Interview with Jim Creeggan (Barenaked Ladies)
Jim Creeggan has been playing bass, writing and recording with Canadian pop-rock quartet Barenaked Ladies since 1990. With 11 BNL studio albums, numerous recorded live offerings, tours & side-projects (including ‘The Brothers Creeggan’ with sibling Andy), Jim has consistently been one of the busiest doublers in the industry.
He has kindly taken time out of his busy schedule (most notably BNL currently being on tour with Blues Traveler) to answer some questions about his bass playing and music in general.
-Can you give us an insight into your beginnings in music, were your early inspirations mainly from your mother, or were there other elements that attracted you?
Even though I didn’t like going to church, singing every Sunday with my family had a huge influence on my sense of harmony and a love of screwing with the words. (Just try replacing Heaven with Hell when ever possible. It’s a great exercise.). As my mom taught piano lessons to the neighbourhood kids, I became fond of abstract versions of Bach, Beethoven and their Buds. The More messed up the better. Then the influences are in this order: The American Graffiti record, The Bay City Rollers, April Wine, Rush, Johnny Cash, Huey Lewis & The News, Jaco Pastorius, Elvis, Paul Simon’s Graceland…
-Your early attendance of ‘band-camps’ and the like is well documented. We don’t have the same phenomenon in the UK so can you tell us a bit about how that kind of environment influenced your playing?
It was a great chance to be immersed in a musical community. I was able to study with professional bass players. Our dances had the best music. The high school artsy minority got to be the artsy majority.
-Were your early bass playing days mostly spent around classical & jazz, determined by the groups you were playing with? What other genres were influencing you at the time?
My friends and I had a band called the Backstreet Basement Blues Band. We played everything from Elvis to Stray Cats to Sam and Dave to The Who to Graceland to Weather Report. We also played as the school’s Variety show band. That brought us to play many different styles from modern experimental dance composition to Witney Houston. Everything I was exposed to had a huge influence on my playing. The biggest early influence on my rhythm playing was my time with a Scottish Country Dance Band called Bobby Brown and The Scottish Accent. That’s when I learned what a deep groove was.
-You sing a lot with BNL & Brothers Creeggan, has that always been a part of your musical upbringing, or is it something that has developed gradually with those groups?
I sang when I was really young, then somehow gave it up. I started again as the bass singer in an a cappella 50’s quartet. From there I joined my high School choir who had an amazing music teacher, Kathy Fraser. Some of the best music I’ve been involved with was with that choir. Ultimately singing with a band takes a leap of faith. You just have to persevere.
-How do you view the relationship between your singing and your bass playing, does one affect the other? Is it something that you’ve consciously worked on improving, or has singing whilst playing always come naturally?
Singing is the most musical thing I can do. By it’s nature it engages everything I’ve got. It has made me a more lyrical bass player. It allows me to get that much closer to feeling music, and after all music is an emotional art form. Singing and playing bass can be very difficult. It sometimes takes a lot of repetition to figure out how to play both at once.
-You’re probably best known for you upright-bass playing, but you also play plenty of electric bass. Has this always been part of your arsenal, or did it come more to fruition as BNL developed? Was it as a result of the music written, or a personal goal to play more electric bass?
I started playing Double Bass in grade 5. It gave me a great sense of identity since I was the only bass player in the school. I got my first electric bass in grade 6. I played both throughout school, but I decided to try to be a symphonic bass player at the same time I joined Barenaked Ladies. I was stubborn to keep playing Double Bass even though it was a monumental effort to get it to the gig. I like playing electric bass but Double Bass remains my passion.
-You also write a lot with BNL, how has this developed over the years? Was the formation of Brothers Creeggan sort of an antidote to the early BNL albums being mostly Ed & Steve writing, or simply a different stylistic outlet?
All writing has helped me be a better writer. With Brothers Creeggan I was counted on to come up with half of the material. It forced me to mine as much as I had. In the Ladies earlier on I wasn’t being depended on for songs so I wasn’t compelled to write as much. Now that I’m depended on more for material for the Ladies, all the experience writing with Andy in the Bros is paying off.
-Your bass parts always seem very melodic yet supportive, with clever use of chordal tones. How do you approach writing your parts?
I will always try to give the song what it needs to thrive. Every tune is different. If there is a rhythmic intensity needed I will try and find a way the turn up the Jam. Often I will balance my part against what the other instruments are doing in the band. Sometimes I don’t play much at all.
-How has your role in BNL changed since Steven left in 2009?
I’m filling the dance space a little more these days.
-Can you tell us about some of the gear you commonly use, double & electric basses, amps, pedals etc? Do you have any particular favourites or interesting pieces that don’t go out on the road?
Grammah is my main road/recording double bass.
I have a Double Bass made by fellow Torontonian Steve Martinko. I record and play locally with this
I have an old German 1885 bass I play around the house. Beautiful old wood
5 string smith electric I never go to record without just in case. It’s the bass on Falling for the first time.
Music Man solid goose egg notes
2 P Basses that I’m tweaking right now. I’ve never played a P bass.
Mutron III Envelope filter
Peavy Cosmos octaver
Sans amp – for distortion
-Do you still have a practice regime for bass, or are you more focussed on writing and simply rehearsing what you need to play? How do you feel your playing has improved from when you first joined the band?
I’ve just started working with a Michael Moore Jazz improvising in thumb position book. Jazz playing is a small hobby for me. It’s fun to keep being a student. My playing has changed from era to era. Check out Rock Spectacle. My playing on that is very busy but funky. I have since simplified my playing.
-You’ve played plenty of guitar on BNL recordings, as well as other instruments with Brothers Creeggan, do you actively practice other instruments, or simply write to your natural ability?
I’m starting to learn blue grass violin and guitar but primarily I practice Double Bass. I’ll always write music that has nothing to do with what I practicing, but I’m sure there is some influence.
-What bands/artists/bass players are you listening too currently, and what can we expect from you in 2012?
I love Joel Plaskett.
Thanks so much to Jim for taking part, and hope to see him & the rest of BNL over in the UK soon.
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