there are bassists and then there are bassists, which are you in your band?

[Barking Spiders]

On the one hand you've got your Phil Lynotts, Stings,  Mark Kings, Steve Harri (the plural of Harris fact fans) etc blokes who are the creative forces and /or frontmen as well as the bassmen. On 't other there's Wossisface, Doobry Wotsit,  That Other Bloke in xx,  The One On The Guitar With Only 4 Strings etc.  Which are you? 😊

[Crusoe]

Billy No-Mates, in the bedroom, on his own

[Barking Spiders]

I've graduated from the bedroom to the garden shed. Next year I might've made it to the living room settee

[Hobbayne]

I,m the fat bloke with the blue guitar. 😢

 

[PaulWarning]

must admit, I'm a bit of a show off, jump around a bit and even fall on the floor at one point, we are in the entertainment business after all, and I write some of the songs and do backing vocals, bit of and average bass player though 

Edited March 22, 2019 by PaulWarning

[BigRedX]

I’d like to think I am Dan Weir of Espedaire Street. Not the front person, but the one responsible for (co-) writing all the songs, who just happens to be the bass player.

[Bassassin]

Not presently in a gigging band but in my last band all the songs were co-written between me & the vocalist.

Now in a composing/recording project with the same singer and all the songs are co-written by me  & 'er. In addition as well as the bass, it now falls to me to play the guitars, program the drums & play/program the pretend keyboardy bits too. Oh, and misproduce the result!

[Leonard Smalls]

I'm usually pretty near the front... And in the current band I write about 80% of the music which means I can get away with playing far too many notes.

 

[TheGreek]

Dressing like that is a Cardinal sin....

sorry...

[Lozz196]

Bit of both, I write some of the material and occasional lyrics for choruses, but am strictly a sideman on stage, with backing vocals being my limit on the mic.

[spongebob]

Upfront in the sound! 

On the original stuff, I've always co-written, helped arrange, and even wrote some of the drum parts (I did used to play, so I was genuine!) 

[Baxlin]

As the Ronnie Corbett character said in the famous Frost Report sketch "I know my place".

And it’s not in the forefront!

[lownote]

I was always a bassist who wanted to do diddly diddly.  Eventually I took up sax to let off the show off, and now I meekly play the invisible rhythm section geezer when I'm on bass. But it does have to be a sixer,  to remind people there's more to me than a stand up drummer.  

[Guest oZZma]

We are a duo so I have not much choice 

[FinnDave]

I stand between the keyboard player and the drummers, doing my best Phil Lesh impression. Get away with it most of the time.

[scalpy]

Definitely the former- I do the arrangements for the band and direct the rehearsals. The singers handle the aesthetics and the organisation but the buck stops with me with the music. It’s a double edged sword, it’s a lot of work getting up to five part horn arrangements ready, our keyboardist only reads and the guitarist has the memory of a sieve but on the plus side- if I don’t want to play a song, we don’t! 

[seashell]

Eye candy 😂  

 

[tauzero]

8 minutes ago, seashell said:

Eye candy 😂  

 

Me too.

[ezbass]

Depends which band. In one,  I’m front and centre grooving with the lead vocalist, in the other, I’m at the back letting others be the centre of attention.

Edited March 22, 2019 by ezbass

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 3, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[sprocketflup]

Sometimes Id like to be hiding in the corner, but generally im on the front line. I think I like it there.

Couple weeks ago I played a gig with a raging toothache, was literally clawing at my face during soundcheck, and eyed the pliers in my little toolbag more than once. On that occasion I wanted to be offstage completely. The show must go on though, no-one commented so I guess they thought my grimaces were bass faces

[Ricky 4000]

I was in a conventional 3 piece band, so nowhere to hide really.

I've often mused about retiring to the backline of a great soul band (complete with horns and backing singers), once I reach a certain weight. 👍

Although now i'm thinking a reggae band (with horns and backing singers) would be just as fabulous.

 

[stewblack]

9 hours ago, ezbass said:

Depends which band. In one,  I’m front and centre grooving with the lead vocalist, in the other, I’m at the back letting others be the centre of attention.

Yep, me too. 

[BreadBin]

11 hours ago, seashell said:

Eye candy 😂  

 

Basically this.

[rOB]

I've done both but didn't really enjoy the front person role much.

At the moment I'm somewhere in between as I write most of the music, all the lyrics and do backing vocals.