Errick Lewis--Ace Bottom-Feeder Session Player Shows You how To Focus Your Playing And Music Business And Succeed

This is an important repost of an influential player who I will be featuring again very soon. I hope to create value for musicians with this interview. Errick has sessioned with many top players and helps musicians immensely.


Errick is known as a Bass Axeman with a focus on being a session player's session player. Errick has been in the music game a short time in 12 to 13 years, yet has made an impact most Bass players would love to have been a part of.

His focus has been mainly on hip-hop and gospel based music recently, and has earned the opportunity to do sessions and tour work with some of the game's more well known artists such as Snoop Dogg,Lauryn Hill and tour and production sessions with Jay-Z. Errick seems to be able to challenge himself without knowing the material and capitalizing on that by just killing it!

If that's not enough, EL has his own indie-solo gig (Eric Lewis and the Vibe Project) in which he writes and plays all tracks. These tracks are a good mix of jazz with a funk and soul groove all EL's own.

http://www.myspace.com/truth_bass This is Errick's site with all sorts of material on his career as a bottom feeder and his production company.

So I asked Errick one question on Session work and what he does when going in.

MG: When you set up for a session regardless if it's a whole album or one track, is the combo of proper equipment set up and learning the material beforehand more important than just going in "cold" and getting the feel for the material?

Kind of like doing cold readings in a play or film?

EL: Yeah Mark, it's a combination of both and it's good to learn the tracks, but the setup is more important because 90% of the time I don't get the music until I get in the studio. What I normally do is bring my rig to all sessions and I use an Epifani 902c amp to stay in the groove and pocket and in a signature tone all my own as part of the artist's package in a session.

EL is also doing a lot of work as a producer and assisting musicians who are just developing their story and act. And like I said before, Errick is an accomplished bottom feeder/producer who has been in music a short time.

As well has been recognized by everyone from music equipment companies like Epifani and D'addario to top Bass players like G Rock from Detroit's Gorilla Funk Mob, one of the east coast's top backing bands around.


Another thing I'm finding with Errick as well is his attention to and importance he places on helping other musicians as a producer,teacher and showing them the importance of using marketing on-line and off-line to use as a tool to help develop a fan base and their careers. Like I keep saying to musicians, look for off the beaten ways to market and make money.

Errick does this and more while a lot of blues and rock guys don't understand it or feel the need for it. Just a little rant there. This outsider knows how to market like a ninja bottom-feeder and keeps on thumpin' away.

Errick's Bottom-Feeder Rig:

I will have Eric's guitar,amp,strings and effects lineup in a day or so. So if you want to learn from a real Ninja Bass Warrior teacher on your bottom feeding rig and tunes, look no further than EL himself.

Here's EL's rig that he cuts those amazing Bottom-Feeder Thumps and grooves on:


Bass Axe: 6 String Pavel Bass
5 String MTD Jazz Bass
Amp: Epifani 902c
Cab: 2 Epifani PS-410 Cabinets


Look for further articles on Errick soon and look at his site at:

http://www.myspace.com/truth_bass


or email Errick at: erricklewis@gmail.com

Detroit Bass Axeman G Rock Takes The Gorilla Funk Mob Where Most Band's Don't Have The Guts To Go

By Mark Grove
Greg G Rock Sanders, the Frontman and Bass Axeman for The Gorilla Funk Mob has been blasting the night air with his band and backing up some of the most well known artists around. While opening for the likes of Keisha Coles,the Mob has been working with R&B Gurus the Blackbyrd Revue and Michael Walden.


GFM's resume is long, and they've been able to take their playing to whole new levels and do backing session work most bands never get because of lack of dedication to their craft--not because they're the best. Basically The GFM just fuckin' kill it!

On top of all that The Mob have recently been doing work with Hip-Hop man Danny Brown who were produced by G Unit. When you're like G Rock and a great Bottom Feeder with one foot in the underground and one in the mainstream, heads in the music industry are bound to turn to your type of groove and be more than a little interested.


http://www.myspace.com/gorillafunkmob



This short little interview with G asks him how he wrote and composed his EP tunes, as well as who he's been working with and the rig he cuts his bass axe with.



GR:'Tony's Joint' I wrote a long time ago. Of course 'If You Want Me To Play' is Sly & The Family Stone's 'If You Want Me To Stay', just with a different arrangement. If you listen to the guitar/bass duet in the middle/end of the song that was really section of the arrangement that I added to give a different feel.


'Tony's Joint' & 'If You Want Me To Play' were recorded in March of 2002 at Full Sail Recording School down in Winter Park, Florida. The personnel on those songs was myself on Bass, Tate on drums, and a guitarist by the name of Jason Mood on guitar. Tony Ozier & I co-produced the songs 'G2' and the reworking of Stevie Wonder's 'That Girl' that we did. Tony was also the one who helped me set up the sessions at full sail, and played keyboards on all 4 songs.



http://www.myspace.com/gorillafunkmob

Resume

GR: On the Jazz/Funk tip right now we've been performing with 'The Blackbyrd Revue' a Blackbyrds/Donald Byrd tribute group that features Allan Barnes, the Blackbyrds original sax/reeds player. In the past Tate and I worked with a variety of groups and musicians from Michigan. Groups like Innervisions, Ubiquitus, and the Urbanights were all part of that period. I also played behind famed Lansing saxman Shawn 'Thunder' Wallace.

MG: info on G's rig and set up.(this is on the MP3's)

Type of Guitar: Tobias 4 String Bass modified w/ Music Man
Humbucker Pick Up

Type of Strings/Gauge: GHS Boomers medium gauge long scale

Amp/watts: Trace Elliot 400 watt head w/ 4x10 cabinets

Effects: Korg G-4 Bass Synth Processor
(nowadays I use the Zoom B1X Bass effects pedal)



Currently, I'm playing a Fender Jazz Bass (Marcus Miller Edition) & a Hohner Six String

The Gorilla Funk Mob are always busy working with the who's who in music, and so you better look for the Mob coming to your town soon with G Rock swingin' his Bass Axe to the throngs of music lovers who don't come to see the headliner, they want to see The Gorilla Funk Mob.

Mark Grove

http://www.myspace.com/gorillafunkmob

The Gorilla Funk Mob Little Mini-EP Review

Mark Grove


I don’t normally do reviews, interviews or profiles on hip-hop based artists, but The Gorilla Funk Mob is a group that does it all themselves, no outsiders.

No Major labels or agents exploiting their talent just to line their pockets. As well, the front man Greg G Rock Sanders an in demand Bass player since the early 80’s has backed up the top rock, blues, hip-hop and rap artists around. This is a band that’s all about controlling their destiny—and they come out with their own material that shows innovative creativity and artistic integrity.


Not the same garbage being shoved down one’s throat. Didn’t I tell band’s to do your own thing yet work as a team? This little mini-ep as I call it, is an expression of laid back material yet, has a quality that combines so many other genres done in a way that’s all GFM.

http://www.myspace.com/gorillafunkmob


It’s not perfect, nothing is. Hell, I figured I would hate the material but I can see how it’s done all their way, yet it can be used for so many different genres, not just hip-hop. Without further BS from me we’ll delve into the Gorilla Funk Mob Mini-EP. By the way this is off the Gorilla Funk Mob MySpace page. Just click the links in this review.

Black Market Live—An intimate yet soul like bass flavored funk with a 70’s flavor. GFM music transforms at many intervals, and takes you on a journey of rhythmic tone and innovation that is great as a jam tune. Horn section could have been given a heavier spin toward a more abstract texturing like the funk/rock aspect of their music. The jazz leanings are very prevalent and are reminiscent of Pat Metheny in the melodic texture.


http://www.myspace.com/gorillafunkmob

Brighter Days—Hip-Hop Harmonies and braided lines that are very straight ahead like some blues—yet very ‘pretty.’ This is one song that has a very heavy pop and mainstream urban music feel as well.


Zo Joint 99— Melodic yet progressive bass and piano lines that have a delicate yet heavy accent on Funk and Jazz—and not so much a Hip-Hop feel. If you take away any elements of Bass which hold down the bottom, along with the percussive and cleaner sounds in the Gorilla Funk Mob, and you have something that’s less than stellar. They seem to know how to combine these elements more than most funk or soul acts.


Take a listen and get started on the Gorilla Funk Mob.

http://www.myspace.com/gorillafunkmob


Mark Grove