Kat Bax Music
  • Home
  • About me
  • Media me
  • Contact me

stories

My Corona...

6/30/2020

0 Comments

 

Sorry about that...

We've been in lockdown in the UK for the last 3 months.  Live music is a memory, live concerts and theatre is gone, and none of it in the UK seems to be returning.  I've put on half a stone, drank consistently for the first 4 weeks (and subsequently not for the last 2+ months), repainted the bedroom, painted shelves, repeatedly deep cleaned the flat and absolutely crushed life on Animal Crossing #current.  Who was I?  I certainly didn't spend much time in the shed playing scales or practising.  What was the point when shows were not coming back and live singing was seen as a potential hazard.  3 metres between singers and audience.. that's just not practical.  And so every day rolled into the next, new recipes tried and Zoom calls petered out until there was just today. And today. And today.

Until.. the DRIVE IN LIVE shows were confirmed the other week.  And suddenly, I found myself with the realisation that I would be going back out on tour playing in front of real live people with the musical SIX.  I've been with the company since September 2019 on the UK Tour until the rather depressing but absolutely expected voice note from the Company Manager in March told us "Don't come down to Brighton.. it's been cancelled".  After much terror scrolling over the weeks, I full expected UK Theatre to never open again.  But life has found a way.  A bubbled, socially-distant, scented with hand gel, and COVID-19 tested way, but still! A way! 

And this brought a few sharp realities into focus for my own mental and emotional awareness.  So much of my life revolves around the next gig - and you can put my physical and mental state into that box as well.  If I'm not physically in shape, I can't do the gig.. so yoga and gym visits it is to keep my body exercised and able to do those shows night after night without pain in my shoulder or feet.  If I over-indulge on food or drink then I won't fit into my lovely gig clothes or my very sexy costume some of you may have seen on stage.. so moderation is required there.  If I'm not mentally fit, then shows become harder, I get anxious and confused and I don't sleep... so meditation, therapy sessions and maintaining a good social network is really important.  

But all of this requires gigs to be there as the next milestone to meet.  Without that, my life structure had completely fallen apart.  And lockdown has brought all of this into focus with the return of the next gig.  

So my next questions is : is this healthy and sustainable?  My tentative suggestion would be.. no.  It's not.  So Lockdown.. while terrible and yet necessary to support the NHS has been a real wake up call for me.  The possibility of maintaining a health and positive life structure BECAUSE I WANT TO not just because ohgodthenextshowisonsaturdayandaaarggh wasn't something that had occurred.  This 3 month break where I was able to spend the time looking at what made me happy and be able to build on the other things in my life so I wasn't just a musician waiting for the next show has been truly useful.  And it definitely isn't something I would have chosen to do (3 months off? Are you mad? What if no-one hires me ever again??!).

To bring this painful essay to a conclusion: I invite you the reader to look at the structure in your own life.  What do you lean on to bring meaning into your everyday activities?  Are you doing those activities to provide support to yourself.. or to just mark time until the next big event?  And when that next show is taken away.. do you collapse and fall?  Or do you stand tall?

Comments welcome.

*Side note - yes I haven't commented on the bloody awful financial situation or struggling to pay rent or the many many MANY families who have suffered, the families who have had to isolate and look after children while WFH, the DV victims trapped with their abusers, the BLM movement, the current UK government's decisions, or Dominic Cummings' ill-timed visit to his in-laws. .  That doesn't mean I don't care about it.. but this is not a political blog.  Take to Twitter for that!
0 Comments

In Bass Guitar Magazine!

10/21/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
I was very happy to be included as one of the players in Bass Guitar Magazine this month!  I've included the clip of "Hurricane" below :)
2 Comments

Soom T! And reggae..

3/28/2016

0 Comments

 
Absolutely no excuses for the blog silence on my part, I have been in rehearsals and on tour with a completely new and interesting artist called Soom T! 

Soom's style is an unusual mash of 8 bit dub reggae, pop and guzhal - however on the initial listen I had it down as pop, easy peasy, job done.  And yet, life is not that simple!  Once in rehearsals, the massive reggae influence behind her writing began to shine through and after a few more rehearsals and listening back to some recordings, the placement of the bass in the music (for me) became a bit of an obsession.  

Let me explain...

Reggae is one of those styles that I personally feel you can either play or you can't.  It's as simple as that.  The culture and vibe behind the placement of each individual note is not easily imitated and it is not as simple as simply "playing further behind the beat".  I actually found myself almost swaggering around the stage trying to find that perfect placement (which you will be able to see in videos online!).  As well as the placement, when you have the drummer on click and a quantised baseline on track, and a keyboardist's left hand hammering away..this seems like an impossible job!  However it was one that I could focus on night after night - sometimes I got it and sometimes I didn't!  A lifetime's work I think!

Anyway, please have a look at some tour highlights below. we've got a huge number of shows lined this summer and I promise I will at least try to give some updates and/or thoughts for my readers!.  

Further tour dates: https://www.facebook.com/SoomTMusic
0 Comments

Exercises

8/27/2015

0 Comments

 
Having played bass for a while, I have found that it's very easy to get stuck in a pattern usually as follows:

1) Have songs to learn for gigs.
2) Learn songs (or what I call the "Noddy version", every nuance isn't picked up but the chords are followed and it's very easy to just "get through the tune").
3) Drink tea.
4) Do gig.
5) Get paid.
6) Repeat.

While this is a relatively fool-proof way of performing, it doesn't really speak to the musician within and neither is it a good way to develop good playing technique or practice.  In fact I have found over the last year or so that I have fallen into bad habits.. something I am now taking the time to remedy.

So, I have begun a new regime of exercises before practice, namely technical to help my left and right hand co-ordinate.  I've included some of the links I've been using below, namely Josh Fossgreen and Scott Devine who put up some excellent (and musical!) YouTube vides.  

Enjoy!


0 Comments

Music interview (overdue update 2)

2/23/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
So the interview that I mentioned in my last update has come through - I have the pdf scans for you to have a look at (in Swedish!) and the translation below.  Massive thanks to Tom Holmberg, we spent 3 hours in the restaurant of a hotel talking bass, music, production.. If he had put everything down that I had said, I'd be promoting my new book instead!

Translation courtesy of the mighty Vicky Neon!

Read on..

Kat Bax - a bass player's confessions

London-based bassist Kat Bax has played 15 years live, toured around the world with Tricky and worked as a session musician with artists like Roxanne Emery and Johnny Ashby. In addition, she starred in the X-Factor and Strictly Come Dancing in England. Earlier this Autumn, she visited Musik & Talang in Vaasa. Our talk was directed at one thing - the bass!

You have mentioned that you mostly have male bass players as role models. England has produced a wide range of fantastic great bass players like Graham Maby, Bruce Thomas, John Taylor and Mick Karn.
Yes, and as a studio musicians like Pino Palladino.

Where are your influences, who has influenced you and your playing?
In essence, I have been inspired by rock, I love rock music, but I have also listened to a lot of British pop so I like that full round sound that like Guy Pratt (session musicians for eg Roxy Music, Pink Floyd and Bryan Ferry) and Pino Palladino has. So my thing is probably pop, I love that warm wonderful sound.

So you're not that keen on the trebly raspy rock sound?
It's not my thing, it works well on some discs but there is nothing I want to try. If a certain song needs that sound, so I just turn up the treble a little more.

Do you think that the base should be more in the background and give backbone of the song, or should it push through?
For me it is important to create the right groove, and if I can add anything beyond that, it's fine. I have seen and heard so many players messing up tracks by adding too much, and it does not work. It's a bit like eating ice cream: sometimes the ice cream is good without the fancy stuff, sometimes it is fun with a little extra. To do what is needed, that's my philosophy.

Then you have a solid backbone for the song.
Exactly!

And that is the most important thing for bass and drums?
Absolutely. For some reason, the bass has become almost as a solo instrument and that's okay as long as it is doing what it is supposed to do. I've always liked John Deacon of Queen. He has the ability to both create groove and put some spice to it the right way.

The trick is to avoid doing too much.
Yes, at some point it becomes too much, and then it sounds just bad and that shows that the player doesn’t know what it is about. I believe firmly in doing what the song requires, not just what you want to do. You should do everything you can to support the singer, if you are too funky, it only becomes distracting.


You do not like to do bass solos?
There has been a problem for me. Now we’re going to get a bit deep!  When I went to music college, I knew the second year would be about jamming, I was a pop and rock bassist, and in pop and rock you don’t really do solos. I knew it was coming, so I had it hanging over me like a black cloud. I knew that I can play and I mastered the scales and all that, but I couldn’t really integrate them into a solo context. I could not do it, I dragged myself to every lesson! I did everything I could for hours. Then came the day when I could not stand it anymore. So that is why I do not do bass solos!

Do you think the bassist and drummer deserves more appreciation, it's always a singer and guitarist who stand in the spotlight?
Yes that’s true. On the other hand, the drummer and bassist might wonder why they need that confirmation? Why would I put myself in a situation where I was not appreciated? I could be the king or queen of the stage. I think at the end of the day, it is a question of personality.

Tell us about your first bass guitar.
It was a Washburn with four strings, it cost 80 pounds and came from a store in Hendon in North London. I knew it had active  pickups and that things happened when I turned the knobs! It was cheap, nice and black, and from the late eighties.


Now you have a Jazz.
Yes, a Lakland, it's cool.

Do you often test out other different instruments?
No, I think I've found my bass. I am really pleased with it, it does everything I want it to do. And I've had it for years, but I have not emotional attachment to it. If I found a better bass, it would not be a problem. I know too many players who give their instruments names!

Plectrum or fingers?
I always play with my fingers. When I started playing, I thought that you play with fingers and guitar with plectrum. So that choice didn’t really come up. I wish that I had learned to play with a plectrum, it would be useful sometimes.

Why did you start playing bass originally, did you like the sound?
Do you want an honest answer? I thought I'd get guys! I was 15 or 16 and wanted to be in a band, I thought the guys would think it cool if I played bass. And you know what? It has not happened once in the fifteen years I played, so it did not help at all!


How did it work in the beginning, did you buy bass books or did you try to learn by ear?
I had played the piano before, so I decided to take lessons. I did that for a year and then I found that I wanted to play cooler songs, so I stopped. But the lessons gave me a good foundation, I learned to read notation on bass which has been really helpful. If you want to become a session musician, you have to know what you’re doing.

If someone wants to learn to play bass, what advice would you give them?
Find a good drummer to play with. A good song to practice for a bassist is Queens "Under Pressure", you have to develop right-hand control and left hand timing. The two are is simple but not easy to do right. The second exercise is the song "With Or Without You" by U2. If you can play these, you are on your way. And then it is important to be friends with their bass, to become accustomed with it, start holding it and playing it, for example, when you are sitting and watching television.


What is your dream band to play with?
It would definitely be Take That! I love the music, I love the pop style and high quality songwriting. I would love to contribute to that. And I'm also a big Robbie Williams fan.

What is it that makes a good bass player?
I can’t define a good bassist, but it is important to listen to what others are do and being able to develop your own accent in your playing. The most important thing is: what is it that makes you happy to play?

kat_bax_2399_001.pdf
File Size: 233 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

kat_bax_2392_002.pdf
File Size: 302 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

0 Comments

overdue update (Part 1)

12/29/2014

0 Comments

 
At school, I would leave my essays to the last minute and as blogs have no "hand in date", the inevitable happens and nothing gets done.  I am my own master etc etc.

However I would love to update you all what I have been doing over the last few months as there have been some shifts in my own well trodden path and stepping outside of my comfort zone is becoming a more familiar place!  

Recording times

Picture
Back in September of this year, I did an interview with a thoroughly entertaining man called Tom Holmberg who writes for a newspaper in Finland (more on that later!).  He asked me what I would like to do more of this year, and I said that I would like to record more as the vast (if not all) of my playing this year has been live.  The next week I was asked to play on Johnny Ashby's new album (http://www.johnnyashby.co.uk) and although I had some reservations initially.. I accepted and cracked through 7 tracks in 6 hours.  I know that muso heavyweights will consider this recording time perhaps a little feeble, however having not really heard the tracks before, I was so pleased with my tone and ideas that came out on the day.  I went on to play with Johnny at the St Mary's church in Ealing and then later on again Upstairs at Ronnie Scotts (again, more links to follow!).  A great experience all round and one that has lead to me being requested to play on Paul Adams' album in the New Year.

#SHE times

Picture
I did a promotional video shoot for the beautiful SHE band (http://shefunctionband.com/) in November this year.  I love working with Keisher (the band leader) as she is always pushing me to become better and stronger in my playing, and I know that I will always look beautiful on any gigs with her.  I have shared some photos below (with massive thanks to DK - @dreamkiddmc)

Picture
0 Comments

Genius not genus

9/5/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture

Musik & Talang
Hooray! First blog ever!!

So on the 19th of September, I'll be wending my weary way to Sweden to talk on a panel with my girls Kelly Appleton and Vicky Osterberg about gender differences in music.  

Having experienced the gender divide in my own career, it's becoming difficult to put into words how extreme that difference can be - especially when the person expressing their opinion has no idea of their own bias.  By my own admission, I am also particularly bad at picking up that bias which means I am very unlikely to challenge it at the time.  It is only after the incident that I realise "Hey, he thought I was the drummer's girlfriend/a fan/didn't know what I was doing!" and suddenly it's too late to go back!  I don't know if this a reflection of how I view myself, the very possibility that I might be viewed as someone other than a musician who has every right to be there is foreign to me!  

Story time.  I was asked to help out on a video shoot for an awesome band (video in the sidebar!) as they were currently bassist-less.  They were all guys.  I turned up to the location with bass in hand plus the usual rock trousers etc and went up to the hair and makeup room.  5 minutes later, the director walked into the room and said brusquely: "Come on girls, we haven't got much time, the band need to get their makeup done.  If Madam could get out of the chair?"

So I got out of the chair.  I mean why wouldn't I? I wasn't an actual member of the band, I was just helping out.

An hour later, I went, bass in hand, into the main venue as the director wanted to start setting up the shots for the video.

He looked at me.. then did a double take.  Saw the bass.  Remembered telling me to get out of the chair. And said "Oh. Right. Ok.".  

And it was then that I realised that he'd assumed I was someone who shouldn't be there. Someone who had walked in and wanted their face/hair done "for fun".  Maybe someone's girlfriend or friend.  No way could I have been involved in the project or be contributing towards anything.  And that for me was a moment of real sadness - that people see a girl first, and not a musician or a person with value.

Story time over.  That's just one of the experiences I've had and I'd like to say I definitely deal with it far better these days!

Any feedback? Any similar experiences?  Tell me as I'd love to include your stories in this panel on the 19th!

0 Comments

    Author

    Things I've done

    Archives

    June 2020
    October 2017
    March 2016
    August 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About me
  • Media me
  • Contact me