I love bass players. Tommy Cogbill, David Hood, Tim Drummond and John McVie are just a few that come to mind. They play the right thing at the right time. They are the guys that make the feels and grooves that propel songs

I love playing bass. I mean “bass.” As in: Laying the foundation. Staying in the money zone. Creating a pocket. Creating feel.

I love note placement. Putting the notes in the right spot on the beat makes all the difference. John McVie is the man for that in pop music.

I love space. Not like “Space the Final Frontier” kind of space, but space in music. Playing the rests is as important as playing the notes.

I love tone. Doesn’t matter how bad my week has been or how little sleep I’ve had (or have NOT had), when the tone is there, it’s instant energy. The quest for tone is never ending and never boring. The sign of a great player is his/her tone.

People often ask me what I think about while I'm playing on stage with my eyes closed.  And the answer is all of the above:  Attempting to draw from my heroes and create a pocket and feel through note placement, space and tone.

It sounds simple.  But it isn't.  It's music.  And music is never simple.