Where are you based? Rural central Missouri, USA

When did you first take a bass in your hands? 1987 at age 19

What attracted you to playing bass? My older sister was responsible for tuning me in to the bass guitar in songs. She would always say, "This song has a great bass line!" Because she was my older sister and everything she did was cool, I started listening to the bass lines and became hooked! This was at a time when there was a lot of great bass playing in pop music, like Level 42, Duran Duran, and Kajagoogoo. A few years later, when I was in college, some co-workers talked me into singing backup in their band. Then they decided they needed a bass player, so I said I'd give it a try. The closest I'd come to playing bass at that point was picking out some Mark King lines on my mom's old acoustic guitar, but as soon as I picked up the bass it felt completely natural. It had never occurred to me that I might actually be able to play those bass lines I loved so much!

Did you play any other instrument before you started playing bass? I had the obligatory piano lessons as a kid.

Can you remember the first song you ever learned on bass? Probably the Level 42 song I played on my mom's guitar, which I imagine was the first thing I played on bass: "Good Man in a Storm" off of "World Machine"

What was your very first public performance? In general, I had sung at church and at school since I was a little girl, and did the occasional piano recital. On bass it was with that first band, Renegade Medicine Show. I think it was at a dive that was a popular college hangout called The Crossing, in Lawrence, Kansas.

What’s your current band? Two-piece rock band Clatter.

What’s your main bass? 1997 Rickenbacker 4003; 2004 Waterstone TP-1 12-string

Body colour/wood? Jetglo/maple

Neck/fingerboard? Maple/rosewood

What strings to you like best? Rickenbacker 45-55-75-105 or DR Hi-Beam 45-65-85-105

What is your backline bass amp setup? Rickenbacker 4003----->Lehle A/B/Y Box #1 (both channels almost always on)
A---->SWR SM-900 and Henry 8x8 (clean bass sound)
B---->Digitech Whammy (5th up -- use in 2 songs)---->Lehle A/B/Y Box #2 (switch between A and B or A or B)
A---->Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier and 4x12 cabinet (distorted "guitar" sound)
B---->Boss VF-1---->SWR Super Redhead (effected sound)

Fingers, plectrum or both? Fingers. I tried a pick once but my wrist didn't like moving that way.

What type of music do you play? Original rock. I also do some acoustic songs on the side.

Who do you listen to when you’re not playing? Neil Finn/Finn Brothers/Crowded House, Keane, Travis, Rush, System of a Down; '80s "New Wave;" many others, but those are the most frequent.

Have you recorded/released any CDs? I've recorded and released several CDs, the most recent being "Blinded By Vision" with Clatter. We also released a live concert DVD, "Blinded in Boonville."

What was your best gig/venue ever? That's a tough one! Different gigs and venues have been good for different reasons, and it never comes out the way I expect. A gig at a tiny hole-in-the-wall might turn out to be a blast because of the energy and intimacy, while opening for a major act in front of hundreds of people turns out to be disappointing. It was fun to record our DVD last year at an historic theatre near where we live, with many of our friends and family cheering us on and an all-out light show and video wall.

What was your worst moment onstage? I can't think of anything specific that comes to mind (maybe I'm blocking it out!!). There are always those times when you forget a lyric, have an equipment issue, are playing to no one, etc. But just being onstage makes even the worst moments bearable!

What’s your favourite album/CD? I don't think I could pin it down to just one…or even a dozen! If I had to choose my favorite album lately, it would be Keane "Hopes and Fears."

Do you own any other instruments? Besides all my basses: a Roland XP-80 keyboard and a MIDI keyboard. I'd love to get a real piano someday and an upright bass.

Did you ever perform onstage without your bass? As mentioned above, as I kid I sang and played piano.

What’s your opinion on basses with more than 4 strings? I've never played anything except a 4-string, so I'm not qualified to comment. I have more than I can handle with four strings already! Technically, I do play a 12-string, but it's basically the same as playing a 4-string. And it sounds amazing!

What do you feel is the bass-players function in a band? Well, I'm a bit unusual in that I play in a band with only a drummer, so my role is quite different than that of other bassers. In general, though, I tend to chafe at the idea that there IS a function for bass players. It is my strong belief that every bass player, band, and situation is different, and that each person should define their role in the band according to what they think sounds and works best. I firmly believe there are no rules in music. Words like "groove," "in the pocket," and "foundation" get bandied about ad nauseum, but really, each band and player is different, so it's unproductive (in my opinion) to apply that to everyone. It's all subjective. Do your own thing!

Did you ever have a famous person in your audience? Not that I know of, anyway! We've played with a few bigger bands, but I don't know that they actually watched!

What are your ambitions? With the release of our last CD we toured 50,000 miles across North America. My biggest ambition is to tour Europe and Australasia with the release of our next album. And to have a roadie help us move our 800 pounds of gear!!

Anything else? One thing I've really come to learn in the past few years is the extraordinary camaraderie among bass players the world over. Bassers are a unique breed and I'm proud to be one of them! (See Links page for Clatter website - Ed.)

thanks to Amy for being part of BassGirls.Com
text and images are copyright of Amy Humphrey and BassGirls.Com