.....................

Greta Brinkman (Greta B)

What’s your full name? Greta Katrina Brinkman, but people call me Greta B.

Where are you based – city/country? I’ve been based in New York City for the last decade, but I have a house in Richmond, Virginia and spend time there as well.

Did you ever perform onstage as a child? Yes! I took ballet lessons from a very young age and we used to have the occasional recital.

At what age did you first take a bass in your hands? I think I was probably 17 or 18. I had moved out of my parents’ house at 16 and into a rooming house. Some guy had moved out and left a really crappy, terrible bass behind. That was the bass I used for my first couple of bands.

What attracted you to playing bass? I have just never, ever, been interested in guitar. I find high frequencies really annoying and irritating on the ears. When I was young and sneaking into bars to hear bands, I only ever listened to the bass and drums.

Did you play any other instrument before you started playing bass? No, it’s always been bass, bass and only bass.

Are your parents or relatives involved in music? Not at all, and I also don’t think I’m inherently musical. I learned to play bass by practicing a lot, not because I have some kind of special talent!

Can you remember the first piece you ever learned on bass? It had to have been “Blitzkrieg Bop” by the Ramones. Either that or something off the “Faith/Seventeen Seconds” double album from the Cure. I taught myself to play with the Cure and the Ramones. My first band covered the Ramones and Sex Pistols, and a song off the first U2 album.

How often would you change your strings? One of the reasons I played GHS in the old days was because they last a REALLY LONG TIME, and when you’re poor, that’s important. Nowadays I still only change the strings a couple times a year.

What is your backline bass amp setup? I have always loved the Gallien-Krueger 800RB and played one very happily for 15 years until the diodes inside finally dried out and it started to crackle. Then I got an endorsement with G-K and they gave me a big ol’ 1001RB stack to tour with. It sounds amazing, but I still always default to the 800RB. To me it has just the perfect, classic sound. Clear without being TOO metallic. G-K also gave me a wonderful Microbass combo. It’s a tiny little thing that fits in an overhead bin on a plane, but has 150 watts of power and sounds just like a “grownup” G-K!

Do you use pedals/effects? Usually only if I’m recording, because, you know, the more boxes and cords you have on stage, the more things can go wrong.

Do you play with your fingers, plectrum or both?I pretty much only use my fingers. I just don’t like having something between me and the strings.

Have you played fretless bass? I have played fretless a couple times, but mainly as a lark. I never really gave it enough time and attention to really make it sound right.

Have you played double (upright) or acoustic bass? No, and it’s one of the things I really regret that I never learned. I could have increased my gigs by about 30%, I bet.

How would you best describe the type of music you mostly play? I just love hard rock with interesting time signatures, and I’m really a very good rock bassist. I’m not so good at reggae or jazz, but rock or pop, I’m your gal!

What bands do you enjoy listening to? I love Isis, and the Melvins, and Deep Purple. Also Queens of the Stone Age, Scissorfight, and I’m really starting to like the new Opeth, even though I’m not usually a fan of the “thousand Dobermans barking” vocal style. It’s a very intellectual CD.

Who did you listen to as a young teenager? I was totally into Blue Oyster Cult, and even sent away for a B.O.C. official belt buckle when I was in 10th grade! Later when I started to be exposed to English music, I was totally into the Stranglers and Ultravox. I still think Ultravox’s first album is incredible. I also loved the Gang of Four, and I saw them in 1979 when I took a trip to London to see what was going on over there. Then I saw them again last year on the latest tour. How awesome!

Tell us about any music you have recorded? Let’s see. Wasted Talent made a cassette album. 2000 Maniacs made a cassette EP, that was recently digitized and put on CD. Unseen Force recorded an album in 1986 but there are only 500 copies in the world, and people are starting to e-mail and ask about getting CDs or MP3s so I guess there is still some interest! L7 had me play on their “Beauty Process” album, right after Jennifer left the band and Gail hadn’t joined yet. Supla Zoo Was a Punk-rock/Bossa-Nova band we had in NYC, we recorded an album. I recorded on a Pigface song called “Mind Your Own Business”, WHILE I was on tour in Europe! That was pretty exciting as the technology of laptop recording was still new to me. I recorded a cover of the PiL song “Seattle” for a PiL tribute album on Invisible Records. Also A remix of the song “Peepshow Ghosts” by the Damage Manual, also on Invisible. Jayne County did an EP here in NYC that I played bass and sang backing vocals on. Automatic Slim, a power trio I play with in NYC, did some recording in the last year, I play bass and sing on that stuff too.

Tell us about musicians/bands whom you have shared a stage with or opened for? I guess the top names would have to be U2 (the Moby band opened for them in Dublin, as you webmasters might remember!) and David Bowie (toured with Moby for the Area 2 tour here in the States).

What was your best gig/venue ever? That would have to be when Moby opened for U2 at Slane Castle, outside of Dublin. It was just a perfect day in every way. But I also have many, many fond memories of playing dingy punk rock squats in the USA and in Europe, some of those gigs were the most intense moments of my life. One time I was playing a punk gig in the south of Germany about 1992, and there is always one REALLY drunk guy in front of the stage singing along and trying to grab the mike from the singer. This guy was so drunk that he leaned down and BARFED all over the front of the stage, then stood back upright, took a swig of his beer, and carried on singing and trying to grab the mike! Later on a stray dog came by and licked up the vomit.

What was your worst moment onstage? The Moby band played some awful radio show in either California or the Midwest of the States. If you don’t know, these shows are put on by radio stations and a dozen bands get 15 minutes each. You always get treated like shit, and don’t get paid, but if you don’t play, guess what happens to your song on the radio? Anyway, we did many of these shows but this time we were sandwiched in between two angry white-boy nu-metal bands, and the crowd HATED Moby. They threw anything they could get their hands on, including glass bottles. It is really terrifying to be up onstage with projectiles flying at you and you have no way to protect yourself or get out of the way. Tell us about any magazine you have been featured in or on the cover? I have been in Bass Player a few times, once I wrote an article and once I was featured, and I’ve also done many online interviews which can be seen here. Also a couple of European magazines that I’m sorry to say I don’t remember the name of! Do you play/own any other instruments? I have a little toy keyboard that makes retarded sounds that I play with once in a while. What other instrument would you most like to play? I’d like to be GOOD AT the little toy keyboard that makes retarded sounds! What was the best concert you were ever at? Oh, there are so many! The Bad Brains, Deep Purple, H.I.M., and back in the day there used to be some AMAZING punk shows: C.O.C., Die Kreuzen, Butthole Surfers, some local Richmond bands like Honor Role and White Cross…

...

Do you find singing while playing bass difficult? It really can be a challenge to sing and play at the same time, especially if the singing is in different timing than the music. I once asked Gail Ann Dorsey how on earth she got that vocal line down on David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”, which she sings live with him. She told me that she put it on tape and then slowed it WAAAAY down and played along with it, a little at a time. Eventually she sped it up a little, then a little more, and soon she could sing and play at the same time.

Do you write/compose? Not so much. I am not the genius songwriter, and much prefer to put a really tasteful or interesting bassline on other people’s songs. Once in a while when I do write something it usually turns out to be some kind of soundtracky thing with lots of variations on a very few riffs.

If forming your ideal live band, what instruments would you have with you onstage? One or maybe 2 basses (I have played in a 2-bass band and it can be really interesting), DEFINITELY keyboards, live drums ,maybe even 2 drummers or a drummer and a percussionist. Guitars, not necessarily. Most guitarists are a pain in the ass and who needs all that soloing? And of course , MORE COWBELL!

Do you see the bass as a solo instrument? Meh, not so much. I have seen plenty of talented bass shredders do their solo things and frankly, I would not buy the CD. Although Steve Lawson and Jonni Lightfoot are exceptions. Both of them are real sweethearts, too.

If you could be taken to a concert anywhere on earth tonight, who would you want to see live? The Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, Deep Purple, Rage Against the Machine, Ramones. Oh wait! I’ve already SEEN them! I wish I would have had the chance to see Led Zeppelin, damn. And I’m sorry I never saw Soundgarden, too.

What music are you listening to most these days? Right this second I’m spending the winter in New Orleans, Louisiana where it is nice and warm, and there is a lot of work. They have a really great local radio station called WWOZ that plays all kinds of jazz from the 30’s as well as all sorts of local stuff. It’s really a treat, since radio in the NYC area is totally corporate and predictable.

Do you have a pet? I used to always have a cat or 3 around the house, ever since I was small. Finally my last cat died and then I met my boyfriend, who has a dog, so now we have a dog. I still like cats better (but don’t tell the boyfriend!).

Do you have a day-job or do you play professionally? A sad fact of the music business nowadays is that even a “professional” like I like to consider myself can hardly ever make a living. Out of probably hundreds of musicians I know, maybe 5 of them are actually supporting themselves doing it. So I’m very glad to have other skills. I’m quite a decent carpenter, and also manage and repair my house and a half in Richmond. It doesn’t bring in a huge amount of money but in 8 years when the house is paid off I should be able to live for nearly nothing. I don’t need a lot!

What’s your opinion on basses with more than 4 strings? I think this question was brilliantly answered by Bassgirl’s own Laurie Safdie, when she said: "I think they're for people who can't get over the fact that they can't play guitar, or they think that everyone wants to hear them be the Malmsteen of bass. Which by the way, nobody needs to hear." Basically, to me, if it can’t be played on 4 strings it isn’t rock and doesn’t really NEED to be played on a bass.

Did you ever have a famous person in your audience? Bowie, Bono, Madonna, Taj Mahal, Elton John, Bootsy Colllins, I mean, these were really Moby’s audiences but I was in his band at the time. Elton actually sang with us on stage at a House of Blues somewhere. He was a real pro.

Do you have any “bassist” jokes to share? Did you hear about the bassist who locked the keys in the van? It took her an hour to get the drummer out!

What are your ambitions, musically and personally? Musically, I have already had a really great career, and way more success than I ever hoped to have. I would like to do more recording though, since most of my playing has been live and I don’t have much to leave behind. Personally, I would love to travel some more, and have some kind of job that involves traveling and building things and being outdoors. I have never been particularly interested in having kids or getting married.

It's been a pleasure talking to you Greta.  Greta B's website can be accessed through our Links page. - Ed.

text and images are copyright of Greta Brinkman and BassGirls.Com