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Monday November 19th, 2001
Moving In Stereo: Bassist Richard Jones Of Stereophonics
by Lisa Sharken
One of the U.K.s hottest exports today is a potent pop trio called Stereophonics. Formed by guitarist Kelly Jones, drummer Stuart Cable and bassist Richard Jones in the South Wales village of Cwmamam, Stereophonics was propelled to the top of the British charts with the release of its 1997 debut, Word Gets Around. The album generated three Top 40 hits and earned the group honors as Best New Band at the 1998 Brit Awards. The bands second disc, Performance And Cocktails, debuted at number one after its 1999 release and soon after, it was certified quadruple-platinum in the U.K., but sold over two million copies worldwide. The album then remained on the charts as the group announced the release of its third album, Just Enough Education To Perform [V2 Records] in 2001.
We caught up with Richard Jones (who, incidentally, is no relation to Kelly Jones) at the end of the groups recent U.S. tour with U2. Jones described the development of his style and sound as player and how his classic rock roots directed him to the Gibson Thunderbird and SG basses he plays today. Additionally, Jones brought us up to speed on the groups future plans for touring and recording.
Just Enough Education To Perform Who were your influences as a player and what was it that inspired you to play bass?
When I started playing bass, it was Andy Fraser from Free and Jack Bruce who were my big influences. I was about 14 or 15 then and I wasnt into the music that was popular around that time. Instead, I was listening to a lot of old 60s and 70s music, like the stuff that Free used to do, where there was a lot of freedom within the songs. What a lot of musicians tend to do when they learn to play their instrument is to try to play their ass off and overplay. I was listening to people who were just making room for all the other instruments and making the song sound great. I learned early on that less is more. When youre playing with a band, the most important thing is to focus on what makes the song sound best.
Did you take lessons or were you self taught?
I was self taught. I would put on records and see if I could play along with them. Watching people play guitar was a big lesson to me. But the biggest lesson of all was joining a band. As soon as that happens, you tend to listen to the timing of the drummer and follow where the guitarist is going with the chords, then try to blend it all together with the bass. So the bass is sort of like the middle ground between the what the drums and the guitar are playing.
Had you started out on bass or were you a guitar player first?
I started on bass because I really wanted to get into playing an instrument and everyone else who was playing an instrument around our village was playing guitar. So I thought it would be a lot easier to get into a band if I played a different instrument apart from guitar. I went down to the guitar shop to have a look around and I bought my first bass -a Precision copy, but it was a fretless one. I just taught myself how to tune it and then tried to do a couple of Blues Brothers riffs on it.
When did you start playing Gibson basses?
Gibson Thunderbird That was around two or three years ago. Id always wanted one of the EB-0 basses, ever since I saw Andy Fraser and Jack Bruce with them. Around three years ago, wed met Pat Foley at Gibsons London office. He said that the company had started doing reissues of those basses and he sent one over for me to try out. I started to use it live and then around about eight months ago, he sent over a Thunderbird bass and I started playing that. Im currently in the process of looking for another bass guitar that can match the sound of the Thunderbird because when we do quieter songs, I need something that has a similar tone, but with less of an impact visually than the Thunderbird because it has more of the heavy rock appeal. The Thunderbird is my main bass, but I also use the Gibson SG bass. I tried out the Les Paul bass last month and I thought that was really good as well.
How do each of your basses compare in tone and playability? How do they affect your technique and style as a player?
In terms of tone, the SG bass has got the most range because it has separate volume and tone controls for both of the pickups and its got a selector switch to choose between using either of the pickups or using both pickups together. I used the SG bass in the studio on a lot of the quieter songs. On the album there was Nice To Be Out and Step On My Old Size Nines. The tone of the Les Paul bass has more balls to it, so its a bit like the Thunderbird, but its got more top end on. I tend to use that with more upbeat songs than what the SG bass could be used for. The Thunderbird bass would be the same, but its a lot more bassier in tone. Thats my favorite guitar at the moment. Its got a really nice neck on it as well, so its easy to play, but its a bit awkward to use when youre sitting down. Each of the basses has got a different spot within the set list. Its just a shame that I cant bring them all out when we come to America. We have to keep down the amount of gear we travel with so I have to just bring the two guitars that I use most. So I tend to leave the SG bass at home to use for writing songs in the house and I take the Thunderbird on the road because its got a lot more power.
Describe your backline amplification and effects.
Ive never used quite a lot of effects, usually just a little bit of tremolo because on the first and second album, like Same Size Feet which is a B-side from the first album, which has a tremolo on the bass. Its also just for ending of songs, where you just need a bit of noise to remove the rid around the room, so you just stomp on the tremolo pedal. I think its a Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe. Ive got a Dunlop Crybaby bass wah wah pedal onstage as well, but thats just for a bit of fun. For amplification, Ive got a 600 watt head. For speakers, I have one 4x10 and one 1x18 cab for when we big arenas; then Ive got two stacks of that. Its just so I have a bit more power onstage.
What I usually do is I have two heads running a stack. I have the top head running the 4x10 and the bottom head running the big 18 speaker. Its just so I can get a different sound from each speaker. Im going to try to get a good distortion sound over the next three to four weeks because were doing a big arena tour back in Britain starting in two weeks. So I want to try to get something sorted before that just to have a little bit of a growl within some of the rockier songs that we do, like The Bartender And The Thief. When we recorded in the studio, I think we used a Sans Amp, but it doesnt really work live because you lose a lot of the volume on the sounds. So Ive got to try to find something that will have that sound live.
How do you have your basses set up?
The strings I use are .045-.110 gauge. I dont like the strings to be too high or too low off the neck and I really like the way the Gibson basses come set up from the factory. Its just the way I like it. When I used to play the Fenders, Id struggle with the action on them because the pickups on the Precision have an odd shape, where they go up into the middle, so it was a bit difficult for me to find the right set up.
Do you have a collection of instruments?
Gibson Les Paul bass I am a fan of collecting instruments, but my wife is giving me a little bit of a telling off because Ive got all these guitars lying around. So Ive got to store them in different places and right now, my brother is babysitting two of my guitars. Ive got the SG bass back in the house along with Takamine and Washburn 6-string acoustic guitars and a Washburn acoustic bass. Im on the lookout for a new electric guitar to keep around the house for writing. The acoustics are pretty good for the acoustic songs, but when you start to use them with a little bit of gain, they start to go a little funny sounding. I want to get a nice Les Paul or perhaps a Firebird guitar. Ill have to give Pat a ring when Im back in Britain!
How do you warm up for a live performance?
Its usually pretty quiet in the dressing room. We do tend to play some upbeat music before we go on, but sometimes it can get a little crowded in the dressing room and well have to empty the room about ten minutes before we go on so we can have a little bit of time for thought right before we go onstage. But we really dont have any rituals we go through. We just play some live-sounding music to get us going before we go onstage. Thats really about it.
Do you ever go over any hand exercises to stretch out your fingers a bit before you go onstage?
No, not before I go on. I tend to do quite a bit of playing in the soundcheck. I do a couple of scales or play some Flea stuff, so thats enough.
Do you maintain any regular practice routines when you arent touring or do you do more songwriting when youre playing at home?
Its more songwriting and just jamming with the band.
How does your approach to playing differ when youre playing live and in the studio?
I think that playing live is probably the easiest gig because theres not any room for mistakes, so you tend to play what you know. If youve learned something new over the last couple of days, you tend to slip it in during the soundcheck and see if anybody notices. If it works, then you slip it into the live set.
In the studio, its all about trying different things. I tend to play with my fingers most of the time, but when were in the studio, some of the producers like to have me try out different techniques, like perhaps playing with a pick, which can be a little bit restrictive for me. I think theres just a lot more dynamics when playing with the fingers. With a pick, its a lot more live sounding and you get a lot more treble when you use a pick. In the studio, we tend to play the song through a couple of times, so when it comes to nailing the bass part, I have an idea of what I want. Ill play it through two or three times to get the best performance on tape, then if Ive got another idea for a little fill or something, Ill just drop it in.
What advice would you give to others on becoming a better musician?
I think the best thing you can do is to just get out there and play live because youll figure out what works and what doesnt work. Play with as many people as you can and dont restrict yourself to playing with the same people all the time. Thats the good thing about the situation were in now because weve been a three-piece band since 92, when I had my first gig with the band. Around three years ago, we brought in an extra keyboard player and guitar player for the touring band. It adds more excitement when youre playing with different instruments and have different people added to the melting pot. It definitely helps to keep things interesting.
Tell us about some of your most memorable gigs?
Richard & Kelly Jones Going back about three years ago, I had a bit of a disaster onstage.... Wed done the soundcheck for the show and afterwards, Id asked the sound engineer to put an extra monitor onstage. When it came to the gig at night, I forgot that Id asked him for the monitor and I didnt realize that the monitor was there. It was set up behind me, so when I stepped back, I tripped over the monitor and fell off the stage. I actually fell onto the sound guy and he managed to catch me. That was funny in a very Spinal Tap way.
Another funny thing happened at a show wed done in Manchester with the Manic Street Preachers a couple of years ago. We were about eight bars into one of the songs and then all of the power in the building went off. Stuart had to do a drum solo for about three or four minutes, which he thoroughly enjoyed. But these U2 shows we just finished have been a really good atmosphere for us to play. I like the band and the band themselves have been so accommodating to our needs. Theyre really nice people as well. Its been a great experience to tour with them.
What kind of music do you listen to for inspiration and enjoyment?
I like a lot of American bands from over the last ten years. Blind Melon and Stone Temple Pilots are probably my favorite bands of the last decade. But I enjoy listening to a bit of everything like Neil Young, Bob Marley, Cypress Hill and Rage Against The Machine. I think its really nice just to be able to play music - its a big bonus. And being able to play different styles is another added bonus on top.
What are the bands future plans for touring and recording?
Just a click away...
Gibson Thunderbird
SG basses
Gibson Les Paul bassWere going to bee doing a couple of radio shows in December around America. Then we come back to the States the second week of January to do a tour that we had to cancel in September. Hopefully, if everything goes well and we have a little bit of success with radio and MTV, then well come back a couple of times next year. Then around summertime next year, well start recording our next album, which will be the fourth Stereophonics album.
Lisa Sharken is a New York City based freelance writer. She regularly contributes to national guitar and music media as well as gibson.com.
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