Not only does Dan play several instruments, he is conversant in numerous styles, including Rock, Blues, Folk, an entire range of Afro and Latin styles, Trance and Avante Garde. From grinding out perfect-pocket groove lines to trippy, swirl-in-your-head esoterica, Dan can do it all. Then, he'll pick up a guitar and sing you a story with so much conviction you can "see" it in your mind. And yet, Dan is refreshingly humble and self-effacing, with none of the ego you'd expect from someone so dang good.

This interview was conducted solely through e-mail, with Dan answering my list of questions so thoroughly that I didn't even need to follow up. With his schedule, I was very pleasantly surprised that he responded in less than two days!

Eden: What basses are you currently using?

DW: I have a '77 Music Man 4-string fretless with a handmade neck with 1/4" ebony unlined fingerboard built by Sean at Lyrical Lumber in Maitland FL. I use this bass in an instrumental trio with drums and sax/flute called the What?Thing, based in Orlando FL. I also use it in a NY group called HuDost which is a world music/trance group that also plays traditional Sufi songs and occasionally backs poets and readers of text. I play it on a couple of songs with the bluesman Mark Hodgson and a couple with jazz/world pop guitarist/singer Lawrence App. Also anytime I'm playing in a jazz or jazz-like situation.

Then there's my '98 Fender American Deluxe 5-string Jazz Bass with Lindy Fralin pickups. Except for one song, I play the entire Les Dudek show with this bass. I also use it a lot when recording. Some of the HuDost music is deep trancy-groove and I play down low on the B string, plucking near the neck.

I've also got a Lakland Skyline Joe Osborne 4-string. This is a springy little bass that is great for plucking hard, slapping (which I do very little of) and playing with a pick. I record with it a lot. I use it on blues gigs and Lawrence App's world pop gigs. Also with a classic rock horn band led by Reuben Morgan.

Finally, I have an early G&L SB-2 4-string with a Warmoth Precision neck. I bought this bass used in 1985 and it was my only bass for many years. I use it to record but don't take it out on gigs anymore. It's an amazing sounding, very versatile bass.

Eden: Do you use any effects?

DW: Usually, no. I used to use a Boss Octave pedal a lot with the What?Thing and when soloing with other bands, but mostly plug straight into the amp nowadays. I use a pedal given to me by Joe King called a CompTortion sometimes when I record and want some distortion.

Eden: What strings are you using?

DW: Dean Markley Blue Steel all the way!

Eden: What's your current Eden rig?

DW: For clubs, usually the Metro and the 2-10" wedge or the WT800 mono bridged into one D410XLT. For festivals and large stages, the WT800 mono bridged into one D410XLT, and lined into the Traveler 400 and one D410XLT. I'm the guitar player in The Nerve Band and the keyboard player uses my Metro. I occasionally gig as keyboardist with a band called B.A.G. and I use the Metro with them.

Eden: Why do you use Eden gear?

DW: It's my favorite of the modern amps and cabinets. It's very flexible in the EQ section allowing for any tone I can imagine but I almost always run it flat with the enhance knob at 9 o'clock. Sometimes when using the Metro on it's wheels I add a little of the bass knob. In certain rooms, I cut some treble. It warms up nicely and pushes when I push. I can picture that little pre-amp tube glowing. All of my amps are consistent and sound alike so, no matter which one I'm using, I apply the same approach to tone adjustment.

Eden: You've been an Eden endorser for how long? And have you ever consider switching?

DW: I've been with Eden since 1999, when I started working with a pop act that was highly visible, playing lots of TV shows and amphitheaters, etc. I played a Nemesis 4-10" 200 watt combo before that and loved it. I had plugged into a WT800 and 2 D410XLTs when I bought the Nemesis. I loved it but couldn't afford it. When I got the high profile gig, I called Eden first and they were happy to have me endorse their product so I didn't call anybody else.

I never considered switching. There was one company who offered me a very attractive deal. They were very respectful of my Eden deal and were not pushy at all. I did get a prototype preamp built by a genius engineer to try out. I used it for awhile and then consigned it to studio use for vocals mostly. I can't imagine using anything else.

Eden: Do you use your rig in the studio.? If so, what settings?

DW: I use the amps as a pre-amp usually. Sometimes I mic a cabinet. I play the amps flat almost exclusively. Engineers love these amps.

Eden: What are your amp settings live?

DW: Flat usually. Sometimes a little extra bass and/or a little less treble, as I mentioned earlier.

Eden: How did you get started on bass?

DW: I started playing bass in a swing band at 15. I had played guitar so I knew the notes. I learned guitar from a chord book. I was also playing tuba so I was used to reading bass clef. Also I had studied piano.

I was 12 when I got into my first band. I was the keyboard player. I took two lessons on upright bass at 16. I got the Simandl book and applied it to electric bass. I then went to college on a scholarship playing tuba, but I quit after one semester. I hung around and played bass in bands and studied on my own. I played with some older jazz cats, got my butt kicked and started gigging playing blues and show stuff. I'm a songwriter so occasionally I would be in bands where I wasn't the bass player. I'm a composer also but entirely self taught.

I know how to read and write music. I've been able to make a living as a bass player and that's a blessing. Currently I'm fronting the Nerve Band as singer/songwriter/guitarist and playing bass with several artists/ performers. I teach a little but currently have time for only two students. Music continues to open up in front of me and I expect that to happen for the rest of my life.

Eden: What's your philosophy of bass and its role in music?

DW: The role is different from style to style. I tend to be a support type of player. Sometimes you need a lot of notes to fill that role; sometimes you don't. I like the bass to be felt and sometimes I like it when you don't notice the bass unless you focus on it, when it's an integral part of the musical whole.

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

DW: I tend to think of it more it terms of "who are my favorite musician(s) to play with?" I like certain Blues styles, and particularly the trance stuff. I like roots rock. I like Afro/Cuban. I like trippy, instrumental stuff with loping, deep bass tone. I like singer/songwriter stuff. I don't slap very well so I mostly stay away from that. I like what most people call Avant Garde. I love electric guitars and like to play bass with good guitar players in any style.

Eden: Wow, you play a wide variety of styles. How are they different? How do you approach each style?

DW: I listen to the song. I take suggestions from the artist. I try to find the place where the bass is supposed to be and put it there.

I try to be familiar with the language and the key players of any given style. In guitar trios, I stay low and create a cushion. In folky, acoustic situations, I sometimes go into the cello range. In the What?Thing, the drummer often is engaged in a duet with the sax player at a high rate of speed. Sometimes I race along with them, sometimes I find a way to create a foundation.

With Lawrence App, I get to play cool bass lines he has written. His composing is influenced by Latin, Afro/Cuban and Afro/pop styles, and the bass lines are busy and stand alone. But when put together with everything else a certain push/pull motion is created. No instrument is playing what another instrument is playing. In any situation, the main thing is to create a comfortable rhythmic situation with the other players.

Eden: What are the differences and similarities (in terms of bass and your approach) between the various styles of music you play?

DW: Most of what I play is 4/4 western music. In the What?Thing, I am a soloist/ composer and one of three wild improvisers. I bring every bit of chops I can muster to that band. With Les Dudek I play hard rock support bass and try to drive him. I always try to play the most appropriate bass I can play on any given song.

Dan & Les Dudek

Eden: Have you got any new releases coming out?

DW: The Nerve Band is finishing up a CD called BIG INC. I'll get some news up soon at danwaltersmusic.com. The site is undergoing some changes but should be current again soon. The What?Thing is finishing a DVD/CD project which will be available at tvwillie.com. We're starting a Les Dudek album next week with the current trio. There will be a new HuDost album soon and they are currently putting together 30-40 dates for spring summer which I will most likely be on unless the Nerve Band is out at the same time.

Eden: Do you do much studio work? How do you approach a session?

DW: I do some. I listen to what the artist and/or producer has to say about what they want and try to give it to them. If I think of something a little outside of their instructions I may try it and see what their reaction is. Sometimes they want me to do whatever I think is right.

Eden: What's your basic studio rig?

DW: I take the 5-string and the 4 and usually run direct.

Eden: You tour a LOT. Describe an "average day" on the road.

DW: There are various ways to tour. On the big budget, i.e major label tours, most things are taken care of. So, typically, you are in a hotel in the town where you are going to play. There is a time when you meet to ride to souncheck. Your gear is there set up, instruments tuned. You go play until everybody's happy with the way things sound. You have a monitor tech who is traveling with you using the same mixing console every night so, after a couple of shows, the monitors are dialed in and you don't spend too much time sound checking.

Sometimes you go back to the hotel but usually your bus is parked at the venue and you hang out there until catering is up, go eat, go back to the bus and wait until the show starts. Sometimes you hang out in the dressing room and eat the carrots and dip while warming up on your bass. <laughs>

After the show, you leave everything to the crew and hang out on the bus or go out until it's time to get on the bus. Sometimes you leave after the gig and drive to the next town. Depending on how far that is, you might be awakened at 5am to get off the bus and check in to the hotel. Then the whole thing starts over. I bring lots of reading material to fight the boredom. It's also a good time to write songs if you are so inclined. I visit museums and thrift stores and parks and generally walk around town a lot.

That's one way. Another way is with everybody in the band in one vehicle with the gear, calling up the club pretending to be your agent "advancing the show," going in, setting up your own gear, figuring out which channels don't work on the monitor console or describing to the house guy what you want in the monitors as he scrambles back and forth between the stage and front-of-house. Finding out where you are staying. Getting something to eat somewhere close by. Find out what the drink situation is. Play the show. Hang out with whoever stays. Try to sell some CDs. Pack up all your gear. Go back to the motel (not hotel). Get up and drive to the next town and do it again.

Eden: You're currently working with several bands. How do you juggle that?

DW: So far I've been able to keep everybody happy. Obviously, when someone goes on tour, that's the priority. I used to play bass with Joe King, to my mind one of the great singer/guitarists anywhere. He lives in Daytona Beach, FL, and is unknown outside of that town. Anyway, I took a big-time, cushy tour with a platinum artist and Joe was forced to replace me. Occasionally, I would play with him when I was home. I remember once playing a bar gig with him after having been on tour for awhile playing 30 minute shows. After the first set with Joe, I was sweaty with sore fingers, with two more one hour sets to go! <laughs> I learned my lesson: don't let your chops go down no matter what happens. It's about PLAYING no matter at what level of success you are (or are not) enjoying on the business side of things.

Anyway, at the moment there is no conflict but I see having to cut a few things loose a likely future reality.

Eden: Any learning tips for young players? What should they practice and why?

DW: There are so many ways to go! As a teacher, I like to get new players playing songs as soon as possible. It sparks their enthusiasm and sense of what's possible. At the same time, I want them to learn the names of the notes they are playing. I encourage reading and want them to recognize the notes they are playing on a musical staff. Once a player is reading, there is a vast wealth of information that can be found about playing the bass in any style.

Back to playing songs. I usually play along with students on an acoustic guitar. I create a strong rhythm they can play along with and I think this is important from the beginning. Bass is an ensemble instrument most of the time. (It's a beautiful solo instrument, too). I encourage the students to play a lot to build stamina and I also direct them as to how to get a good sound. It's important from the beginning to get used to how your bass sounds through an amp without drums and electric guitars masking the fret noise and clatter.

I like to see if a player has an innate sense of pulse and sometimes use Jimi Hendrix's "If 6 Was 9" as something to jam to. I get them playing the low E rhythmic figure by playing it with them and insinuating the pulse. Once they have it I start to play the melody. If they can hold the bass figure together they start to see how playing together works. Then I show them the change that goes up to A and we're excited and playing music.

I have a student learn a G and C major scale early on. I use Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" as an illustration of how a song can be built around a key, in this case G Major. This song is good for illustrating how to use scale tones to connect chord changes.

Some players develop quickly an ability to move around fast on the bass. When I see this, I compose exercises that force them to use their fingers in ways that break their patterns. I make sure that they are hitting all the notes and slow them down if they are ghosting over certain notes in their urgency.

Rhythmic accuracy is paramount. Ear training is important too. Listening to recordings and learning songs from them is a great way to learn how music works. I teach students how chords are formed, what they sound like and encourage them to learn how to form chords on a keyboard. I want them to understand WHY something sounds like it sounds.

In addition to personal practice, playing with other musicians is important and playing in front of people is a good thing to get used to also. Listen to lots of music. I also encourage reading interviews with professional bass players and other musicians. Go see good players play, and watch and listen to what they do.

Eden: You obviously working a great deal. Do you still take time for personal practice? If so, describe what you do.

DW: I have to practice to stay loose enough to enjoy the gig. I improvise a lot and compose lines. I have a $30 hand held cassette recorder that I record ideas onto. I practice jazz tunes and try to figure out new ways to improvise over the chord changes. Sometimes I work out solo versions of standards. I learn melodies. I also like to read transcriptions. I like to play with a metronome clicking on 2 and 4 to feel a pocket. It's a good way to feel where you're placing the beat or pulse in your playing. I have to check myself regularly

Eden: What advice would you give to players wanting to move up to national-level touring/recording?

DW: That's a tough one. I'd say that, first of all, practice and play with other musicians as much as you can. Networking is how connections are made. If you are in a band, play shows and develop a following. If you aren't and want to be, or want to free lance, go to a large city and take your shot. Be the best player you can be first of all.

Eden: What does the future hold for you?

DW: I don't know. I'm hoping to become busier with The Nerve Band once this new album is out. I'm busy writing for the next album. My favorite thing to do besides play bass is write songs and record them. I love to sing. I play drums, guitar, keys and bass on the demos I make. I anticipate stepping up to using Pro-Tools or Digital Performer.

Basically, I hope to stay as busy as possible. <laughs>

Bio | Top