Contrabass Conversations

Latest Episodes:

334: Ranaan Meyer - Round Two Interview Apr 17, 2017

Show notes

Ranaan Meyer is the bassist for the dynamic trio Time for Three. I had Ranaan on the podcast back in the early days of the show, almost ten years ago.

Time for Three was performing with the Modesto Symphony here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Ranaan had a chance to sit down for an in-person "round two" for the podcast.

We dig into all kinds of things:

why Ranaan doesn't carry his own bass out… and why the old-schoolers give him grief about it
starting to use the Laborie endpin
changes that Ranaan has made to his technique over time
staying in shape on the road
how the group creates music while living in three separate cities
Ranaan's focus on education
advice that he'd give my former parents and students about a life in music

Links to check out:

Thanks to our sponsors!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Kaplan strings, which have versatility and control throughout the dynamic spectrum, rich tonal color palette, superb bow response, and beautiful balance.

Enter our latest string giveaway for Kaplan strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

This episode is also brought to you by Rosin Saver, a revolutionary storage device that keeps bass rosin feeling as fresh as the day it was made.

Rosin Saver is used by members of the New York Philharmonic, the MET orchestra, the Los Angles Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, and many others.

Use the promo code 'HEATH' at checkout for 10% off any and all orders from rosinsaver.com.

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

333: Nick Villalobos on great hooks and creating your own career Apr 13, 2017

Show notes

Nick Villalobos is the bassist for Simply Three, a classical crossover trio that has which has garnered millions of YouTube views and praise from publications like Rolling Stone, the Huffington Post, and RyanSeacrest.com.

Nick spends his time during with the group, recording new covers, and shooting videos, and the group is now branching into original compositions with their first all-originals album in the works.

We dig into all kinds of topics:

how being direct with what you want can move your career forward
what makes a good hook
transitioning into original compositions
how competition can be a good thing

Check out their first original song Maverick, which starts out with Nick playing his Eastman bass.

It was great to chat with Nick, and I can't wait to see how this exciting group's career evolves!

Links to Check Out:

Simply Three's website
Simply Three on YouTube
Simply Three on Instagram
Chained to the Rhythm (Katy Perry cover)
the Huffington Post article featuring Simply Three (their first really big video hit)
Demons by Imagine Dragons (another cover that hit it big through a posting in Vietnam)

Thanks to our sponsors!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Helicore strings, which are are designed, engineered, and crafted at the D'Addario string factory in New York and come in orchestral, hybrid, pizzicato, and solo string sets.

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

This episode is also brought to you by Rosin Saver, a revolutionary storage device that keeps bass rosin feeling as fresh as the day it was made.

Rosin Saver is used by members of top orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the MET orchestra, the Los Angles Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra among many others.

Use the promo code 'HEATH' at checkout for 10% off any and all orders from rosinsaver.com.

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

332: Steve Metcalf on mock auditions, recording, and perspective Apr 10, 2017

Show notes

Steve Metcalf is the new principal bassist for the Colorado Symphony. I first became acquainted with Steve several years ago when he was an undergrad student at Indiana University creating cool cover videos of pop songs for his YouTube Channel.

Steve went on to study with Peter Lloyd at the Colburn School in Los Angeles and moved into a temporary contract with the Colorado Symphony before winning the principal job in 2017.

We dig into a ton of topics, including:

breakthroughs in Steve's audition process
why undergraduate degrees should have more of a business focus to them
recording excerpts and putting them up on his Instagram account as he neared his Colorado Symphony audition
playing his mock audition for a group of climbers

Links to Check Out:

Thanks to our sponsors!

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Rosin Saver is a revolutionary storage device that keeps bass rosin feeling as fresh as the day it was made. It was developed in Sweden by a pair professional bassists and Rice graduates. What makes bass rosin so soft and sticky is the addition of natural waxes and solvents. Basically, as these evaporate, your rosin becomes a dry, powdery and useless.

Rosin Saver prevents this evaporation by completely saturating the air surrounding your rosin, The result is rosin that always feels and sounds great regardless of the weather, temperature or venue and vastly extends the life of rosin.

Use the promo code 'HEATH' at checkout for 10% off any and all orders from rosinsaver.com.

331: Artem Chirkov on solo careers, borrowed basses, and musical family Apr 06, 2017

Show notes

Artem Chirkov is the principal bassist of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and was the winner of the 2010 Bradetich International Double Bass Competition.

I got a chance to hear Artem play a wonderful recital while he was in San Francisco this March. Here's a great shot of Artem and San Francisco Opera principal bassist Joe Lescher as they performed Passione Amorosa together.

I headed over to San Francisco Opera bassist and former podcast guest Shinji Eshima's place the next day to chat with Artem.

We had a great and wide-ranging conversation, covering topics like:

the origins of Bassiona Amorosa, the group that Artem has been a part of for the past two decades
the fact that Artem always plays on a borrowed bass
- how he does this and how it actually connects us together as bassists to do that
- the routine that Artem goes through to acquaint him with new basses
how the bass as a solo instrument has evolved and challenges still facing the bass as a solo instrument
learning how to feel the freedom in your playing
music and its connection to culture
bass not as religion but as relation (this is a great topic that happens near the end of our chat)

Links to Check Out:

Artem's recordings
- Impromptus of the Soul
- Bassiona Amorosa (bass ensembles)
- Reminiscence of the 20th Century
Artem Chirkov LIVE in-studio performance (YouTube)
Artem Master Class (YouTube)

Thanks to our sponsors!

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Use the promo code 'HEATH' at checkout for 10% off any and all orders from rosinsaver.com.

330: Weekly Update for 4/3/17 - Double Bass News Apr 03, 2017

Show notes

Stories covered:

3 Sigma Audio - Upright Bass Impulses
Jon McColough-Benner joins Roosevelt University faculty
Curtis features Mary Javian
Vivo el Bajo May 19-21 - South Texas Double Bass Festival
- organized by George Amorim
- Lloyd Goldstein will be a clinician

Thanks to our sponsors!

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Use the promo code 'HEATH' at checkout for 10% off any and all orders from rosinsaver.com.

329: Michael Valerio on Studio Work, Professionalism, and Skill Development Mar 30, 2017

Show notes

Michael Valerio is one of the most in-demand bassists in the Los Angeles studio scene. In fact, you've probably listened to Mike play bass more than just about any bass player. If you've ever heard a soundtrack from John Williams, Hans Zimmer, or Danny Elfman in the past couple of decades, you've probably heard Mike playing bass on it.

I've been meaning to interview Mike for years. We actually met nearly 20 years ago when he was principal bassist for the New World Symphony and I was subbing in the group.

Our mutual friend Stephanie Payne let me know that Mike was coming to town to play as a electric bass soloist with the San Francisco Symphony on John Adams' oratorio The Gospel According to the Other Mary. This part is so challenging that Mike had an electric bass made specifically for this piece!

We dig into that and a ton of other topics, including:

the experience of studying with Homer Mensch when Mike was a young student
studying with Lawrence Hurst at Indiana University
playing with Roger Williams and the New World Symphony (where he was principal bass) simultaneously
doing the Mancini Institute in LA in high school, which was an opportunity to meet Chuck Berghofer (Barney Miller Theme and These Boots Are Made for Walking) - one of the most famous bassists you've never heard of and the first person to suggest that he move out to LA
why moving to Los Angeles was the right move for Mike
how Michael Wilson Thomas helped Mike - introduced him to David Low - a major contractor in LA who was actually a former New World member
developing the skills to read things on sight
how the studio scene has changed in the nearly two decades that Mike has been working

It was a pleasure to sit down with Mike and chat for the podcast. I know you'll enjoy listening!

Links to check out:

Thanks to our sponsor!

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

328: Weekly Update for 3/27/17 - Double Bass News Mar 27, 2017

Show notes

Stories covered:

Thanks to our sponsors!

Enter our latest string giveaway for Helicore strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Use the promo code 'HEATH' at checkout for 10% off any and all orders from rosinsaver.com.

327: Join Us at the 2017 Golden Gate Bass Camp! Mar 26, 2017

Show notes

The Golden Gate Bass Camp will take place June 26th-30th, 2017. Registration for the camp is now open. It's hosted at the Drew School in San Francisco, and all ages and levels are welcome. We would love to see you at this event!

This episode features an interview with camp director Richard Duke and 2017 faculty members Donovan Stokes and DaXun Zhang.

2017 Faculty include:

Richard Duke - camp director
DaXun Zhang - soloist and master teacher
Donovan Stokes - soloist, teacher, and composer
Inez Wyrick - young bass specialist and bass ensemble arranger
Scott Pingel - principal bass, San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Conservatory faculty
Joe Lescher - principal bass, San Francisco Opera
Charles Chandler - San Francisco Symphony bassist
Michael Manring - electric bass virtuoso
Dan Robbins - looping and effects
James Garrison - recording technique and electronic music production
Jason Heath - former DePaul University faculty and Contrabass Conversations host