The LC3
From a young age, maybe 8 or so, I felt a pull toward the bass guitar. It wasn’t until I was about 14 before I first actually held one. A black Fender P-Bass on loan from one of my Dad’s pals. The old man just wanted to make sure I was serious about this gruelling pursuit before he ponied up to purchase my own axe.
A few short years later, I was thrust into live performance largely in bars along the seedier side of night life. After hundreds and hundreds of gigs as a Bass player for hire, it was eventually time to form and front my own outfit on the road. I packed up my Fender Basses and assembled a trio that from August 2010 to October 2011 toured Canada aggressively. We played some good shows and a whole lot of bad ones. By 2017, I was finally out of the financial hole I had dug for myself and with a larger band behind me, I put the 4 strings down in favour of 6. I hadn’t abandoned the Bass entirely, keeping the muscle flexed by playing the Upright for Little Miss Higgins from 2015-2018 and the electric bass with Surf ‘n Turf (2016-present).
Lost Country was formed in 2017 as a 4 piece and eventually the standing rule was we were to be 5 (with pedal steel joining the mix). We have since seen no fewer than 10 bassists + 4 steel pickers while the constants remain Joanna Miller (drums, vocals) and Grant Siemens on guitar. I was back on the Fender bass for the recording and release shows for our A Bakersfield Half-Dozen record but aside from that, and ignoring urges from my closest comrades, I avoided fronting the show on bass despite my long standing love for a singin’ bass player. (See: Russel deCarle, Phil Lynott, Jake Hooker, Bootsy Collins, and when I was a younger fella, folks like Mike Herrera or Mark Hoppus).
So there I am not sure what I am for a handful of years. Until late 2021 when the prospect of auditioning for Corb Lund’s, Hurtin’ Albertans presented itself. I’d ignored the universe and its signs to grab those basses and here stood a most wonderful opportunity. Last year, I played just shy of 150 shows (mostly with Corb), while just a handful saw me on guitar playing solo, duo or with Lost Country. Destiny had come calling and I once again felt like a bass player and not just another asshole with a J-45 and a rack harmonica.
We had many internal discussions about the sound and presentation of Lost Country. With Grant & I both on the road so much with CL, it makes it tough to keep Lost Country at the level we grew accustom to. Most recently we’ve returned home and performed as a 4 or 5 piece however, the time has come for me to return the show to its roots. A trio configuration with yours truly fronting on the bass. City & Country. Stand Up & Sideways. Upright & Electric. Whatever you wanna call ‘em, I’ll be on them both with Lost Country for the foreseeable future. We invite you to come see a show and hear what we’ve been cooking up. Some different sounds and flavours await. See ya around.
February 3: Park Alleys (9:30-Midnight)
February 10: The Toad (10:30pm-1:30am)
February 23: Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club (9pm)
February 24: Manitou Opera House (7:30pm)
March 23: Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club (9pm)
April 27: Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club (9pm)