You might think I’m talking about the bass playing style in some of the early Monroe and Stanley Brother recordings or in some blues, boogie, swing or bebop jams, but I’m not. What I am talking about is not lugging my bass around the 90 acres of the Nevada County Fairgrounds looking for a jam that didn’t already have a bass player. Okay, if you take out the corrals and farm animal paddocks and some of the other outskirt buildings it might only be 40 or so acres but as far as I’m concerned it is the same deal.
There was a time before we crossed over………the water ditch, that I would cart my ax all over the tent camping area looking for and occasionally finding a jam for that evening. When that jam burned out it was out into the land of the tin teepees (as JD called them) hoping to get lucky again and then if I was real ambitious, down to the old time hill for some old time playing before heading to my VW Eurovan for a couple of hours of sleep. That’s all I needed. It would be more of the same most days and in the years following, with a hot link stop added on Friday and Saturday.
When I was a younger bass player, I just threw my bass into it’s body bag and carried it on my jam hunting journeys. From there it evolved into of series of conveyances, some were innovated contraptions that were marketed online on bass player sites. Others were pure DIY contraptions or even knock-offs sold by festival vendors. At various times, I had all the varieties of these rigs. Some even came close to working but they all had their foibles. I had one that doubled as stool for playing. Sounds good but my bass wouldn’t stay in it very well. I had to re-secure it every few feet and it took hours just to get between a few campsites. Another was a cart covered in carpet that fit over the bottom of the bass bout. It had rugged wheelbarrow tires and bearings in the axle. I thought this was the ultimate bass cart until one day at a farmers market I had my bass sitting in it while we were setting up to play. A gust of wind came up and levered the cart on its super axle and drove the bass neck first into to ground snapping it right off. Anyway, I digress. Turns out I don’t trust any of these conveyances to move around my bass at festivals anymore. In case you were worried, I was able to get my bass fixed better than ever but I’m fearful of some sort of bass altering experience happening again…….in the middle of the night……..while holding a hot link, caused by using any of these bass moving doohickeys while trying to find a jam.
Being somewhat mindful, though, I realize up to this point I’ve been blaming and shaming all the bass movers for any troubles I had or may have moving my ax around festivals. My mindfulness tells me to look inward some to see what else I may find that contributes to my inefficiency in moving my bass around the fairgrounds. My introspection has come up with BMWI – bass moving while intoxicated. I don’t believe there are any statutes against it as of yet but perhaps there is some pending legislation regarding BMWI. Had there been existing laws, I may have had a record and my bass insurance rates would have been through the roof.
My propensity for having a few beers…… or so…… and a few nips of tequila (strictly for mosquito abatement purposes and some years the mosquitoes are really bad), combined with my late sexagenarian years and a feeble back make the thought of walking my bass around this year’s festival a very unappealing prospect, regardless of what BMWI laws may be in place.
What’s a self-respecting bass guy to do if the bass and player are not going to go jam hunting? You heard it here first. There is a very hot jam beginning Tuesday night at 10:00 at my site (site 7 in the electric only section look it up on the web site). I’ll have a few beers to share and depending on the mosquito threat plenty of tequila. So I’ll be looking for all you fiddle and mandolin players carrying your wimpy little cases or bags and you guitar and banjo guys carrying your (only slightly less wimpy) ergonomically sound cases to stop by. You’re all welcome and I expect it to be a very good jam. When you get there, ask for Dave, the self-deprecating bass player columnist who always is looking for some humor in this gig.
As for beyond Tuesday, we will play it by ear depending on which main stage act players show up at Site 7. I’m expecting Ronnie, Robbie and Jason (it’s probably too late for Del) but who knows. The only thing certain is a hot link on Friday night.
Also, I’ll be in my usual spot Wednesday night at Vern’s pouring beers. Stop by and say hello and we can talk bass moving contraptions over a cold one.
