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Jill Emery, born in California 1962,
started bass at 15 years old. Her first band with Rozz of Christian
Death, Steve Darrow on drums were called The Asexuals, an arty punk
band. Many bands followed
including The Decadent, The Super Heroines , Hole, Mazzy Star, Shadow
Project and Sylvia Juncosa Band.
A self-taught bassist, Jill now
lives in Sierra Madre, California, a painter and animal activist. She
misses playing music but environmental, animal, human rights and art
contribute to the fire. |
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Jill Emery, welcome to BassGirls.Com.
What first attracted you to playing bass?
Someone kind of put one in my hands and I
eventually created my own style and looked beyond the normal bass playing
duties, with chords and dissonant sounds.
Did you play any other instrument
before you started playing bass? No.
Can you remember the first piece you
ever learned on bass? Pyscho Killer
by The Talking Heads.
What’s your main bass?
Fender Telecaster 1971. Believe it or not
at that time they were still made in USA!
Do you play with your fingers, pick
or both? fingers
Have you played fretless bass? How
does it compare with fretted for you?
I turned one of my basses into a fretless by pulling out the frets sanding
it a bit and putting putty in the cracks and it sorta works. I have a
feeling I just like taking things apart, I did that to a trumpet and it
never worked again. at the time I thought I was going to be Miles Davis!
Have you played double (upright) or
acoustic bass? yes in a music store
picked one up and tried a Black Sabbath song on it!
What bands do you enjoy listening
to? Cat Power, Bob Dylan, Van
Morrison, Jazz, Acetone, My Morning Jacket.....I still love Patti Smith.
Who did you listen to as a young
teenager? Patti Smith was the best
concert I saw in 1977, I liked what was called punk at the time, Avengers,
Talking Heads, X-Ray Spex, Sex Pistols, Adverts, Pretenders, Dead Kennedys.....
What was your worst moment onstage?
With Mazzy Star, I was on stage and
had bought this ring at a thrift store. At one point I was playing and
staring at it and lost my train of thought and place and just stopped
playing! Or when we played the Bridge Benefit with Neil Young and we were
playing these drop dead quiet songs and people in the front row were
eating corn on the cob.
If you could be taken to a concert
anywhere on earth tonight, who would you want to see live?
I would like to sit down have a glass of wine, and hear something spacey
and jammy - maybe Alice Coltrane. Are the Allman Brothers still around?
Alright then, The Black Crowes even though I don't have any of their
records.
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How would you best describe the type
of music you mostly play? sad
angry
Tell
us about your recordings Jill?
Super Heroines - 'Souls That Save', Mazzy Star - 'Among My
Swan', Hole - 'Pretty On The Inside' as well as singles and EPs,
I also played on one sad song on Hope Sandoval's 'Bavarian
Fruitbread'
What musicians/bands with whom
you have shared a stage? Sonic
Youth, Dead Kennedys, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sound Garden
Do you play/own any other
instruments? Guitar, banjo,
clarinet, but I'm not that good. In fact I just play and try to
find sounds.
What other instrument would you
most like to play? Love those
drums.
What was the best concert you
were ever at? Patti Smith.
Do you find singing while
playing bass difficult? Yes.
Do you write/compose?
I wrote songs and loved it. |
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Do you see the bass as a
solo instrument? I see it as a very
integral part of the band.What are
your hobbies/interests outside of music?
I like to make things, art, or think about
the state of the world and how it's all based on money. How can we take
down Walmart... or Kentucky Fried Chicken?
Give one piece of advice
to someone who has just bought their first bass?
Play more than 2 strings, it has four.
Have you ever been to Ireland?
Yes and the police gave me a ride back to my hotel, they were very nice to
me and it was beautiful there.
(Wish they were as nice to everyone else! -
Ed.)
Is there a bassist whose
sound/technique you really like? All
I remember is that damn Mike Watt was pretty good.
What’s your opinion on basses with
more than 4 strings? Try the four
first, they are pretty versatile.
Did you ever have a famous person in
your audience? Neil Young, Timothy
Leary (was he famous?)
Do you have a pet?
Three cats, I love them.
Thank you Jill. Jill's
art website can be accessed through our Links page - Ed.
text and images are copyright
of Jill Emery
and
BassGirls.Com
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