PocketGroovesGSO

Description:

Screen Name:

PocketGroovesGSO

Sex:

M

Age:

29

Studio Musician:

Yes

Level Of Commitment:

Committed

Years Playing Music:

20

Gigs Played:

50 to 100

Tend to Practice:

2-3 times per week

The songs on the music player are the copywritten property of the artists which produced and created the recordings. Music is allowed via the expressed permission of the artists.

Josh Senic, Bassist
Pocket Grooves
Professional Studio Session and Live Bassist, Greensboro, NC
PocketGroovesGSO at gmail dot com
http://xeesm.com/pocketgroovesgso (my website, online bass review, social networks, email, and more)

Selected Discography/Resume of Projects Since 2007 Up To Current:

The following artists projects were recorded at Underground Sound Recording Studio in Greensboro, NC:

Alex Koman, EP: Hanging On; Song, “Lauren Mae,” 2007 (pop/rock)

(Musical break due to the birth of my daughter)

John “Goose” Adams, Album: Dancing with Athena, Sept 2008 (acoustic surf/pop/rock/reggae)
1. GREAT review from YES! Weekly magazine

Jordan McDowell, EP, Oct 2008 – Current (country)

Amber Dawson, Album, Sept 2008 (Contemporary Christian/Praise & Worship)

Stephen Senter, Album, Oct 2008 (acoustic folk)

Aisha Lewis, EP, Jan 2009 (gospel)

Graham Page, Album, Nov 2008 – Jan 2009 (Praise and Worship)

Beth Bailey, EP, Feb 2009 (country)

Damien Edwards, Single song projects, March 2009

Karla Davis, “Get Back To You” April 3, 2009 (Pop)
• Live performance for the JNFE (Just Not Famous Enough) PR Awards Ceremony 2009 at Greene Street Club in downtown Greensboro, NC.

Jonathan Lemmon, (EP/Album), Apr 2009 – (Contemporary Christian)

Misti Franklin, (EP), May 2009 – (Pop/Rock)

Dustin York, (EP), July 2009 – (Country/Rock)

Bio:

I started playing acoustic guitar at age 7 and lost interest (as many children do). When I started middle school (1991), I found the cello, and I was hooked. An opening for the double bass in the orchestra half way through the year introduced me to bass, and I haven’t looked back since. Orchestra courses in middle school and high school are the extent of my formal education in music. This is where I learned much of the music theory that I know and apply to projects that I play now, including: chord structure, harmony, melody, diatonic and modal scales, and keeping time. The rest of my musical education has been from the school of hard knocks; getting out there and playing with different vocalist, bands, churches, even other bassists. This was the more valuable portion of my education because all the theory in the world will not teach you how to play with others and hold the pocket. The best way to learn that is by simply doing it.

I have been playing bass guitar since 1991, playing mainly in churches at that point. After learning how to play with other musicians in churches, I was in several projects with many different genres. The most notable of these projects was in 1999-2001 with Prophesy 412, a Christian hard rock band based in Lexington, NC that sounded like a mix between Korn, Limp Bizkit, Project 86, and Staind. I stopped playing in projects for a little while after Prophesy 412 to reevaluate my life and circumstances, get a job, and settle down. I still played in churches from time to time, in an effort to keep my skills sharp. In 2004, I began playing with “oneeighty,” a church band from Westover Church in Greensboro, NC. This was a fun, but short lived project, playing at Westover Church and other churches. When oneeighty disbanded, I was dating the woman that I would end up marrying, so I took a short break to develop my relationship with my girlfriend; Carly and I were married in 2005. I then contacted Saul Johnson of Underground Sound Recording Studio, whom I had known for years from playing in churches and playing in oneeighty, asking if any session work was available. The rest, as they say, is history.

Style:

If I had to label myself as being a bassist of any one style, it would be very difficult because I’ve played so many styles of good music with great musicians. Out of all the different styles of music that I play, I would have to say that I am a pop/rock bassist at heart. However, I am a diverse bassist, I have played many different styles of music, and I am always happy to accept an opportunity to play other genres of music and grow as a musician. I have experience playing rock, pop, R&B/soul, jazz, blues, country, metal, funk, classical, Latin, Caribbean, reggae, and gospel.

I like to follow the 100% rule when playing/producing/writing music. This is to say that if there are 5 people making the music, each one produces 20% of the overall song. Five players multiplied by 20% of the song equals 100% of the dynamic music. This prevents playing over the other instruments, and prevents the other instruments from playing over you! I like leaving room in the song to breath – I’m not one of those bassists that play in every little open spot of the music. I’ve found this makes parts of a song feel forced, preventing the natural flow and dynamic that is naturally built in a good song.

I primarily play fingerstyle. I sometimes use a pick, but prefer not to because you can only get one kind of attack nuance from the string, and its uncomfortable to play with a pick. Fingerstyle playing allows many different attack options and different timbres, based on how and where you pluck the string. Effectively, this produces many different tones for many different styles all on one bass guitar. I play little slap-style, use harmonics from time to time, and thumb-thumping techniques now and again. I like using double stops to add some “color” to the chord that I’m playing under when the song asks for it. Overall, though, I have found that a solid fingerstyle groove works with most any style of music: from metal to jazz and R&B, from gospel to pop and rock.

I am currently providing studio recording sessions exclusively at Underground Sound Recording Studio because of Saul Johnson’s professional equipment and facility, his attention to detail, and his drive to bring out the best of the artist’s music and vision to produce professional quality recordings.

Influences:

My musical influences are many. P-NUT from the great band 311 is one of my biggest influences. Ronny Cates, formerly of Petra, is another big influence. Victor Wooten is an influence too, even though I can’t come close to the stuff he does. Fred Hammond is a big influence of mine in the gospel/R&B arena. The music of Phil Keaggy has been a big influence on how I play with acoustic guitarists. The bass lines of John Myung of the band Dream Theater influence the way that I approach rock and metal songs. Alternative rock from the 1990’s in general has influenced my playing. I haven’t really listened to a lot of jazz music, but I’m able to hold my own in jazz settings from what I’ve heard of Jaco Pastorius and Marcus Miller. I have only recently become interested in country music, and the music of Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Tracy Adkins, and The Dixie Chicks has influenced how I approach country music. There are too many more to name them all…

Equipment List:

Equipment:

My rig is very simple, consisting of three basses, a combo amp, a tuner, and a Mogami Gold cable. Yes, that’s it! Recording bass seems to sound best when recording directly into the mixing console or into the music recording interface (ProTools, Cakewalk, Notion, etc) in computer based studios. I prefer running directly into ProTools and using a studio compressor to even out the tonal dynamics. Playing live, run into the house PA from the XLR out of my amp. Simple, effective, and sonically pleasing. Trust your soundperson – it’s their job to make you sound good!

My primary bass is a Traben Chaos Obsession fretted 5-string, equipped nicely from Traben with Rockfield soapbar pickups and 3-band active preamp. This bass has a big, crisp, clean tone with dark undertones good for many modern tonal applications within different genres of music. Featuring a maple/walnut 5-piece laminated neck running through the Royal Paulonia body, exotic stripped ebony wood top, and wenge fingerboard, this bass looks every bit as good as it sounds! Traben basses are played by such greats as Bootsy Collins, Derrick Murdock of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno band, and John Moyer of the hard rock band Disturbed.

My secondary bass is an Ibanez ATK700 fretted 4-string with a single pickup design, featuring an Ibanez triple coil bridge pickup and 3-band active preamp. This bass has a substantial, traditional body and bolt-on neck. The swamp ash body and maple/walnut neck with the flamed maple fingerboard offer a bright, cutting tone. I use this bass for rock, funk, country, and other styles that require a thick, bright, “Music Man” kind of tone. Ibanez has a rich history of great artists playing their basses, including jazz greats Gary Willis and Gerald Veasley, as well as rock players like Fieldy of the band Korn, and Paul Gray of the band Slipknot.

My third bass is a Yamaha RBX460 fretted 4-string (will be fretless in August 2009) with a smaller alder body and bolt-on maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. I have upgraded this bass with a Hipshot B bridge, Seymour Duncan Basslines Quarter Pound passive P-style and J-style set, and Seymour Duncan Basslines 2-band active preamp. I also modified this bass with the addition of a battery box and for the ability to string the bass through the body. I like this bass for Fender P-Bass style tone; vintage tonal applications. Players of great Yamaha basses include Michael Anthony of Van Halen, Nathan East, John Patitucci, and Billy Sheehan.

My amp is an Ampeg BA115HP 220 watt combo with a 15” driver and 1” compression horn. Nothing fancy; no frills. 3-band shelving EQ in the preamp, built in tuner, CD/aux in, XLR direct out. This is a great workhorse, with classic Ampeg tone. The “who’s who” of the bass world plays Ampeg amps, including Les Claypool, Sting, Victor Wooten, and session greats Will Lee, Tony Levin, and Steve Bailey.

I am currently bringing the Traben Chaos Obsession and the Ibanez ATK700 to every recording session. Once I have completed the fretless conversion on the Yamaha RBX460, I will be bringing all three to every session. Different songs need different tones, and sometimes more than one bass is required for a single song.

I typically string these basses with Ernie Ball Regular Slinky bass strings (gauges 45, 65, 80, 100 for 4-string and 45, 65, 80, 100, 120 for 5-string). I will string the Yamaha with tape-wound’s when the fretless conversion is complete. I play live and record with Mogami Gold instrument cables.

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