on the preamp on the actual bass. But every time you add a little of those low frequencies in those other places you risk degrading the tone of the signal. With the Forte HP2 there is a punch button that gives me exactly the frequency I’m looking for. 100 hz. 4 db. It’s perfect.

Did you think Jim talked too much when you met him in Boston?

I will never notice when someone talks too much because chances are I’m out talking them.

What’s your process for dealing with performance anxiety?

I used to self-medicate for this purpose but I was recently in touch with a psychiatrist who has helped me regulate my own chemical imbalances and I have found that my performance anxiety isn’t really an issue when I have the proper amount of dopamine in the system!

Imagine that you’re at a party and it’s a little stale. What’s the “party trick” (or hidden talent) that you’d bust out to liven the place up?

Before the app existed I was known as a real life fruit ninja. I take a big knife and people throw fruit from across the room and I chop it in half in mid-air. It’s not the safest party trick anymore because I lost vision in my right eye a few years ago and I’m not as accurate as I used to be!

What hobbies do you have outside of music?

I love sports. I love reading. I love word games. I love gardening. I love hiking/running/moving. My biggest hobby was snowboarding for many years but I’ve grown injury prone and stay off the mountain these days.

What is the most trouble you ever got into?

Well, I managed to stay out of trouble until college. But before weed was legalized I had a series of run-ins with the law and spent a night in the clink in Amherst Mass during my freshman year fraternity pledge trip. Luckily this isn’t an issue anymore for those of us who don’t drink or smoke cigarettes but prefer a little of the wacky tabacky to cool down.

What is the message you would give to your fans?

Well I give them so many messages all the time but the most important one that I try to remember to keep constant is a message of gratitude. Thank you so much for sticking with us through thick and thin, through ups and downs, for decades now you have allowed us to live our dreams and have the most blessed lives possible.

How do you feel social media has impacted your music?

Social media is a double edged sword. It has allowed us to create a strong community where everyone feels like a family but for someone like me who gets addicted to things easily, I really have to be vigilant with practice and writing and other aspects of my life not to spend the whole day scrolling and wasting the time away.

What is your favorite song of all time?

Right now my favorite song of all time is probably a short and beautiful little ditty by Labi Siffre called Bless the Telephone. I would suggest everyone take the 1:29 to listen to it and feel the bliss.

What did I miss for a question that you would like to share?

Bass players don’t really get to play solo shows, at least not my style of bass, so I’ve had to learn how to DJ in order to perform by myself at times and I would suggest coming out to see a DJ Brownie show at some point.

Last one! Describe your perfect meal!

I love to eat great meals. I’m partial to Asian foods but the perfect meal to me is one slice of pizza from Freddie and Peppers on 72nd and Amsterdam in NYC. PERFECTION.

Follow Marc Brownstein:

Instagram: @marcbrownstein

X (formerly Twitter): @marc_brownstein

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcbrownstein4

https://www.discobiscuits.com/

 

Bassist for psychedelic, Reggae-Rock titans Audic Empire shares his history as a musician.

James Tobias, a multi-talented musician and jack-of-all-trades shares his story of coming up as a musician in Texas, his journey with his band Audic Empire, and his approach to life and music. With a busy tour schedule each year, we were fortunate to catch up with him while he was out and about touring the US.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Dallas, Texas and lived in the Dallas area most of my life with the exception of 1 year in Colorado. I moved to the Austin area at age 18.

 What makes the bass so special to you particularly, and how did you gravitate to it?

I honestly started playing bass because we needed a bass player and I was the one with access to a bass amp and bass. I played rhythm guitar and sang up until I met Ronnie, who I would later start “Audic Empire” with. He also played rhythm guitar and sang and we didn’t know any bass players, so we had to figure something out. I still write most of my songs on guitar, but I’ve grown to love playing the bass.

How did you learn to play, James?

I took guitar lessons growing up and spent a lot of time just learning tabs or playing by ear and kicked around as a frontman in a handful of bands playing at the local coffee shops or rec centers. Once I transitioned to bass, I really just tried to apply what I knew about guitar and stumbled through it till it sounded right. I’m still learning every time I pick it up, honestly.

 You are also a song writer, recording engineer, and a fantastic singer, did you get formal training for this?

Thank you, that means a lot!  I had a couple voice lessons when I was in my early teens, but didn’t really like the instructor. I did however take a few lessons recently through ACC that I enjoyed and think really helped my technique (Shout out to Adam Roberts!) I was not a naturally gifted singer, which is a nice way of saying I was pretty awful, but I just kept at it.

As far as recording and producing, I just watched a lot of YouTube videos and asked people who know more than me when I had a question. Whenever I feel like I’m not progressing, I just pull up tracks from a couple years ago, cringe, and feel better about where I’m at but I’ve got a long way to go. Fortunately we’ve got some amazing producers I can pass everything over to once I get the songs as close to finalized as I can.

 Describe your playing style(s), tone, strengths and/or areas that can be improved on the bass.

I honestly don’t know what my style would be considered. We’ve got so many styles that we play and fuse together that I just try to do what works song by song.  I don’t have too many tricks in the bag and just keep it simple and focus on what’s going to sound good in the overall mix. I think my strength lies in thinking about the song as a whole and what each instrument is doing, so I can compliment everything else that’s going on. What could be improved is absolutely everything, but that’s the great thing about music (and kind of anything really).

Who were your influencers in terms of other musicians earlier on or now that have made a difference and inspired you.

My dad exposed me to a lot of music early. I was playing a toy guitar while watching a VHS of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble live at SXSW on repeat at 4 years old saying I wanted to “do that” when I grew up. I was the only kid in daycare that had his own CDs that weren’t kids songs. I was listening to Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and The Doors when I could barely talk. I would make up songs and sing them into my Panasonic slimline tape recorder and take it to my preschool to show my friends. As I got older went through a bunch of music phases. Metal, grunge, rock, punk, hip hop, reggae, ska, etc. Whatever I heard that I connected to I’d dive in and learn as much as I could about it. I was always in bands and I think I kept picking up different styles along the way and kept combining my different elements and I think that’s evident in Audic’s diverse sound.

 Tell me about Audic Empire and your new release Take Over! Can you share some of the highlights you and the band are most proud of?

Takeover was an interesting one. I basically built that song on keyboard and drum loops and wrote and tracked all my vocals in one long session in my bedroom studio kind of in a stream of consciousness type of approach. I kind of thought nothing would come of it and I’d toss it out, but we slowly went back and tracked over everything with instruments and made it our own sound. I got it as far as I could with production and handed it off to Chad Wrong to work his magic and really brought it to life. Once I got Snow Owl Media involved and we started brainstorming about a music video, it quickly turned into a considerably larger production than anything we’ve done before and it was such a cool experience. I’m really excited about the final product, especially considering I initially thought it was a throwaway track.

 Describe the music style of Audic Empire for us.

It’s all over the place… we advertise it as “blues, rock, reggae.” Blues because of our lead guitarist, Travis Brown’s playing style, rock because I think at the heart we’re a rock band, and reggae because we flavor everything with a little (or a lot) of reggae or ska.

How did you find Bergantino Audio Systems?

Well, my Ampeg SVT7 caught fire at a show… We were playing Stubbs in Austin and everyone kept saying they smelled something burning, and I looked back in time to see my head, perched on top of its 8×10 cab, begin billowing smoke. We had a tour coming up, so I started researching and pricing everything to try and find a new amp. I was also fronting a metal band at the time, and my bass player’s dad was a big time country bass player and said he had this really high end bass amp just sitting in a closet he’d sell me. I was apprehensive since I really didn’t know much about it and “just a little 4×10” probably wasn’t going to cut it compared to my previous setup. He said I could come over and give it a test drive, but he said he knew I was going to buy it. He was right. I immediately fell in love. I couldn’t believe the power it put out compared to this heavy head and cumbersome cab I had been breaking my back hauling all over the country and up countless staircases.

Tell us about your experience with the forte D amp and the AE 410 Speaker cabinet.

It’s been a game changer in every sense. It’s lightweight and compact. Amazing tone. And LOUD. It’s just a fantastic amp. Not to mention the customer service being top notch! You’ll be hard pressed to find another product that, if you have an issue, you can get in touch with the owner, himself. How cool is that?

 Tell us about some of your favorite basses.

I was always broke and usually working part time delivering pizzas, so I just played what I could get my hands on. I went through a few pawn shop basses, swapped in new pickups, and fought with the action on them constantly. I played them through an Ampeg be115 combo amp. All the electronics in it had fried at some point, so I gutted it out and turned into a cab that I powered with a rusted up little head I bought off someone for a hundred bucks. My gear was often DIY’d and held together by electrical tape and usually had a few coats of spray paint to attempt to hide the wear and tear. I never really fell in love with any piece of gear I had till I had a supporter of our band give me an Ibanez Premium Series SDGR. I absolutely love that bass and still travel with it. I’ve since gotten another Ibanez Premium Series, but went with the 5 string BTB.  It’s a fantastic sounding bass, my only complaint is it’s pretty heavy.

 Love your new video Take Over! Let us know what you’re currently working on (studio, tour, side projects, etc.)

Thank you!! We’ve got a LOT of stuff we’re working on right now actually. Having 2 writers in the band means we never have a shortage of material. It’s more about getting everything tracked and ready for release and all that goes into that. We just got through filming videos for 2 new unreleased tracks with Snow Owl Media, who did the videos for both Love Hate and Pain and Takeover. Both of these songs have surprise features which I’m really excited about since these will be the first singles since our last album we have other artists on. We’ve also got a lot of shows coming up and I’ve also just launched my solo project as well. The debut single, “Raisin’ Hell” is available now everywhere. You can go here to find all the links https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jamestobias/raisin-hell

What else do you do besides music?

For work, I own a handyman service here in Austin doing a lot of drywall, painting, etc. I have a lot of hobbies and side hustles as well. I make custom guitar straps and other leather work. I do a lot of artwork and have done most of our merch designs and a lot of our cover art. I’m really into (and borderline obsessed) with health, fitness, and sober living.  I have a hard time sitting still, but fortunately there’s always a lot to do when you’re self-employed and running a band!

Follow James Tobias:

jamestobiasmusic.com

Facebook.com/james.tobias1

Instagram.com/ru4badfish2

TikTok.com/@jamestobiasmusic

 audicempire.com