"I'd always wanted to work as an artist, but by the time I was halfway through high school, I realized that the commercial art world would not be a fun place to be, career-wise. I had always loved music, and at this point, I started considering a career in music instead. It seemed like there were fewer rules to have to follow.
The bass guitar is kind of a sneaky instrument. Me playing bass guitar seemed very non-threatening to the teenage boys I knew who played guitars and drums... This way I was allowed access into the Rock-and-Roll treehouse. Also, early on, some friends took me to see Carol Kaye play in a little nightclub in Hollywood. She's a great bass player, she's played on tons of records with everyone who's anyone... When I saw her do it, I wanted to do it too.
..... many many many years ago when I went and saw Carol Kaye play at that little club in Hollywood, I asked her that question - which is better, fingers or pick - and she said "I play ballads with fingers, and rock songs with pick", which was cool, so I learned how to do both."
The bass guitar is kind of a sneaky instrument. Me playing bass guitar seemed very non-threatening to the teenage boys I knew who played guitars and drums... This way I was allowed access into the Rock-and-Roll treehouse. Also, early on, some friends took me to see Carol Kaye play in a little nightclub in Hollywood. She's a great bass player, she's played on tons of records with everyone who's anyone... When I saw her do it, I wanted to do it too.
..... many many many years ago when I went and saw Carol Kaye play at that little club in Hollywood, I asked her that question - which is better, fingers or pick - and she said "I play ballads with fingers, and rock songs with pick", which was cool, so I learned how to do both."
INSTRUMENTS
Michael Steele
Michael's Ampeg SVT
A 200 pound monster (85 pound for the head, >100 pounds for the cabinet), the Ampeg SVT was crated to be "the biggest, nastiest bass amplifier the world had ever seen." .... (read more)
A 200 pound monster (85 pound for the head, >100 pounds for the cabinet), the Ampeg SVT was crated to be "the biggest, nastiest bass amplifier the world had ever seen." .... (read more)
Hofner used on Doll Revolution "Lost at Sea"
Ampeg Scroll Bass used on Doll Revolution "Between The Two"
Taylor Acoustic used on "following" (live)
In an interview with BBC 6-Music during the Bangles Doll Revolution tour, Michael talked about how she started playing bass guitar:
"I was friends with this fellow named Sterling (...Ernie Ball's son...). We went over to his house and he had just tons of instruments, and there was a bass there. So i picked it up and I kinda started playing - and went hey this is kinda cool....
Its a great instrument people think its a very simplistic instrument but it's really hard to do well."
Its a great instrument people think its a very simplistic instrument but it's really hard to do well."
In an on-line chat session at Return Post, Michael says:
Instruments
A La Carte A la Park San Francisco August 31, 2003 - photo by MikeBangle
Jackson 5-String Bass - 1989
Hagstrom Bass - 198?
