Bill

Bill is new to BBB and is splitting the bass duties with Don. A great player who came in ready to play.

Role in the band

Bass Player, Lead Vocals (one song), Backing Vocals When Needed

Bio

I bought my first bass at age 13 and played in an 'all original rock' band with guys in their older teens. They would come to my house to pick me and my gear up and bring me home later. God bless my parents for allowing me to do that! I’ve been in several bands since then and have had the pleasure of playing with many fine musicians from Rochester to Wayland to Warsaw to Macedon and all places in between. Previous bands include Hector, Stark Raven, After Shock, One More, 7 Days and Define Normal. Most of these are single guitar bands, so I have learned to 'fill in' behind the guitarist. Playing bass is what I do to blow off steam. It's my golf game - My social outing. It keeps my hands doing something so I don’t drink too much. It keeps my brain doing something; otherwise I would have to do cross-word or Sudoku.

My motto: "I'm not a musician! I just like to play!".

Main influences

My influences starting out were Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) and Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath). There are lots of great music out there and a lot of great bass lines that stand out. I gravitate toward those rather than any particular player now. Of course, guys like Victor Wooten are fun to listen to.

Favorite thing about playing in Bob's Brother's Band

I like BBB because it’s a great collection of personalities that mesh well together for the common cause – making music and having fun! Also, I like the fact that I’m not in charge and don’t have to bring/set-up/run the PA system!

Favorite song(s) that the band plays

Beginnings – Chicago

Moon Dance – Van Morrison

Gear:

I am not an officianato! Looking at my guitar and rig, you can tell I’m a ‘value’ shopper. I picked my Yamaha BBN5 bass because its string spacing suits me well, it plays and sounds good out of the box and was a great deal at around $400 in 1992! In 31 years this is my 5^th guitar and the second that I bought new. I use Carvin Stainless Steel Round Wound bass strings. I used to be able to get 3 packs for around $40! They’re more expensive now, but still cheaper than anything else I can find and they perform well. I bought my Peavey head used in 1987 and have had no compelling reason to replace it. I use 2 Yorkville YB115 cabinets I bought used at Buzzo’s in 1992. They’re a great sounding speaker for a single 15 with no horn. The 2 speakers combine for 4 ohms load on the Peavey head which really hits its sweet spot. I have a Rocktron compressor and a Shure L4 Diversity wireless. I recently bought a used Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live. Once in a while I fool around with it to see if there’s a sound in it that I like, but there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day for that. It’s a great tuner though!