Brian Minato calls himself an Asian-Canadian working in the Caucasian world of music. In addition to the bass, he plays several different instruments and sings; he's also a successful producer, arranger and songwriter. He's equally proud of his ability to "make a decent grilled cheese sandwich."

As a producer and bassist, he's worked with The Blue Alarm, Wild Strawberries, Billy and The Lost Boys, and GG Dartray. He's also recorded with Stevie Nicks, Mae Moore, Maren Ord, John Gogo, Sandy Scofield, John Bottomley, Kim Kuzma and numerous others. Perhaps his best know "employer" is Sarah McLachlan, with whom he has worked for a decade and a half.

This interview is the result of several phone calls and a ton of emails back and forth. Throughout it all, Brian was very patient - even when my recent illness pushed us far past our original deadline. We finished the process just a day before publication, and Brian never complained. In addition to offering information on his career and equipment, Brian offers some great advice for those interested in recording on the road. Unfortunately, he never did give me the secret to his grilled cheese.

Eden: What basses are you currently using?

BM: I have a 1970 Fender Jazz that I use for the studio and live; an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, also for studio and live; a vintage Gibson Grabber - I'm not sure what year - again for studio and live work; and, finally, a Variax that I use in the studio.

Eden: Do you have a main bass? If not, how do you decide which bass to use?

BM: Lately, for a lot of live gigs I have been using my Les Paul bass. It has a thickness to its tone which I like. It sounds really good when picking or down stroking eighth notes. Plus it looks great. It's kind of a candy apple red color. Very nice.

In the studio, I usually start with my old Jazz bass. It's the one that has been with me since 1995 and has appeared on a lot of records I've done. It has a nice, warm vibe to it. The thinner neck size is good for me as well because I have small hands.

I have also been using the Variax bass in the studio quite a bit due to the tonal variety of the instrument. Producers seem to catch on to the usefulness of the bass. You can program it easily depending on what combination of sounds/basses you are trying to achieve. The Musicman settings on it are very accurate, at least to my ears.

Choosing what bass to play is and will always be dependent on the given musical situations you may find yourself in. I spent many years with one bass and that's what I used. I've had the fortune of acquiring some nice basses along the way.

Eden: What effects do you currently use?

BM: Depending on the situation, I use a Boss DD3 Delay, an MXR Phase 90, a Boss ODB-3 Overdrive, a Roland Flanger that's really old, an old Korg Mr. Multi, an Ernie Ball volume pedal, a Boss LS-2 Line Selector and a Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner.

Eden: What strings do you use?

BM: On all my basses, I use Dean Markley NickelSteel XM .050 - .110 Roundwound.

Eden: What's your current Eden Rig?

BM: Well, I have a lot to choose from, depending on my needs. I have a new WT800B and a pair of WT550 heads, D410XLT and D115XLT cabinets, a DC112XLT combo and a Navigator.

Eden: Why do you use Eden gear?

BM: I initially found out about Eden equipment back in 1993. The first of many tours in support of Sarah's "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" album was about to begin and I was looking around for something that sounded good, was solid and road worthy. Gavin Bakewell, Sarah's longtime guitar tech, had mentioned Eden in a positive light. He had just come off of touring with another band whose bassist had been using the gear with problem-free results. I went with both their endorsements and got set up with a WT800 amp and a 4x10 cabinet. I've never looked back. The gear has always sounded great and has been so reliable - even after all the touring I've done over the years.

Another reason I like Eden is because of the support aspect of the company. During the 1997 Lilith Fair tour I had developed a small crack on the PC board of my head which was giving me some intermittent problems. We were scheduled to play Minneapolis nearby the home of Eden so contact was made to see if they could help me out. I did not have an endorsement deal or anything at the time; I was just a guy on tour with an up and coming artist. Some folks from the company came down with two new amps in tow for me to use and left with my sick head which they fixed in record time and had sent back to me as the tour rolled along; plus they had a nice time at the gig.

I will always remember how great it was that a company whose equipment I used had totally come through for me when I was in a bit of a bind. There were no hidden strings attached. They only wanted me to be satisfied using their equipment - which I was and which I am to this day.

Eden: Do you use your rig in the studio.?

BM: Yes I do but these days with the advent of smaller studios and home recording I'm typically recording in somebody's house or apartment which usually means headphones and DI'ing the signal chain. If I'm in a bigger studio I will use my Eden rig. I actually just got called to do a session at Mushroom Studios which is an old school recording facility here in Vancouver with a nice spacious tracking room. My Eden set up was a request from the producer.

Eden: What are your amp settings live and studio?

BM: My amp settings live and in the studio really vary quite a lot depending on what instrument I'm using, what type of music I'm playing, what kind of sound I am looking for and what kind of bass line is being formulated. I generally go for a real deep, bass-y, sub frequency kind of tone which usually has the recording engineer or FOH adding some mids. If it sounds good coming out of your amp everything should take care of itself.

Eden: How did you get started in music?

BM: I began playing music at the age of five. My parents wanted me to take piano lessons but it seemed like such a massive instrument that I was kind of scared and intimidated to even try. My oldest brother (by six years) had a small 3/4 size acoustic guitar; sort of a parlor guitar. This seemed like something I could handle so I asked my folks if I could play this instead of the piano and they agreed.

Eden: Did you take lessons?

BM: Yes. I started taking guitar lessons at the local music store from a long, long line of burnt out rock musicians who had no other viable gigs at the time and were reduced to teaching little kids how to play Mary Had A Little Lamb on one string. My "teachers" came and went for several years. What did I know? I was a five year old who did his lessons. I gradually learned how to read treble clef and some basic open chords on the guitar.

When I was about ten or eleven my mom switched music stores and I met my first musically interesting teacher who also owned the place. His name was Wayne Boychuck and he actually cared about his students and what they were being taught. I started learning some classical guitar techniques and began improving my reading skills beyond the basics.

Eden: How did you transition to bass?

BM: When I was thirteen, my second oldest brother (by three years) talked my folks into getting him a drum set as he wanted to jam with a couple of guitar players from the neighborhood. Since I knew "how to play guitar" I was elected to be the bass player. I didn't even know what a bass was.

I told my teacher Wayne about my new, potentially exciting musical situation on the horizon and asked him what he thought. He was totally into it as he played bass in a band on the side. He suggested I get a cheap bass and a small amp. He also offered to teach me some bass stuff every other week which was cool. I got set up with some gear and into the basement I went.

The guitar buddies of my brother taught me how to play Sweet Home Alabama, Wipe Out and Johnny B. Goode. We played those songs over and over with no vocals or anything but it was so much fun. That was as far as we ever got. My brother gave up drumming after a short while but I kept on going. I liked playing bass. It seemed that bands were forming all the time but no one ever had a bass player or wanted to play bass. There were lots of singers, drummers and guitar players but not many bass players. I did my first gig when I was fourteen. That, as they say, was that.

Eden: Who were your influences and why?

BM: Well, I've got a whole list of them:

Graham Maby - Graham was the first guy I really got into from the post punk British New Wave scene. All his excellent work with Joe Jackson really inspired me as a younger bassist. I met him during the Lilith Fair tours and he was such a great guy to hang out with. He continues to play and sounds as great as ever. Check out his website.
Example: Sunday Papers - Look Sharp/Joe Jackson

John Paul Jones - Great bass player. Great keyboard player. Great arranger. He created so many interesting, heavy grooves with John Bonham that also had so much subtly even when their playing was at it's most vicious. To me he always maintained a wonderful balance of the visceral and the cerebral playing with Led Zeppelin.
Example: The Crunge - Houses Of The Holy

Gene Simmons - Kiss was a big deal because it was the 70's and pretty much every kid liked them back then. My first garage band covered as many Kiss songs as we could handle.
Example: Shout It Out Loud - Destroyer

Paul McCartney - The Beatles. What else can you say? Best band of all time. He wrote so many amazing bass lines plus he was always up in the mix so you could pick out what he was doing.
Example: Dear Prudence -The White Album

Bill Wyman - Playing along with those old Rolling Stones records was just something it seems every musician did back then. His playing is often over shadowed by the Mick/Keef juggernaut but still he had his moments.
Example: Bitch - Sticky Fingers

John Entwhistle - I had a band when I was a teenager that covered probably 15 Who songs so of course he was a big influence on me. Plus I loved his muscular bass lines and his sense of humor. His sound live was incredible.
Example: Getting In Tune - Who's Next

Tom Hamilton - Aerosmith are considered classic rock these days and rightly so but hearing their second, third and fourth records (Get Your Wings/Toys In The Attic/Rocks) when I was growing up in the 70's had a huge impact on me. Their sound was a hard rock and blues based one which made it generally easier to figure out riffs and stuff but they always threw in these weird musical twists giving the music more depth if you were paying attention. Plus they were my favorite band for quite a long time. Tom Hamilton wrote some really great bass parts.
Example: Lick And A Promise - Rocks

Chris Squire - Prog rock was the first big step I took, technically speaking, beyond playing 3 chord rock in even time signatures. I learned a lot of old Yes bass lines sitting in my parents basement with the headphones cranked. It really helped to give me some facility and increased my ability to memorize long passages of music.....really long!
Example: Starship Trooper - The Yes Album

John McVie - Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album is one pop album that has a fantastic sound to it. The bass lines of John McVie are so warm and rich and groovie. So simple but so memorable. I love it. His work with Mick Fleetwood is right up there with all the great rhythm sections in my opinion. I still listen to that record.
Example: Dreams - Rumours

Geddy Lee - Rush albums were almost issued to you if you lived in the 'burbs in Canada in the 70's. I learned many bass lines from that band. It was right in step with listening to Yes and other prog rock bands of the time. I can't believe I spent so much time working on that stuff!
Example: Circumstances - Hemispheres

Sting -The Police were such a heavy band. Great songs, wicked instrumentation without the wank factor and cool textural playing. They were the pop soundtrack of my youth. Sting's bass lines and ideas with the Police were incredible and still are incredible. His bass tones were always so interesting and the lines he came up with were so hooky. They were like mini songs themselves.
Example: O My God - Synchronicity

Eden: What's your favorite style to play and why?

BM: What I feel most comfortable playing is a combination of pop and rock styled music. I can't play jazz or R&B or country or metal with any amount of real conviction. I can fake those styles somewhat but not for real. My favorite style of playing for fun is jamming with friends on a simple one or two note drone with lots of repetition so after awhile it becomes kind of hypnotic.

Eden: Are you into the hypno-trance music scene at all?

BM: I'm not aware of the hypno-trance music scene; I've never heard of that style. The repetitiveness I mean is more the philosophy of minimal playing with minimal chord changes. Musically things may be added and taken away for dynamic reasons but the basic framework remains constant throughout.

Some examples of the kinds of repetitive music I'm talking about would be:

Becalmed - Brian Eno,
Safe From Harm - Massive Attack,
You Can't Quit Me Baby - Queens of the Stone Age,
The National Anthem - Radiohead,
Evensong - Robert Fripp/Eno,
Come Together - Spiritualized
Sigur Ros' last two albums

Eden: How do you approach your role as a bassist?

BM: My role is to support the song or musical framework the best way that I can. Whether that means creating a lot of noise or playing very minimally is dependent on each particular situation.

Eden: What are the differences and similarities between the various styles you play?

BM: One major difference between a couple of styles I play is using a pick versus using my fingers. For more rock oriented, eighth note-y kinds of feels I like using a pick. Same when it's heavier styled music like Queens of the Stone Age or whatever. You can get a good, uniform sound when downstroking with a pick. Conversely, using my fingers can allow for more of a subtle touch than when I'm picking.

I use a fair amount of effects pedals with certain bands which alters the way I play bass. For example, I might have distortion and flanging coupled with a long delay setting to create a noise landscape by swelling my volume pedal. If it's a heavier number, I'll flick on the distortion and grab my pick.

Eden: Let's talk about some of the acts you're currently working with. What's your main gig at the moment?

The Blue Alarm is my main interest due to the fact I produced the record, played and arranged various instruments on it and play live with the group. I also co-wrote the track called The Blue Alarm. The sound is comparable to British pop without completely aping a style or band. It's a good record called Astronauts and Angels. The singer Fraser Mackenzie has a wicked voice and a frenetic acoustic guitar style, especially live. As well as being an incredible drummer, Graham Tuson is adept at singing, playing guitar, bass and keyboards. [Check out The Blue Alarm here, here, and here. - ed.]

Eden: Who else are you working with regularly?

BM: Jennifer Campbell is another artist I work with who is very close to me. Her sound veers from abrupt, odd-time punk/metal to long drawn out acoustic numbers to drone-y dirge like songs. I help her by recording and arranging her music and doing some co-writing. I'm the producer as well. She is a singer/songwriter who has a unique perspective. Her stuff is not available for public consumption. She only wants to write, record, mix and then move on. A true artist. She is also a film maker and author of a couple of screenplays.

boywonderbread is a side project of Ken Harrison from Wild Strawberries. He is the principal songwriter in that group and his wife Roberta provides the vocals. With bwb he is singing lead which is really awesome. I love Ken's way with a word and his ability, to come up with such great pop hooks. I have been recording bass and guitars for this project on and off for about a year I'd say.

Wild Strawberries is Ken's main thing. I have worked with them over several records lending them a hand on bass and guitar, and co-producing one of their albums with Ken, called Twist. Very cool pop music.

Sandy Scofield is an interesting artist I work with here in Vancouver. Her background is Metis which is an Aboriginal nation based in Western Canada. I have been playing with her for 3 or 4 years now and have contributed bass to one album of hers, a traditional album called Ketwam. What she has given to me is the opportunity to experience another culture which I knew virtually nothing about before I met her. Her music is an exciting mix of the old ways and the new.

Eden: I see you do a lot of production. How did you get started with that?

BM: I fell into producing due to the fact that I knew how to play a bunch of instruments half decently. The ability to make up a cool drum beat or write a guitar line or keyboard hook naturally lent itself to helping out with song arrangements which led to more and more people asking me what my opinion was of their songs. Being able to record or engineer by myself was a big factor as well.

Eden: Do you find that being a bass players makes you a better producer?

BM: I don't think being a bass player makes me a better producer. Good production is a matter of opinion. One record I love the production on might completely turn off another person. It's all relative.

Eden: How are live playing and studio work different?

BM: Live music is such a different animal than working in the studio. Live you pretty much get one shot a performing a song. In the studio you might be meticulously working on that same song over and over and over for days/weeks/months. There really is no audience in the studio so you don't get any instant feedback like when you finish playing a song live and the audience loves it or is excited about it. Musically speaking, when playing a song the studio can have more of a controlled atmosphere whereas you can go wherever you want in a live setting.

If you are recording everything you do is pretty much being documented so you think in a certain way. If you make a mistake while playing a song live, you don't all of a sudden come to a complete stop so you can correct that bad note. The notes are flying away as soon as you play them so it's a little more freeing in certain respects. The phrase, anything can happen and sometimes does, applies to both live and in the studio. Weird "happy accidents" can occur in either situation.

Eden: You also record while your on the road. Why? And How?

BM: If I am asked to doing a lengthy tour with an artist then I am committed to that same artist for the duration of our contract. This, however, does not mean that other groups, artists or producers stop contacting me to record and work on studio albums. I try to schedule those sessions when I have some down time between legs of a tour which so far has been a fairly successful balancing act. Also, if you have your own band and write your own material this comes into play. Circumstances arose where it was necessary to do some half decent recording on the road for my own group The Blue Alarm and for another artist I work with on a regular basis.

I started this process in 2004 with Ken Harrison from the Toronto based group Wild Strawberries on a solo/side project of his called boywonderbread. I was traveling the world with Sarah McLachlan but needed to record some guitar and bass tracks for this album.

Eden: I understand you have a pretty serious set-up. Can you talk about that?

BM: Well, here's my gear list:

Apple G4 PowerBook 15" laptop with 1 Ghz Processor and 1 GB RAM
Logic Pro 7 music software
MOTU Traveler audio workstation
Maxtor 180 GB External hard drive
Radial Jensen D.I.
Line 6 Bass Pod and Guitar Pod
1 Shure SM 58 Mic
1 set Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs Headphones
Altec Lansing iMplus speakers
Cables: 1/4 inch, firewire, USB, mini, etc.
Power Bars, Power supplies, Extension cables
CD-Rs and DVD-Rs

My traveling rig was a fairly portable one considering the circumstances. Everything, besides my laptop and the MOTU Traveler (which both lived in my computer bag) fit into a small piece of basic hand luggage, the kind you can easily carry onto an airplane. Having basically all my recording gear in one small suitcase is extremely useful when space is at a premium such as touring by van or in a car. A computer bag and one suitcase makes for a very mobile unit that is easy to set up, plug in and hit record.

Eden: What advice can you offer to others wanting to put together a mobile recording setup?

BM: Stating the obvious. Make sure to have a computer processor that is fast enough and has the maximum amount of RAM possible installed in your laptop to run your music software. I use Logic Pro 7 which is an interesting program to delve into. Also, a fair amount of hard drive space is a good thing as well. I have 100 GB on my hard drive.

The MOTU Traveler was a necessary ingredient to my system. It is extremely lightweight and as stated before, readily fit into the extra compartment in my computer bag. It can be powered off your computer via Firewire, has twenty channels with 4 mic inputs, separate 48V phantom power, 4 mic preamps, MIDI, 20 inputs and 22 outputs etc. Lots of stuff to choose from. Check out the website for more details.

An external hard drive is another essential to have on the road. It can back up your hard drive and store all your recorded files in a secure separate surrounding in case of extreme computer melt down. All your hard work is safe. Remember, if you are on the road you are potentially far from home and any familiar support system.

Someone on the Sarah touring staff lost everything in their laptop when it died suddenly one day while we were traveling throughout the States. They had not backed anything up on an external drive, had no back up discs in tow and consequently suffered the pain and agony which comes from being away when disaster strikes. Don't think it can't happen. You can also operate your recording programs from the external drive which saves you taxing the laptop itself.

The D.I. is a Radial Jensen which is a good workman like unit. Really solid and always sounds great. I used it mainly when tracking guitar parts.

The Bass and Guitar Pods were handy to have on the road as well. Not a necessary tool but nice to have, easy to use and to program. They were good for working out ideas without having to be set up in front of my computer. I also used some of the internal plugin sounds from my Logic program for certain guitar parts. It depended on what I was trying to find sound wise.

I brought the SM 58 mic along just in case I had any vocal ideas or any other ideas which might require using a microphone.

So as not to bother other people around me, I monitored pretty much all the time with headphones. I like recording with headphones anyway so that wasn't a problem. I brought my Altec Lansing iMplus speakers to use with my iPod. They turned out to be handy as a different monitoring source and even though they are compact, they sound pretty decent.

As far as cabling goes have enough of what you need whether it's guitar or USB or mic cables and make sure they are in good working condition before you head out on tour. Same thing with power bars, extension cables and power supplies. It can be a real drag and a total hassle looking for replacement parts in a city or country you are unfamiliar with. I had to drive a couple of hours round trip in Texas last summer to the only Apple store in my general vicinity when I forgot my laptop power supply behind somewhere the day before.

Also, if you are traveling outside of North America make sure to research what kinds of power conditions can be expected and equip yourself with the appropriate power converters. I fried a couple of power supplies in New Zealand before figuring out the correct method.

Eden: You mentioned that one of your reasons for recording while touring is to keep working on other projects. How do you get the recordings back and forth?

BM: I kept in touch with Ken via e-mail and the always-handy phone card (very cheap rates no matter what part of the world you happen to find yourself) to give him updates on my progress. Once I had recorded a bunch of ideas for a song, I converted my aif audio files into mp3s which I then posted on his .mac account. This is an Apple site where you can place audio, video, text files, jpegs etc. which is accessible remotely. He then pulled the mp3s off his site, converted them back into aif files and loaded them into his Logic program.

This was a good system as he could hear what kinds of ideas I was coming up without too much waiting around. Having to send the uncompressed aif files or burn CD-Rs or a DVD-R and mail them would be too time consuming. He then was able to audition my tracks, leave them as I had arranged or chop and change them to create a new part. A rough mix mp3 would show up a day or so later in my e-mail which I could check out to see if we were both on the same page for that particular song. At this point I could recreate any new parts which Ken had sent me thus having an uncompressed aif copy of the new part in that song's audio folder.

Once he was happy with my parts, I backed up the aif files onto a DVD-R for safe keeping and then uploaded the files on his FTP site. An FTP site is not unlike a massive filing cabinet with plenty of space to put items such as large audio files or even a copy of your whole website.

One other thing. You will need to have access to a high speed internet connection. It takes about 30 minutes or longer depending on how many aif files I had to complete the uploading process.

Eden: Do you have any learning tips for young players?

BM: Have fun playing the bass. Have fun working with other musicians with a similar point of view or direction.

Listen to a lot of music and see what is interesting to you.

Learn to play other instruments.

Sing.

Eden: Why do you suggest learning to play other instruments and learning to sing?

BM: I believe that understanding how other instruments function can be beneficial to any musician. How could it not? Learning what it feels like when a drummer hits his kick drum on the one and the snare on the two might provide a different insight into the concept of playing together as a rhythm section. I know it did for me. I was always into playing other instruments my whole life anyway. The fact that I can play guitar, keyboards and percussion has been put to use many times while touring with Sarah and others as well as in the studio.

Singing is an extension of being able to play other instruments. The ability to sing and play bass is pretty common these days, I would say. The more things you can cover musically, the more desirable you are going to appear.

Eden: What advice can you give to players who want to move up to national level touring?

BM: Treat everyone, from the techs to the drivers to the security personnel to the fans the way you would like to be treated. Don't be an asshole! Nobody wants to work with someone who is self involved and horrible. Behaving this way is especially stupid if you have been hired as a side person. Realize that if you want to be a part of a bigger tour it takes the ability to get along with a lot of people for long concentrated periods of time.

I was on tour one time and watched this background singer - who had been pining for this one particular gig for a number of years - turn into a complete nightmare once she passed the audition. Basically she was very disrespectful to anyone who got in her way barring the artist we were both working for. She was very careful to keep these tendencies to herself if the artist was within earshot. The great irony of this situation was her inability to see how badly she treated everyone while spinning tales of woe about working for other "diva" artists who had supposedly mistreated her on tour. As a result she was fired though she claims she quit the tour. Like that old Clash album "Give 'Em Enough Rope", one can hang themselves pretty easily if given the opportunity.

Beyond that, you should be able to play a few different styles of music. Listen well to what the other musicians are playing or what the singer is doing and try to support them.

Another good strategy is to find a good drummer and get hired as a rhythm section.

If you really want to tour as a sideman, you should consider moving to a major music center like L.A., New York, or Nashville. At the very least, try to make some contacts there. Many artists look for musicians in these areas. A friend of mine was recently hired to tour with Ben Lee after auditioning in L.A.

Realize there are literally hundreds of fellow musicians out there in the same boat, wanting to get the same gigs you are after, so work hard at what you are trying to achieve and try to "stand out in the crowd".

And, above all, be patient.

Eden: You've toured at several levels. Can you tell us a little about what it's like at each level?

BM: When you're touring as an indie: Get up. Get in the van or car. Get coffee/tea/water/breakfast to go etc, gas up and start driving. Keep driving. Drive some more. Arrive in the next town. Drop the gear off at the venue and dump your bags at the motel or friend's place you are crashing at. Do any interview stuff that may have been pre-booked like college radio or the local indie newspaper. Check your e-mail if possible. Hang around 'til the soundman arrives at the venue. Do soundcheck. Meet the other bands who are playing your show that night. Set up your merch table (CDs, t-shirts, pins, posters) Make sure the ticket price to get into the venue is what you agreed to. Eat dinner. Get showered up if time allows. Have some drinks. Watch the opener to see if you like their stuff. Play your set. Chat with any fans of the band. Settle with the venue. Pack up your gear and merch. Head back to where you are staying that night and try to get some rest. Repeat the next day.

Touring as a side person: Get on the tour bus. Watch a DVD, listen to music, read in your bunk while getting driven overnight to the next gig or hotel. Check in. Have a shower. Relax. Check your e-mail. Eat something. Usually you have a fair amount of free time so walk around the city, go shopping, check out the local vintage music store etc. Meet in the hotel lobby at the appointed time and get driven to the venue for soundcheck. Jump onstage and do soundcheck. Eat dinner at the venue if it is provided or go back to the hotel and eat somewhere else. Head back to the venue and play the show. Chuck all your stuff on the bus and head off into the night. Repeat.

Eden: How do you fill your time when you're home?

BM: Vancouver is a beautiful part of the world to live in so a lot of my down time is spent here in the city. I'm a bit of a homebody partly due to the fact that I spend so much of my time away on tour. I like to hang out with my girlfriend Jennifer. We make dinners, hang out with friends. Pretty mellow stuff. We both love movies and watch DVDs all the time especially since acquiring a flat screen LCD TV last year. We are also big hockey fans so watch the Canucks whenever we can.

Besides doing sessions or producing or engineering I also am a freelance writer for a music publication up here called Canadian Musician Magazine. I contribute regularly to a bass column as well as one which focuses on recording. I have also written several product reviews.

Eden: How's the music scene in Vancouver?

BM: I think the music scene here is okay but not great. Many excellent club level venues are closing down so there are fewer places to play music unless you are a going concern nationally or internationally. There are some great bands in this city though.

Eden: Why did you choose to live there and not in one of the big music cities?

BM: I choose to live in Vancouver because that is where I'm from and it's where I feel most comfortable.

Eden: You recommend going to a music city, yet you live in Vancouver. Did you go to a music city first? If not, how did you get hooked up with Sarah McLachlan?

BM: I did not actually recommend relocating to a music city but suggested considering the possibility of relocation.

I have lived in Vancouver all my life. I haven't needed to move to say, L.A. or New York or Nashville. I had the ups and downs that all musicians go through but have been given some lucky breaks over the years.

I got the Sarah gig through the Georgia Straight which is the free local music/entertainment newspaper here in Vancouver. At the time she had one album out, was finishing her second and her management had placed an ad in the paper looking for bassists to go out on tour. I called up her management and found out a bit of what they were looking for. I went down to their offices and dropped off a demo tape of some stuff I had done in the studio and they gave me a tape of four songs which I was to learn. I auditioned twice before I was told I had the gig. Once was with the already assembled touring band without Sarah as she was in New Orleans working on her record and once was with her and the band. Both auditions seemed to go well. I'm still working with her after all these years.

Eden: What does the future hold for you?

BM: I would like to continue to play music, produce good records with interesting artists, maybe get hooked up to a world tour if possible and live my life.

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