Scott Reeder, what can I say; possibly the Chris Squire (YES) or Geddy Lee (RUSH) of my generation, If even those are big enough comparison. I saw Scott a few years ago when he was still in KYUSS at some dive bar in Columbus Ohio, let me tell you; you know a bass player is kicking ass when he makes some drunk yell in between songs, I quote "the bass player fucking rules" Truly an unforgettable rock moment for bass players. You rock Scott!!!
Soultread of B.F.
Here's a picture of my Pomeranian Bitsy - cute, but she'll tear your fuckin balls off. (I've
hade a few of Scott's bass lines tear my balls off)
Hey Soultread!
Thanks, man! Here we go........
So give me some background history (married, where from, what beer do
you prefer? etc.)
Hmmm.... well, I was born on May 16th, 1965 in Pomona, California, and on
the very same day, another barefoot bass playing freak, Chris Novoselich was
born down the road in Compton. Weird. Then I got together with my wife Renee
around fifteen years ago, and luckily, she rocks, and has been totally
supportive of my pursuing the music thing for all these years. We have pretty
similar tastes in music, which is crucial! Whenever I wasn't doing the band
thing, I've always been lucky to be around studios, engineering or producing
other bands, and doing sound design for films and TV. After Kyuss split,
Renee and I started a pet store in Palm Springs that Renee still runs, but
she needs to free up her time so she can rehabilitate horses and stuff. Um...Weizen beer is it for me. Henning, the bassist of Jingo De Lunch turned me on
to Shnieder Weizen on one of my first trips to Germany - you can't beat
German beer - they take it REAL seriously over there. It seems like every
town has their own beer, and they're all killer!
How long have you been playing bass? What made you start?
Geez, it's been about twenty years! I was playing drums in a punk band in
high school called Dead Issue, and the bass player quit. We couldn't find a
replacement that was a punk, so I bought his bass and we got Alfredo
Hernandez to play drums. When I first started, I remember playing along with
records by Black Flag, Bad Religion, Minor Threat, and TSOL. Chuck Dukowski
and Mike Watt were my main inspirations, and I was lucky to be able to see
those guys play live a lot, and we actually shared the stage a few times when
I played in a band called Across The River in '85 - '86.
What kind of bass and amps do you use, and why?
I played a Rickenbacker for a long time, but I'd hammer the strings so hard,
that they'd hit the pickup and it sounded pretty crappy, and I shattered a
couple of pick guards, and I got sick of soundmen and engineers complaining,
so I tried an Ibanez ATK that only has a pickup near the bridge, and I could
hit it as hard as I wanted and it didn't get the annoying clackiness like the
Ricks did. Now I've got four ATK's - they work out pretty well for the way I
play. I also have a fretless Gibson Thunderbird that I've used on a lot of
stuff. I got my first Ampeg SVT around 1984 - I saw a picture of Dee Dee
Ramone with three SVT's, and I had to get one!
Is it your dream setup? If not what is?
I've used old SVT's for 16 years - I've got a '69 and a '70 - but I blow them
up so often, and it's hard sometimes to find someone to fix 'em when you're
on the road, so recently, I got an SVT4Pro, and I'm still getting it dialed
in - it's getting pretty close! I'm thinking about getting a tube preamp to
warm it up even more.
How do you write your music on bass or guitar or what?
w hen I'm jamming with other people, it's on bass, but when I'm writing on my
own it's usually on a guitar. I usually hear a vocal melody first, and then
Do you try to make your bass lines really tough for every song or do you go with simple sometimes?
A little of both, I guess. I think I play a lot less notes than I used to -
I'm more into supporting the song, but at the same time, I don't want to be
bored playing a song over and over again, so I'll throw in little stuff. I
usually try to find a good counterpoint line against what the guitar is doing
first, but some parts have more power when you're playing together - it just
depends on the song. I'm lucky - Arthur plays a lot of interesting chords that
give me a wide-open soundscape to frolic in - it's becoming a good
chemistry. We're not even half way done with the new album, and I already
can't wait to do the next one after we log in more time on the road and get a
chance to really gel as a band.
Do you use a pick? If yes why? if no why?
No. I'm not sure why. I've never been into the attack that a pick produces -
I think you get a rounder sound with your flesh, and I do a lot of muting
with my individual fingers that I wouldn't be able to pull off with the side
of my hand if I were using a pick. When my fingers hit the strings kind of
like piano hammers, the strings hit the frets at the top of the neck and get
weird harmonics, and we play pretty loud, so the runaway feedback combined
with the random harmonics are a big factor in the sound that I get, and the
muting is crucial, or it's just out of control.
How do you get ready for a show? Any warm-up routines?
A warm up routine would probably be a really good thing, but I prefer to just
hang out and drink beer!
Do you play better if you've had sex before you go on stage? Or do save it for after?
Sex is good anytime whenever you can get it! But since my wife isn't around
that often, I'd have to say after the show is best - when you're wound up,
jacking off helps you go to sleep! Sorry.
Who's your favorite bass player and band?
Well, Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag and Mike Watt of The Minutemen are the
guys who really got me going. Unida just did some shows with J Mascis with
Watt playing bass, and we got to hang out and share some stories - that was
pretty awesome. John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Billy Gould..... Darryl Jennifer,
Eric Avery. I recorded Abe Laboriel a bunch of times - he's probably the most
talented bassist I've ever seen. I learned a lot sitting next to that guy in
the control room. Also, one of my great inspirations as a musician and human
being has been Jason Newsted. His influence on Metallica is way underrated.
And as far as strong work ethics and having a great attitude go, Jason's
right up there with Watt.
What cd's are in your cd player right now?
Let me check..... X - Live At The Whiskey, Imperial Teen - What Is Not
To Love, The Police - Synchronicity, Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie,
The Damned - Black Album, and Esquivel - Merry Xmas From The Space-Age
Bachelor Pad.
The last questions come from some e-mails I received a few days after I announced this interview. Luckily Scott got back with
us with some answers. Thanks again Scott.
what brand of strings do you use? size?
Dean Markley Blue Steels - I use medium gauge tuned down to D, so they're
pretty squirrelly.
Why the bare feet?
Shoes have always been a bad trip - I've got big feet, and I'm a little pigeon-toed, so shoes
are kind of a hindrance, I guess. My old band supported Metallica in Australia on the metal "Snake pit" stage, and after our
set, their production manager was freaking out about me risking getting electrocuted, so I agreed to try shoes the next night. Well, my hair was in my face, and my leg went between
two levels of scaffolding and I did a face plant in front of 16,000 people! Never again!
Cheers!
Scott Reeder
This interview sponsored by AMPEG!!!!!
