Spellbinder - The New Sound of Rock!

Instruments: 4- & 5-String Electric Bass Guitar, Electric & Acoustic Guitar. (For you equipment junkies, I use an '86 4-string Tobias, a '96 5-string Modulus Graphite, and Eden WT-400 head, and various combinations of 3 speaker cabinets; an Eden 210-XLT, an SWR Goliath 410, and a Begend S-15D.)

Musical Influences: Honestly, if I tried to list them all this section would be far too verbose. I probably share a commonality with many bass players as I was first influenced by guys like Geezer Butler and Geddy Lee, and I admire the sort of players that are frequently featured in Bass Player magazinetoday like Victor Wooten and Gary Willis. My Guitar/Bass teacher (George Raccio of Hamden, CT) was an invaluable resource as I learned to play. I played for years in Uncle John's Jug Band with Todd Waldron on Guitar and Bob Cewe on Drums, and most of my style evolved around playing with them. I still consider them to be two fo the finest musicians I have ever played with. I have also had the priviledge of "Jamming" with Michael Tottenham for the past two years. Mike's Guitar playing has been truly inspirational. Locally, the two Bass Players who leave me slack-jawed are undoubtedly Joel Lee (Plays with Fro) and Mike Nunno (owns Milford Music). Speaking of, Milford Music is THE place to buy Bass or Guitar Equipment. Not only do they have an unbelievable selection of gear, they are hands down the most pleasant and down-to-earth music equipment shopping experience I have ever had. Local bands to check out are Mighty Purple, Fro (get off your TV watchin' ass and check this shit out), Sneaky Pete, the FOG, Section 8, Michael Tottenham, and Shakedown (yes I played with them for 2 or 3 weeks). Honorable mention goes out to two bands no longer in existence, the Peace Trust (who sounded like no other band I've ever heard) and Uncle John's Jug Band (you wanna know how good we were? Just ask us). Rather than go on forever, (Bill, are you listening?) I thought it would be helpful to list the 10 CDs I would bring if I were going to be stuck on a desert island for the rest of My Life:

Worst Songs: My friend Todd Waldron summed it up when he wrote on the band room wall at Toad's Place "Anyone who is not me sucks."

Favorite Animal & Why:Apistogramma Bitaenita - one of the more beautiful and bahaviorally complex of the dwarf cichlids. (It's a fish.)

Favorite Cheese: Very sharp cheddar. (Not only does it kick ass, its a great excuse to drink red wine.)

Best Practice Quotes: Apparently people think that I say "just for kicks" quite often.
Kate or Kelly: "What is a 'love snack' anyway?
Jim: "You know, I've played in bands with women who could sing like birds, but until I started playing with Kate and Kelly, I've never seen one even touch a drum, never mind load them in my car for me."
Bill: "Who starts this one? Capo on the 3rd fret, right? What key?
" Ivan: "Bill, you wrote this song, remember?"

Intellectual Quotes: "That which does not kill me only makes me stronger. Thanks for the wrokout." (My version of a popular quote)

Favorite Line/Lyric from one of our original songs: "If I heard you right, you said no one would know." (If I Could)

Part-Time Job(s): Applied Behavioral Analysis and direct care services for individuals with developemental disabilities. (State of CT, Department of Mental Retardation, and SARAH Tuxis)

Best Way to Beat Bill: With a baseball bat. (A close second would be to hide his capo and watch him freak.)

Most Memorable Band-Related Happenstance: Why Attention Deficit Disorder + Trigonometry = Staring at Kelly's Ass in front of her boyfriend all night by accident. Gigs do provide a certain level of entertainment as the force you to remain in a single vantage point and observe humanity at its finest. The "cue stick breakin' over heads" barfight and the gentleman who could sing off-key falsetto louder than we could play tend to stick out in my mind.

Most Bizarre Initial Impression of Another Band Member: You really don't want me to answer this one. Trust me, you really don't.

Liquid Sustenance While Playing: It varies, Coffee, water, or a good beer (i.e. Bass or a microbrew) are the standards.

Best "Spellbinding" Activity: Watching the Discovery Channel or having sex, but I've actually watched the Discovery Channel. (Bill told me that I misunderstood the question and didn't mean what activities leave me "spellbound," but what I like to do with the band. Actually nothing beats playing live. Well, sex is a strong contender, but I prefer to keep my relationship with my bandmates strictly professional.)

Final Thoughts...
Well, I couldn't find the section of my questionnaire that asked how much I loved my children, so I'll put it here. I love you Katherine and Kira! Anyhow, in the book Playing in the Band, Phil Lesh quoted The Brothers Karamatzov saying, "the wire is life, everything else is just waiting around." I assume he applied this to playing in the Grateful Dead. I tend to share the same perspective. Nothing comes so close to sex (really, really good forget-your-own-name sex) like playing live. When the musicians are really connecting and the audience is giving you great feedback, it just doesn't get much better. Besides, I've never been paid for sex.