Andy Hess introduction

FlyGuitars So how did you get in to playing the bass and which bands do you listen to for inspiration?

Andy Hess I got in to the bass almost accidentally in a way. The way I remember it I had one friend who played guitar, one friend played the drums and we were hanging out listening to music a lot and it just seemed natural "well you gotta play the bass, we need a bass player" so it was somewhat by accident and somewhat by choice. It was also that we wanted to continue hanging out, we were 14 or 15. I went out and got a bass and started learning stuff and we were really in to Hendrix and Cream and AC/DC and stuff like that. I remember those were the things we listened to. I was lucky, I was living in Germany at the time and my stepfather had a really incredible collection of jazz, r&b, blues and soul music that I grew up with prior to even playing the bass. I remember growing up listening to Johnny Guitar Watson, Rufus from Chaka Khan, Miles Davis and Coltrane. He would blast that stuff on the weekends when he was home from work much to the chagrin of my mother.

FlyGuitars So you had a good diverse intake of music?

Andy Hess I think living in Europe at the time had an influence too because I was also really in to The Clash and The Police and that kinda stuff. That hit me full on 'cause I was living so close to England and that stuff was popular in Germany too. I think I was in to a lot of music that was different early on as a kid just because I was exposed to it. Like I could listen to a Police song and then I'd listen to a Rufus and Chaka Khan song or a Stevie Wonder song and I'd go wow this is great too.

FlyGuitars Do you think as a bass player you tend to listen to whole songs rather than pick out individual musicians?

Andy Hess Not necessarily no, I still pick out individual things. I think as I've grown older and I'm a more intense listener maybe I listen to the overall picture a little bit more in the song and what the song's about. I don't know necessarily if that is true 'cause I'm a bass player. It all depends on what hits you when you hear something for the first time, you might hone in on the bass or maybe the drum beat's really funky or cool or different or the guitar.

FlyGuitars If you had to name a handful of bass players that have particularly influenced your playing who would they be?

Andy Hess I would say Willie Weeks, John Paul Jones and a lot of the early Bootsy Collins stuff when he was really young and just starting to play with James Brown. Those three I would mention. There's so many I could go on and on, Jack Bruce was definitely someone who caught my ear.

FlyGuitars It is difficult to pin it down to a few.

Andy Hess Yeah It's really hard, I listen to a lot of people and go wow hats off, that's good stuff. I thought the early Police stuff had some great bass. I think Cliff Williams the bass player for AC/DC is amazing, I don't know anyone who can play straight eighth notes quite like that. You know that's an art and he's great at it. I love Ray Brown an upright bass player who played a lot of Jazz. So those are definitely some people I listened to and that were definitely influential. I love Andy Fraser, I remember listening to that Free record Fire and Water. I was a kid and it just totally blew my mind when I heard the bass.

FlyGuitars It's a great record

Andy Hess I remember the bass so pronounced, you could hear every note 'cause he had that staccato dry tone.