chris

by Pete Distefano
photos by Pete Distefano
When I arrived at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California for the Alanis Morissette show, I wasn't sure just who Chris Chaney was other than that he was the bassist with Alanis Morissette. Who Chris Chaney turned out to be was an extremely likeable young man with a knowledge of music much greater than his years. He carries with him a sense of knowing—knowing who he is and what he is doing. I kept expecting him to say something like.. "and in ten years I'll be..." (and you knew that if he did say it you would believe him!). Since I didn't know anything about him, I thought I should start with the basics...

What part of the world do you come from, and where did you grow up?

I was born in D.C., but we moved to Mill Valley, California when I was about three years old. I went to High School in Marin County, and I went to U.C. Berkeley for a while.

How did you start playing the bass?

I was about 12 or 13 years old playing in some bands, and outside of that I was playing the piano. The musicians are on my Dad's side of the family. In fact my Grandma played a great ragtime piano—her uncle played with the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra and was an amazing pianist. I just joined a band, you know, like the last year of junior high school. I was singing bass. I was always into the bass!

What type of music were you listening to during that period?

I was into Stevie Wonder, Doobie Bros., and the Stones because that's what a lot of the adults were throwing on.

Why did you pick the bass as your instrument of choice?

Basically because there were no bass players around. I used to jam with two guitarists, and we needed a bass player. I was so young I decided I'd play the bass. I figured I didn't have anything to lose.

When did you start playing with Alanis Morissette?

I auditioned for Alanis back in April, 1995. She didn't have a band back then, so she just kind of put one together from the people she had a good feeling about from playing with them on the previous album.

Where do you feel ‘musically' that you have been , are now, and might be going in the future?

Musically, in the past, like the beginning of high school, I was into progressive rock bands. But then in junior and senior years, a friend of mine (actually his brother) got me into Jazz. I didn't own an upright then. I was just doodling around on an electric, walking lines off of like "Digging," "Cooking," and stuff from Miles, Mingus, Coltrane, Hank Moseley, and Joe Henderson. Miles and Coltrane were definitely my big influences in Jazz. I grew up pretty much with most of those bands, but especially the stuff from the fifties with Billy Joe. Paul Chambers pretty much blew me away! That also pushed me into soloing, learning the heads of songs and the melody. I'm definitely more of a foundation player. I say I can solo, but it doesn't call for that on this gig. I'm a meat and potatoes kind of bass player and really cover the role of the bass.

I just don't want to be put into that category of "solo bass player." It seems like when a bass solo album comes out no matter how magical and amazing it might be chopwise, musically, melodically, or rhythmically they always fall into a definition. They always have to showcase, "I'll play a Classical tune to show I can do this," or "I'll play the funky Samba/Fusion tunes to show I can do that," or "I'll do the fastest up-tempo Jazz tune with some atonal melody to show I can do that!"

I can't sing a single melody. I know the melody. The melody just doesn't sink in, it doesn't stick with me.

Where I am going right now is just looking at this tour. We should be finishing in Hawaii around December, and that will have been a 20 month tour when we finish.

What are you going to do when the tour is over.

I'm always writing music so I'll go home for a few months and write some more music with Robert Taylor, the drummer. We record at my house. I have a scaled-down version of Pro-Tools at my house. My ex-roommate is Gary Novak, who played with Chick Corea, moved across the street. He has a 16-track analog studio that we use. I want to get more into the writing, and I want to have my own studio so when I am around I can write and work.

Who is your favorite bass player right now?

Tony Levin is one of my favorite bass players, and I've just heard his new album World Diary. The first time I ever hear Tony was on One Trick Pony.

How do you feel about practice?

I'm a totally avid, active practice person—non stop. I always warm up before a show as well. I always carry one of my basses with me so I have something to play on. You can't count on when your regular equipment is going to arrive and be available when you are on tour. My favorite Jazz bass is a Sadowsky. I have a Sadowsky 5-string that I bring with me most of the time. Sadowsky made three basses that are all the same and were originally made for Marcus, but Marcus didn't want all three, so I got a great deal on one of those. It's scary it sounds so good! He modeled it exactly after an old '70s Jazz. You know his basses are basically like a real serious upgrade—like a lot of custom shop guitars. Fenders and Sadowsky's are my favorite basses, and that's why I play them most of the time.

What are your basses of choice?

Right now I'm playing a Fender 5-string, passive bass and a new Fender 5 Pro that's an active bass. I also play a Tobias signature series (zebra wood). I play that bass on the song, "All I Really Want," which is in the set tonight. I slide—almost like a Brazilian slide—up and do a hit down percussive vibe. I also play a Warwick fretless.

Do you play an upright bass at all?

As a matter of fact I do. I have an old German Weisel, but I don't use it during the show. Warwick also has a bass called the Framus, and I have the 5-string, but I don't use that in the set either.

What type of strings do you use?

I like the SR-2000 by Dean Markley as well as the other strings they put out.

What type of equipment do you use with your basses?

I use Eden speakers (XLT 410's and 210's), Aguilar Amps, and a Sadowsky outboard preamp. I also bring some backups and sometimes mix and match.

What would you want to tell an aspiring bassist?

Consistency, practice and determination are the key. You have to have a lot of drive. If you don't have drive you won't make it. Sitting around and practicing for days on end won't do you a lot of good unless you know ‘what to practice.' You need to not only learn by ear, but you need to get someone to guide you (not necessarily a bass player) someone like a Herb Pomeroy or Charlie Banacos. It is always good to be pushed by someone who is not a bass player—someone who is just coming from music. this is an article from : BassFrontiers