THIS week we chat with Harley Breewel, bass player from young local rock\/metal band Two Steps Forward, who advised if you start a band, have fun, but know that you and your members must be ready to commit, compromise and talk to each other in a fair manner!<\/p>\n
What motivated you to take up playing the bass?<\/strong><\/p>\n I took an interest in the bass guitar as it appeared to be different.<\/p>\n When I spoke to a local music store employee he explained how bass was easy to learn and simplify, yet challenging to master.<\/p>\n This encouraged me as I was able to start learning basic songs within minutes, play live and as years passed, I started learning complex and diverse basslines down to (the) tiny details.<\/p>\n How would you describe your style?<\/strong><\/p>\n Our band\u2019s style is drawn from 2000s hard\/alternative rock and metal, so most of my style comes from there.<\/p>\n Most bassists from that time never overcomplicated their basslines, yet they avoided making them so easy that they only underlined the rhythm guitar.<\/p>\n I follow this policy, allowing myself to add octaves, runs, slides and more to add variety.<\/p>\n Which other bassists inspire you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Mike Dirnt (Green Day) introduced me to the bass.<\/p>\n Mike shows off his skills in albums like Dookie and Insomniac, showing how bass can easily follow guitar or be explored with many complex fills.<\/p>\n For similar reasons, Mikey Way, Mark Hoppus and Dave \u2018Phoenix\u2019 Farrell (from My Chemical Romance, blink-182 and Linkin Park) also inspire me.<\/p>\n Have you had any mentors over your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n My skills on bass were primarily self-taught.<\/p>\n When it comes to commitments, performances and (the) majority of the behind the scenes work in the band, we\u2019ve reached out to other local performers such as Earth Cadet and Sherri Parry.<\/p>\n We even talk to Greg from Muso Stuff, who\u2019s had experience performing and organising.<\/p>\n What are some highlights you have from your time as a bassist?<\/strong><\/p>\n My favourite highlights come from my stage presence – I spent two years recording myself play every day, reviewing to fix my posture, my skills and (to) make myself entertaining.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how I learnt how to do jumps, which gets the crowd going crazy!<\/p>\n Another highlight has been our last three performances, having an extremely hyped crowd of friends and strangers.<\/p>\n