Four songs and seven beers ago, I was on-stage with my best buds doing a showcase for BMI and having a grandiose time. The groove was slamming, instruments cranked, and the dance floor was absolutely bumping. If you can't tell, everyone in the joint was having a great time. Was it because of the groove that resembled something from the heavens? No. Was it the fact that we were dropping some serious butt shaking, slap your momma neo-soul music? No. Was it because the little hippie girls looked like they haven't had an "induced-free" moment since they were in grade school? Maybe.

Let me tell you, my babies, that the real reason the place was demolished was the vocal stylings of one of my brothers, Justin Conn. That's right, gang! A singer, of all darn things, had the joint grooving like no tomorrow. At that point it reminded me of some of the absolute power that a great vocalist has to set everyone over the edge.

What does that have to do with Music Business Survival? EVERYTHING! Because learning to support a vocalist as a working bass player can make the difference between working and sitting at home watching Three's Company reruns.

As Lords and Ladies of Low, our primary role is to lay the foundation of the song so that the singer or artist can do their thing. Lucky for me I just happened to have been raised by a vocalist, so the basics were ingrained in me very early on. My mother, the artist formerly known as Bebe Hannon, was a professional blues and jazz singer for some time. Having worked alongside some great jazz artists, including the legendary Jack Teagarden, her grasp of composition and groove has always been keen. My earliest bass lines were accompanying her on the piano which set the foundation of me ultimately supporting her vocal performance. In the early days I was able to catch up on the way Mom would intentionally play with the time of a tune. This allowed her to place the downbeat of a measure to fall where she wanted to reinforce her performance and her vocal story. By the way, My Story starts when I get my binky and a warm glass of milk and, uh, nevermind.

I'm going to make folks mad here but it won't be the first time and nary the last. Vocalists typically have lousy time and I am not talking about Rolexes, either! When you really start listening to singers you will quickly find out that most of them tend to rush, drag, or both on their vocal parts. Throw in a drummer that is either playing with a click track or, dare I say it, knows how to count, and now we have a possible recipe for disaster. Especially since good drummers are more worried about locking the tempo and staying there and singers are all about their performance. To make it even more interesting, now us lowly bass freaks are required to bridge the gap between "Capt. Rigid "on the drums and "Mr. or Mrs. Swings like a Man-hole cover" on vocals. You guessed it, my Guardians of Groove, it's up to us to save the day-again.

The key to avoiding a Multiple Groove Pile Up lays in the hands of the bassist. A great way to start is to focus on three things during a performance: kick, hi-hat, and the singer. This is of course a challenge if you are reading charts, turning pages, playing fretless, checking out the Ravenous Hotty in the front row, ordering another Crown and Diet Coke, and tuning all at the same time. But it can be done. By focusing on these three basic elements you unearth the pallet of colors you have to paint with and keep the groove in the big picture.

In a perfect world (groove-wise, anyway) our job is to stay with the drums. So, if the singer is rushing, it can be a real cause of discomfort. You can always hope the drummer is listening to the vocalist as well but they typically focus on groove or the pretty lights dancing around them. It's up to us to find the glue for the song.

Even though a lot of singers have less than stellar time most of them have a great feel. This is a key element of survival since they will typically sing some form of groove and will let you know where to put the notes. If you're paying attention, this can be extremely valuable. If you pick up on a way a singer sings their pickup notes, you can really set up a measure and make for a very hip musical moment, especially if everyone catches it.

For example, I've worked for jazz vocalist Anna Wilson for a number of years and this is a key to her gig. Anna intentionally plays around tempos on some numbers and keying in to where she wants the groove is crucial. When the band picks up on what she is doing rhythmically and catches it, the musical coolness rears its head. You can do this on whatever gig you are on as well and rule the day by incorporating the same mindset.

There is nothing hipper than supporting a REALLY good vocalist. Luckily I have been able to share a stage with many great singers. Truly great singers know how to work with bassists as well. Mom recently told me "When the bass player and I connected, I relied on him like arrows in a turning lane or a safety net when I decided to fly a while." (I'm sure glad one of us in the family can be deep.)

A singer with a great groove and the ability to key off of us lowly Keepers of the Groove can be an absolutely euphoric event. Case in point, one of my favorite singers I have ever shared the stage with is Rebecca St. James. She has a great feel and makes playing off of her vocal lines a real joy. During a past performance I was able to throw down some serious groove due to her singing and the fact that she was just slaying the groove herself with her vocal line. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! FYI Rebecca is the only singer I have ever asked to have turned up in my monitor mix because it was so cool.

So, my Seekers of Stank, there's a little insight into the world of singers and how us backstage-dwelling time keepers can make them shine. By focusing your ears and supporting our vocal brethren and sistren, we can yet again nail the gig, groove like a monster, get paid, and save the day from one more musical obscenity. As usual, until next time,

Keep Groovin',

S

Back To MBS Index | Top | Print This Article

Sean's Eden Blog | Sean's Bio | Sean's MySpace