Interview Guests – Page 106

371: when life throws you curveballs with Jennifer Bradbury

As a married guy with no children, the thought of even one kid makes me break into a cold sweat.

For bassist and educator Jennifer Bradbury, it wasn’t just one kid coming her way. It was triplets… and they came into this world 25 weeks early.

I can’t imagine what that experience must have been like.

The story of these three young children (dubbed the EduTriplets by Jennifer and her husband Jeff) is inspiring, heartwarming, and totally compelling. You’ll love what we cover in the podcast, and be sure to check out Jeff’s TEDx talk for the complete story.

Jennifer finally played her first gig after several years off.

What was that experience like?

We dig into this and much more!

370: Gahlord Dewald on modular synthesis

I’ve been meaning to chat with Gahlord Dewald on the podcast for years. He is forging new ground by fusing double bass playing with modular synthesis and is a unique voice in our community.

He and I were both at the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention, and we took a few moments to chat about:

what Gahlord uses for his performances (Eurorack modular system and DPA mic or piezo mic)
how to start with a phrase/snippet of melody, capture it into electronics and adjust from there
the unique funkiness of each individual modular synth
good pedals to start with

Be sure to check out what Gahlord is up to on the bass–great stuff! Also, here’s a link for a free download of some of the modular+double bass music Gahlord talks about in the interview.

369: Kieran Hanlon on teaching the fundamentals

Kieran Hanlon is Assistant Professor of String Bass and Jazz at The State University of New York at Fredonia. In addition to his teaching, Kieran is a first call performer in both the classical and jazz idioms, and enjoys a diverse performing career in both genres across Upstate New York and Pennsylvania.

We dig into all kinds of topics, including:

what it was like starting college as a violin and jazz bass student
Kieran’s varied career path
going to Eastman for orchestral studies with James VanDemark
studying wth Steve Molina and Colin Corner
nuts & bolts teaching techniques for students in music education methods classes coming to the bass

368: John Davis on communication and business skills

John Davis is a great example of how musicians in smaller markets can create a vibrant career. John runs his own business, providing string instrument rentals and repairs. He also restrings tennis rackets!

Additionally, John serves as principal bass of the Salina Symphony. He teaches at Kansas Wesleyan University and maintains a private studio as well.

John’s background in radio, television, and film along with his background in business give him a valuable perspective on how to make a career as a musician regardless of where you live. This episode is filled with great advice!

367: Jon Liebman on 500+ bass player interviews

Jon Liebman is the founder of For Bass Players Only, which recently published its 500th interview. Jon is also the author of several titles for Hal Leonard and has a series of online bass lessons.

Jon and I had been in touch about doing an interview for the past six months, and the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention was a great opportunity to do so. We chatted about what Jon has learned during his 500+ interviews, some favorite past interviews of his, how he got into the book writing business, and much more!