The Bassist of Bassline Design

As an excited and curious eighth-grader, I saw an older student in the school talent show play a "really really really huge guitar with big fat strings."

"It's so friggin' awesome. Why's it so much bigger [and better???] than yours?" I asked my brother, Josh, the experienced guitarist of the household.

"Because it's a bass," he smacked me playfully upside the head.

Shortly thereafter, I received a special gift for my thirteenth birthday. Courtesy of my parents, I met with a lanky bass/guitar teacher named Doug Harvey, who brought with him a hefty white Fender jazz bass-rental. The instrument easily weighed as much as me. This gift was a trial to see if I would enjoy playing bass more seriously. That first day, Mr. Harvey pointed out that my lengthy and skinny fingers were perfect for bass playing. I like to think that he didn't simply need more students. Nevertheless, flattery got him everywhere. I stuck with it.

I had a wide range of inspirations. In high-school, I played both in the school jazz band as well as a rock-punk trio with my friends John Bussard and Chris Conley, now of Saves the Day fame.

Early in college I merged my jazz interests with the ska fad of the time. I played several years in a ska-jazz-rock band, The dominant Seven. Our career high was a Bands on the Brink listing in (oddly enough) Playboy magazine. Some of my band mates were too shy to report this accomplishment to their parents. Not I.

Late in college I was deeply inspired by reggae and dub. The Uplifters was formed with some ex-members of The dominant Seven. We mixed inspirations from jazz, soul and rock, and gave it a healthy roots reggae overtone. We recorded two albums and toured New England and Germany within a four year time span.

Since the break-up of The Uplifters in August 2003, I have continued to play with my dear friend David Linhart in an acoustic project entitled Twiin. I have also played with many other musicians in and around the hills of Western Mass.

Please visit my Jon The Bassist web site to hear more samples of my music.