|
An Interview with Chris Harris |
||
Chris and I have never actually met. Sean Madden gave me Chris’ number and said that he would probably be interested in the Bass Collective. I sent Chris a set of newsletters to bring him up to speed and have kept in contact with him as he has indeed shown a lot of interest in what we’re trying to achieve. Just to get Chris more into the fold I sent him a few questions via e-mail and these were his responses. How long have you been playing? Twenty-four years. How did you get started.? Formed a band {Hard Ride} when I was in primary school. Originally played guitar but switched to bass when a bassist could not be found. We got our first gig when I was 13 and I have been playing full time ever since. What’s your favourite band / solo artist? Don’t have a favourite as such. I enjoy any music that has been well written and played with feeling. Bass heroes? Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Mark King, Billy Sheehan. What are the amps and instruments you currently use? My main axe is an eight year old Washburn Bantam 6 string bass fitted with EMG’s and a Roland GK pick-up to drive my Roland V-Bass bass synth. I use a Trace Elliot GP11 pre-amp and an H & H M900 power amp. One channel drives an eighteen inch and a fifteen inch Black Widow and the other channel drives two ten inch Black Widows and a Peavey horn. For smaller gigs, I use the Peavey 15” and horn cab driven by a Roland SPA 120. This is often more than enough because I DI through the PA. I dread moving the Peavey 1810 around. She weighs a ton. My other guitars are a Status Bass 4 string, a custom made 4 string fretless Jazz Bass, a 1969 Beatle bass and a Fender Strat. What instruments would you like to have if money were no object? A Yamaha 6 string bass. What have you been doing for the last five years or so? Playing covers five nights a week to keep the wolves from the door. What recordings that you’ve played on would you recommend for listening? Nothing spectacular………yet. What’s been the low point in your career so far? Breaking up my band in 1984 to do my two-year national service. And what has been the high point? Every successful gig is a high point. What are your goals currently? To keep evolving as a bass player and to develop a style that is unique. |
