Kevin Smith with High Noon SB When did you start playing?  KS I've been playing about 15 years, started '87 or '88 on electric for about 6 months and realized that if I was going to play the kind of music I wanted to play I’d need to play upright  SB How many basses do you have? KS I have one bass, I bought it from a pawn shop in Denver. I was lucky the first bass that I ever bought was a good one you know.

August 2002       by Shawn

SB What is it?
KS I believe it’s a Lewis orchestral  instrument.  The only other one I’ve ever seen was Mark Rubin’s.

SB What do you use for amplification?
KS I use an Underwood pickup, Gallien Krueger 800RB amplifier with a Eden 4x10 cabinet. 

SB Strings?
KS Velvet D and G, Pirastro Wrapped gut E and A. I didn’t like the Velvet E and A strings, and they won’t split up a set so I might go with another string.  Gut strings don’t last long in Austin.

SB Do you practice any exercises or scales on a regular basis?
KS I don’t really have a lot of time to practice now. I play as much as I can.  I just got together today with Ryan Gould and Beau Sample, a great guy, and we worked with a bow and on some scales.  A bow will really make you better with intonation.

SB Who are your main influences?
KS Milt Hinton and Slam Stewart, Milt is my favorite bass player

SB I know that you just put a new album out with High Noon.   Have you been touring ? 
KS I don’t tour much right now because I have a two year old boy.  Once in a while we’ll go somewhere for the weekend.

Are you working on any other projects?
KS High Noon, Damon Bramlet, a Singer songwriter, a country cover band called Hey bale every, we play every Sunday at the Continental Club. I Also fill in with the Cornel Hurd band.

SBDo you have any suggestions for future interviews?
KS You should check out Jimmy Sutton with the Four Charms in Chicago.

email
kevin@rockabillytrio.com

website
www.rockabillytrio.com

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