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An Interview with
Bert Askes |
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How long have you been playing Bert? I’ve been playing bass for about 28 years. How did you get started? Probably in the most typical way - at school. A friend of mine was an aspiring guitarist & singer and another was a potential drummer. All we needed was a bass player, that’s where I came in, not even knowing what a bass was! The idea sounded great, so they filled me in as to what it was about. I sold my bicycle & bought my first bass. Things went well & we ended up playing at parties & ‘sessions’ – good fun. What’s your favourite band / solo artist? It’s difficult to nail down one artist or band, I grew up listening to bands like: Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Kiss. Later I was very influenced by Level 42 (Mark King). Here are some of my favourite artists: Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten , Billy Sheehan , Pino Palladino, Roscoe Beck. Bands like: Mr. Big, Journey, Van Halen, Collective Soul, RHCP, Train, Delamitri & many more! What are the instruments you currently use? 1). 5 string Ibanez RD Custom, with modified EMG pick-ups & bridge – great for recording & very comfortable. 2). 5 string G&L L2500 – my work-horse, very rugged, always sounds good, makes me play simpler/better. 3). 4 string Fender Hot-Rod P Bass (New American Series) – The ultimate, good ol’ retro bass! I have 2 amps, an old Peavey 130 Combo BW which I lug around for rehearsals & a Marshall 4 x 10 combo for gigs. What instruments would you like to have if money were no object? I still haven’t found an instrument that I’m completely comfortable with. I certainly wouldn’t mind owning a plethora of different guitars like a Warwick Streamer Bass or a PRS but I would probably have a custom made bass with all my favourite attributes. What have you been doing for the last five years or so? I mostly play as a hobby or for fun, but as I no longer have permanent employment I now take it a little more seriously. Currently I play in 3 bands: ‘3 Foot Thang’, ‘George Worthmore & The Divebombers’ & ‘The Salami Kings’. This ensures a reasonably steady stream of paying gigs. What recordings that you’ve played on would you recommend for listening? I haven’t done much recording, most of which I have no copies or recollection of. Aside from that there are some live recordings on the re-mastered ‘Best of’ The Helicopters. Other unreleased & probably unobtainable recordings of ‘The Homegrown Band’ – Home Grown & ‘Kade’ – Everything In Between. What’s been the low point in your career so far? I would have to say there was a period of about 4 years where I didn’t play at all, that was terrible! And what has been the high point? That would probably be in the ‘80s when I played professionally for about 4 years, 2 of which, even though I was gigging every week, I still never made one cent! That was a product of my naivety & a greedy manager, but nevertheless it was great fun & quite an experience. What are your goals currently? My current & future plans are pretty much the same – to play for enjoyment & try to make some money along the way. I consider myself fortunate that I get the chance to play with really talented musicians & make music. I am not & do not aspire to be a ‘front-man’, I just like to get down & play bass. |
