"The Master of the Bass"

By Sergio Vilar

Please Gonzo, could you introduce yourself to our readers? 
Hello there Nucleus fans! My name is Gonzo and I am a solo bassist from Hawaii.

Which have your models been to continue in the bass?
When I was starting out on the bass, my first real "bass hero" was Steve Harris from the band Iron Maiden. I admired his leadership role in the band and also his ability to write songs centered on his bass lines. In those early days I also discovered several other rock players like Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, Michael Anthony and Billy Sheehan. Later, while studying jazz in college, I was introduced to the music of many great players such as Marcus Miller, Jaco, Stanley Clark, John Patitucci, Jeff Berlin and of course the amazing Victor Lemonte Wooten.
In my own ongoing search for extreme players I have discovered such bassists as Jonas Hellborg, Beaver Felton, Michael Manring, Jan-Olof Strandberg, Brian Bromberg and a very talented player named Trip Wamsley.
I must say though that the one person most responsible for introducing me to the instrument and the person who taught me my very first riffs was my older brother Danny. Without his influence, encouragement and guidance in the beginning, I might not have taken up the bass at all. I owe him so much.
  
Could you be defined musically? 
Well, just the idea of a CD with no instruments other than bass seems to scare some people as well as fascinate others at the same time. Not unlike a car wreck. (laughter)
I imagine that there are probably many terms or labels you could use to describe my music. Although most attempts to describe music with words are just a way to market an artist by way of comparison, and most are fairly limiting, no matter how necessary they are. I mean, it does help the people at the record store decide where to file your CD, (laughter) but as with any art form, I believe music is different things to different people, so preconceived notions are always a dangerous thing.

What do you say on labeling your music like progressive rock? Does this classify you or does it help you to differ of other styles?
Progressive? Well, like I said, I feel this is just a term to introduce the music to the audience. You might find what you define as progressive elements in my songs if that is what you are looking for, but you will also hear some rock elements and probably a bit of classical and jazz in there too if you are looking for that. There is no escaping your roots.
 
How does it influence the relationship with the I publish in your music? 
I try not to think of this aspect at all when I am playing or writing my music. I express what is in my heart and soul with my instrument and I attempt to share these emotions as honestly as possible with who ever cares to listen. If you can relate and feel what I am feeling; great! If not; that's just as well. 
My relationship with my music, much like anyone's relationship with their God, is a very personal thing and cannot be forced or faked to satisfy another's ideals and still remain pure or genuine. I think that once you try to create for another persons expectations or commercial likes, your music will become contrived and artificial. This should be obvious to all when the music is listened to, and in return you become a candidate for mediocrity.
 

Do you have a discipline for your compossitive work?
Discipline? Me?!!! (laughter)
Well, I do play every day of my life, and when I am not playing I am grooving to the music I hear in my head and all around me in life, but I wouldn't exactly call that a "discipline”. I think of that as more of an obsession or perhaps an addiction of sorts. (laughter) I will have current favorite themes and rhythms that tend to come up when I play to practice, and I use them as a vehicle for expression. Over time these ideas tend to grow and take on a life of their own, which eventually become song ideas and in the end, compositions. I try to write a song a week this way, sometimes using song templates or forms just to define the separate parts (intro/verse/chorus/break/outro). Once a song's form is defined in this way, it can be rehearsed and further refined into the final piece. One thing great about music is that the song, even after it is recorded and put into a permanent form, can still be used as a vehicle for improvisation and can continue to live and grow.

What do you need to be able to express you as artist? 
The bass is my first weapon of choice. Probably because this is the instrument that I have devoted the most time to and feel most comfortable on. As a result, I seem to be drawn to it instinctively as my voice, but I also have an electric and a few acoustic guitars, some keyboards and a whole box of percussion instruments to play whenever the mood strikes for those voices.
To me, the nylon string guitar reaches straight to the heart like no other instrument can. Be it in a classical feel or in more of a Latin feel, something about the nylon string acoustic is just so romantic.
The electric guitar of course has it's own place in my heart too. I mean, is there anything more rude or aggressive than a distorted barre chord slowly grinding itself out into tremoloed feedback? (laughter) Nothing can take it's place when that type of mood comes along.
As a composing tool though, keyboards are irreplaceable to hear how extended chord voicings will sound over different roots. Plus, the way the keyboard is laid out for you, it is so easy to "see" the music in a fresh way which allows for voicings you might not come up with on a stringed instrument.
In the end though, depending on my mood, I can express myself with the car's horn, by tapping my spoon on the side of my morning coffee cup or simply by making a farting sound with my armpit! (laughter)
Music is everywhere.

How do you see to the music today and that you like tendencies or styles outside of the progressive one?
My students are a great source for bringing up the new artists to me, especially from the new pop and rock styles, which I might not be as likely to purchase on my own. I try to be very open minded about music and love to hear new releases. This is why I have a CD collection of well over 1,000 discs at last count, and this grows all the time! I thrive on a steady diet of music instead of television. (There is NO television in my house... never has been.)
I enjoy my classical music, especially Beethoven and Mozart, but also like to swing with Miles Davis and groove to David Sanborn. I have to be able to listen to all different types of music to reflect my mood. From the smoothness of Earth, Wind & Fire and Sade to acknowledging my agro-rock roots with The Suicidal Tendencies and Pantera (Rex is a distant cousin of mine by the way)... from The Gypsy Kings to BB King... Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to Disney Soundtracks and The Throat Singers of Tannu Tuva!!! It's all music to me; the soundtrack of my life.
I find it difficult to understand how a person could possibly limit themselves to listening to only one style of music. To me that would be like eating the same food everyday, wearing the same shirt every day or making love in the same position every time and how boring would THAT be?!!! 

How will it continue the year for Gonzo? 
I am currently writing and recording my second solo release here at my new studio, but I am afraid that learning to use the ProTools software correctly has been a whole project unto itself. Not that it is difficult to use, I am sure the weak link there is the loose nut behind the mixing board- and that would be ME! (laughter)
Seriously, I am having so much fun recording and re-recording with the new found luxury of my own studio that I am always tweaking something and redoing parts. I have come to realize that much like they taught us in art school in regard to a painting... "You are never DONE, you simply STOP”. I am finding that he same is ringing true with recording a song. I simply must stop changing a song and just let it be a captured moment. As soon as I can put this knowledge into practice I will be releasing the CD, entitled “Second in Command”.  It will be available at my web site www.GonzoBass.com

Well Gonzo, some final message?
First, I would like to thank Sergio and the fine staff at Nucleus for all their hard work in creating and maintaining such a fine site for us all to enjoy. You do the world a great service in helping to bring the music to us all. In parting I would just like to say; "Remember, life is what you make it”.

Aloha