Guitarist Working as a Bassist

Since the age of twelve my aspirations had been to be recognized as a guitar player worthy of being compared to my heroes; or at least let it be noticed that I was influenced by them. My heroes include Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer and Eddie Van Halen. I had come in and out of various bands and projects over the years but nothing much came out of that. However, a last minute decision that was made over two years ago would change my life quite drastically.

In the winter of 2019, I had joined a rock and soul band called Firme (Spanish slang for bad ass or very cool) in the Los Angeles suburbs and we were prepping to go on a summer tour from California to Oregon and back. I had been in the band for about seven months at this point and was one of two guitar players. Some recordings had been done but other than a few Soundcloud releases and a music video not much came out of that. Things did seem to be going well though, but then the unexpected occurred.

We had this bass player who, though a talented musician and attractive woman, would occasionally party way more than we did. During our rehearsals some cannabis and alcohol would be present to help keep things loose and fun. Occasionally, cocaine would be out and I tried it once but swore to never touch that again. Our bass player would be high on cocaine and cannabis and also drunk on either beer or scotch all at the same time. The first half of rehearsal would go smoothly then the next half it would take us over twenty minutes to perfect one song.

Our lead singer/band leader and drummer did have a talk with her about trying to cut down on the substances and for a while, it seemed things were fine. However, when we began finalizing the travel arrangements for the tour that ‘s when the trouble erupted. Our bass player brought up that during the days we won’t be performing she had to be back home for personal matters. This was about a month before we left and this started a massive argument between bass player and singer and without ever actually saying it, she was out of the band. With less than a month before the tour, we had to make quick decisions. When we got on a phone conference we were figuring out what to do and without hesitation, I said, “I’ll play the bass.” Everyone agreed and the tour was back on.

A few days later that week I spent an entire day trying to find a suitable bass guitar. My knowledge of bass was limited, aside from the similarities in the basic construction. A bass guitar is still a guitar (a neck, a body, electronics, frets and tuners) but it’s played at a lower frequency and with different note variations. There were a handful of bass players that I had admired such as Jack Bruce, Sting, Flea and Getty Lee but I never actually explored the bass world. Based on what little I knew, my best thinking was to get a Fender style bass guitar. As a guitar player Fender and Squire (Fender’s budget friendly company/brand) is always my go to and I knew that Fender basses were functional yet also basic. I didn’t want anything complicated.

I started my search at Guitar Center. I was keeping in mind that a bass under $200 was the goal. There were some really nice ones but they were out of my budget range sadly. I then went to the local pawn shop that I knew would occasionally get some interesting instruments. There were four bass guitars and one looked similar to a Fender. I asked the lady about it and she told me that it doesn’t work, meaning that one of the wires needed to be soldered back, and I didn’t want to spend the extra repair money. I asked her which ones did work and she brought down this dark grey Ibanez bass. It had a few extra control knobs, but was selling for $150 and it functioned so I took it. The extra knobs I figured out were for a built in preamp EQ, which allows me to voice the bass to a sound that I liked.

We did a few rehearsals with me on the bass and it worked out well. We did our tour and had a lot of fun. At this point, I was playing very basically using only the key notes on chords, which most people would say is what a bass player is supposed to do. Nonetheless we got through the tour. After we got back home, life took over and the band didn’t break up per se, but went on hold and as of writing this we are still on hold. Our lead singer moved to Oakland, CA and the other guitar player got fired for being arrested for cocaine possession. With no band to play in, I just focused on my work and my relationship with my fiance, who continues to be a big support for me. Should the band ever want to start up again, I’d be up for it.

Things changed once again in November 2019 though. On the musician’s social media site Bandmix.com, I received a message from a guy named Patrick who asked me to come in and try out for a jazz and rock group he was forming. Originally I was asked to try out as a guitar player, but couldn’t make that audition due to a scheduling conflict. He then asked me to come in as a bass player for a different day. I agreed to that and went to the audition. That day I became the bass player for Baby From the Forest and am still a member.

We had been rehearsing for three months and had recorded and released two singles on Spotify, but then the world stopped due to the pandemic. When this had happened, we put everything on hold, including the recording of our debut album. Aside from going out of the house for work, I didn’t have much going on.

However, it was during all of 2020 that I began to work on my craft as a bass player. I wanted to actually play the bass and not just be another guitar player who picks up the instrument and plays the basic notes. I relied on the YouTube channels Scott’s Bass Lessons and Bass The World for my lessons. Out of this, I had discovered the bass guitar legend Jaco Pastorius.

Many would call him the Jimi Hendrix of the bass guitar and I am one of them. His sound, lead lines and stage presence floored me. Jaco is known for his solo work and his time in the jazz fusion group Weather Report, who were able to get jazz to appeal to the rock and pop audiences of the late 1970s. I had never heard the bass played as a lead instrument the way he played it and I still aspire to play like that.

Though the guitar is still my main instrument, I am just as passionate about the bass and am proud of it. Through some patience, good timing and careful money saving, I now own three bass guitar including the Ibanez that I started on. Aside from Jaco Pastorius, I am also influenced by Flea, Victor Wooten, Paul McCartney and Sting. In the spring of this year, I had been asked to be a bassist in a country cover band, but that project never happened. However, this past May I was able to appear in a music video for singer Todrick Hall in a 1920s jazz ensemble playing an upright bass.

Baby from the Forest has released a few more singles, performed live twice now and has an album set to be released this coming January. Had it not been for my quick decision two years ago, my musical journey would still be just be a fantasy.