QRD – What was your first bass & what happened to it?

Jason – It was an Acme. I had it for 3 or 4 years. & then I lost it in a match of Split the Kipper.

QRD – What’s your typical set-up from bass to effects to amplifier? 

Jason – Run it in there.

QRD – What’s the most important part of your rig – bass, amplifier, or effects? 

Jason – I am the most important part.

QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why? 

Jason – I like a Peavey basic 60 with a 1970 Peavey 300 head - it really lets me feel it.

QRD – Do you prefer upright or electric bass? 

Jason – Depends on my biorhythms at the moment.

QRD – Do you prefer to use a pick, fingers, or a bow? 

Jason – Pick, fingers, bow, mallets, & a gar jaw when I need the extra grit.

QRD – How many strings do you think a bass should have? 

Jason – 4. But I can do it with just one or none.

QRD – Why do you play bass instead of guitar? 

Jason – Donnie told me to.

QRD – How is a bass different than a guitar other than being lower in pitch? 

Jason – Often two fewer strings. Storage issues. Not as great of an ego source.

QRD – What’s your main bass & what are the features that make it such? 

Jason – It’s a Fendt. We just work together - a symbiosis - we benefit each other.

QRD – What do you think of the thumb rests on some basses? 

Jason – Thumb rests are for suckers. My thumb never rests - too busy working it.

QRD – If you had a signature bass, what would it look like & what would some of its features be? 

Jason – I’m thinking something with flames. Solid. Maybe a mount for a 5.5 outboard.

QRD – If you had a signature pedal, what would it be & what would some of its features be? 

Jason – I’m not sure if I would like that kind of responsibility. Maybe just a basic sampler, distortion, delay, & some sort of mellowtron effect creator.

QRD – How many basses do you own? 

Jason – 1.

QRD – How & where do you store your basses? 

Jason – In the case. In the white whale.

QRD – What features do you look for when buying a bass? 

Jason – Does it work?

QRD – How much do you think a good bass should cost? 

Jason – Free.

QRD – Do you upgrade & customize your bass or just stick with what you get? 

Jason – Try to keep it alive.

QRD – Are you after one particular bass tone & locking into it, or do you like to change your tone around a lot? 

Jason – Mix it up depending on the group/setting/situation.

QRD – What are some basses, amps, & pedals you particularly lust after? 

Jason – None. They lust after me.

QRD – What do you think are some important features to be on a person’s first bass that aren’t always there? 

Jason – Discipline & freedom.

QRD – What have been the best & worst bass related purchases you’ve made? 

Jason – I bought a Stuart Hamm video once - ridiculous. The hard case though -magnificence.

QRD – What are some effect, amp, & bass brands you particularly like or dis-like & why? 

Jason – I like the Peavey amps. My uncle lives in Meridian, Mississippi & is a security guard at the factory. Peavey has been good to the family on many levels.

QRD – What’s the first thing you play when you pick up a bass? 

Jason – I like to warm up with an energy exchange for about 10 minutes minimum. Then often slide into Larry Grahaham’s “Just Be My Lady.”

QRD – How old were you when you started playing bass? 

Jason – 6.

QRD – At what age do you think you leveled up to your best bass playing? 

Jason – Some time in the future.

QRD – Do you feel bass lines should echo & emphasize guitar & drum parts or be their own distinct elements? 

Jason – Sometimes.

QRD – Would you rather people hear or feel your bass? 

Jason – Feel it.

QRD – Why do you think a bass fits you more so than other instruments? 

Jason – Because I like getting low.

QRD – Do you see your bass as your ally or adversary in making music? 

Jason – I don’t mean to get Jarreau on you, but “We’re in this love together.”

QRD – Who are the bassists that most influenced your playing & sound? 

Jason – Mingus, Glen Connick-Paris era, Uncle Mike.

QRD – Do you think people anthropomorphizing their bass is natural or silly (e.g. naming their bass)? 

Jason – Depends on the bass. But yes - great idea.

QRD – What’s the most physical damage you’ve done to a bass & how did you do it? 

Jason – Shot a hole in it. I had a really bad fever & was hallucinating that the bass was trying to kill me. So I grabbed this snubnose .38 & let it have it.

QRD – What do you do to practice other than simply playing? 

Jason – Getting down with the bonus, stretching, mind power, avoiding nerds.

QRD – How many hours a week do you play bass & how many hours would you like to? 

Jason – 12 to 14 seems to work.

QRD – What gauge strings do you use & why? 

Jason – I go heavy.

QRD – How often do you change strings? 

Jason – Whenever I can afford it/need to.

QRD – How often do you break strings? 

Jason – Not so much these days.

QRD – Which do you feel is more proficient, your strumming/bowing hand or fretting hand & how does that effect your style? 

Jason – I think my laying all over it is the most proficient.

QRD – What tunings do you use & why? 

Jason – I like tuning to F. it all goes back to Philosophical Logic formulas.

QRD – Do you prefer tablature, sheet music, or some other notation system for writing down your own ideas? 

Jason – Autocad drawings.

QRD – What’s a bad habit in your playing you wish you could break? 

Jason – Buying when I should be selling & thinking that there may be tiny people living under my fingernails. An obsession of sorts.

QRD – Playing what other instrument do you think can most help someone’s bass playing? 

Jason – The penny whistle helped me a lot.

QRD – What’s a type of bass playing you wish you could do that you can’t? 

Jason – Well, I’m glad I never tried to play like that guy from Primus - that’s for the squares.

QRD – What’s a bass goal you’ve never accomplished? 

Jason – Gucci linen lemonades.

QRD – What’s the last bass trick you learned? 

Jason – Buy working a D flat into a constant drone alligators can be pushed over the edge.

QRD – Did you ever take bass lessons & if so, what did you learn from them? 

Jason – I went to school & all.

QRD – What would you teach someone in a bass lesson that you don’t think they would generally get from a bass teacher? 

Jason – That bass playing is just a word - unless you feel it. & you got to feel it everyday.

QRD – What’s something someone would have to do to emulate your style? 

Jason – Get a rabbit’s foot, have some spells cast, & pray to Donnie.

QRD – If a band has good bass work, can you ignore the rest of the band not being good? 

Jason – Sure.

QRD – What famous musician’s bass would you like to own & why? 

Jason – Buell Niedlinger - who else has played bass with Cecil Taylor & Peter Allen?

QRD – Who do you think is currently the most innovative bass player & why? 

Jason – Sure as hell ain’t Mike or Kim Gordon. I’m impressed with Craig Keeney - he’s aggressive but caring & he’s got ears like bullfrog.

QRD – Where can people hear your best bass work? 

Jason – Wherever I’m playing.

QRD – Anything else?

Jason – I just do it for Donnie. Everything for Donnie.