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The Deeper Side of Fred Hayward |
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I first met Fred 10 years ago...well, "met" is a strong word - we were in rival bands...at the PE "On The Go Show". I was just starting out as a bass-player and was absolutely wowed by this man. It is a great honour for me now to be interviewing someone who inspired me all those years ago. Why bass and how long have you been playing? I started playing bass in the mid 80's when I went to the army, simply because it would have been a logistical nightmare to take my drum kit along with me. I sold the drums and bought a cheap Kawai bass guitar which I took with me to the army. I had a really "swak" amp that was given to me by a friend, I forget his name, but the amp worked OK. Fortunately I had a fair amount of time on my hands after hours and over the weekends, which I turned into some positive practising time, as opposed to working on looming inspections or doing washing, not that I was siff or anything, I was just very well connected. I used to practice along with the tapes I took with me, using the bass players from bands such as Level 42, Duran Duran, Wang Chung, Bon Jovi, Toto etc., as instructors. Sometimes a group of us would go out on Friday and/or Saturday nights, and go to the clubs in Pretoria or Jhb. Highly illegal of course, but very influential in the formative years of a young bassists' bass playing career. I'm sure the Commanding Officer would have understood. Not! We used to frequent a club in Sunnyside, I forget the name, but there was a really good band that played there at the time. They called themselves "Cafe Society", more importantly the bass player was Gavin Langeveldt. The band performed all the current Top 40 hits of the 80's. While the rest of the troops were trying to get lucky... pitiful, I was hypnotised by every sound and groove that emitted from his Peavey Mark III and Peavey 2x15. I always looked forward to them playing "Hot Water" by "Level 42", which they usually performed at the end of the third set. They used to play the whole song and end it with Gavin doing a solo. This confirmed my calling to the lower frequencies of the bass guitar, which was more melodic, but still very rhythmical. Needless to say I don't miss my drums. Who are your favourite artists/bands? Mark King of Level 42. If you thought he was good in the eighties, you should here him now, I'm not referring to his studio albums either. He has become even more absolutely awesome. I still don't know how he sings over his basslines. He's very under-rated as a singer. Also, Duran Duran, Toto, Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Flea, Abraham Laboriel, Mezzoforte, Cassiopiea. Where could we hear recordings of your playing or catch you live? You can catch me performing live with Julian Laxton at "Julian's" in Blackheath on Saturdays, where I'm involved in a Jimi Hendrix tribute show. Other than that it is with great pleasure That I stand-in for Kerry Hiles as her bass dep at the Boma Barnyard theatre in Alberton, where the show "Rock Me Amadeus" is currently running. What instruments do you currently use, and what is your choice of amp? I am currently using a Yamaha TRB 4, which I play through an SWR Workingman's 300, into a Trace Elliot 4X10, Trace Elliot 4X8 and/or an SWR 15. I use a Behringer Autocom for compression, as well as a Boss Super Chorus pedal and a Boss Octave pedal. I use the Chorus pedal for harmonics and chords, and the Octave pedal is used to "gippo" the lower registers of a 5 string. What was the worst gig you ever played? Too bad to mention. What's the most fun you've had with your bass on? I've had a lot of fun with my bass on, but the most memorable was playing to fifty thousand people on the beach in Plettenberg Bay. It was a New Year's eve gig that was broadcast live over Radio Algoa. At midnight a fireworks display was launched from the roof of the Beacon Isle Hotel. It lit up the beach so that all you could see was a sea of people with the waves breaking on the shore in the background. What a sight! It's just a pity that the band I was playing with at the time sucked. I suppose you can't win them all. What are your desires for your bass-playing future? I believe that we should all learn from each other in order to pass on the desire to play bass to the next generation. We should share our knowledge with one another so that we may "educate" younger bass players to become better bassists. For instance, wouldn't you like to see workshops on chords and harmonics, slapping technique, finger techniques, fretless technique, neck & amp; string set-up, equalisation, compression, speakers, the use of effects, what makes a good studio musician, what makes a good performer, stage set-ups, DI's, etc. I know I would, and I know everyone will benefit from this. Furthermore, my desire is that my bass playing career will snowball into a well-oiled machine that will allow me to regularly play with the best musicians. Hopefully one day someone will see me as their inspiration in becoming a bass player, as Gavin Langeveldt was for me. |
