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I was 16 years old. A four string bass was given to me as a birthday gift from my father. It was the guitar which I was originally interested in, but a guitar player in my Sacramento neighborhood suggested I play bass. I've been in love with the instrument and its legacy ever since. Did you start off by taking lessons or were you primarily self-taught? When did you get into your first band and what kind of band was it? My first band was the beginning band playing percussion in junior high. But, when I started on bass, it was a group entitled Loopzila based in Berkeley , CA . Some of our recorded music was used for skateboard video soundtracks produced by the H Street skateboard company.
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After playing a couple years I knew that I had to relocate from Sacramento . It was my hunger to learn and be around great musicians which led me to enroll into BIT and the Los Angeles Music scene. There I found the greatest teachers - Richard Maloof, Dave Keif, Gary Willis, Paul Farnen, Putter Smith, Alexis Sklarevski, George Lopez, and yourself Dale Titus. My graduation from BIT was in September 91' alongside talented bassists Todd Johnson and Weezer's Scott Shriner. I had the greatest time at BIT due to its instructors and students. What did you do after you graduated from BIT? After graduating from BIT, I enrolled into LA City College to begin study toward my Music degree. There I met Dr. Don Simpson who encouraged me to play the stand-up bass. I played this instrument in his big band, but knew I had to own one to start working. I moved back to Sacramento and briefly studied with pianist Joe Gilman and bassist Larry Anderson (who sold me his stand-up bass) at American River College . This experience led me to transfer to San Francisco State where I studied with saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh, pianist Dee Spencer, and Branford Marsalis. Holy Cow! You really attacked your musical education! Stepping away from the academic for a moment, what was the first band you got into after leaving San Francisco State ? During SF State, I also started playing with SF locals Damion Gallegos and Adrian Burley which led to Haiku de'tat. This project was sort of a free form Hip Hop Bitches Brew where I jammed with Damion and Adrian and later had the emcees from LA's Freestyle Fellowship rhyme over what we recorded. This culminated with a self titled release "Haiku de'tat" in 98'. After Haiku, I met Salvador [Santana] in the hallways of SF State. His school (SF School of the Arts) shared our same campus and saxophonist Melecio Magdaluyo taught there and invited me to play with them. I was actually showing off my new fretless MTD to him, and he wanted to know what I could do with it. There I found young Salvador Santana and we've played ever since. In Sacramento , I informally jam with friends which I love. For someone who has never heard you play, how would you describe your style? Eclectic and in the pocket is my style. My listening palette is wide. I steer toward bassists of great artists and anything which catches my ear. Artist's such as Duke Ellington's Jimmie Blanton, Bob Marley's Aston Barrett, Marvin Gaye's James Jamerson, Jimi Hendrix' Billy Cox, Metallica's Cliff Burton, Miles Davis' Benny Rietveld, Iron Maiden's Steve Harris, Who's John Entwistle, RHCP's Flea, Irakere's Carlos del Puerto, Cachao, Luther's Marcus Miller and many other great bassists. When playing with the Salvador Santana Band, my main concerns are to provide a great groove, sound, and overall vibe. What projects or tours are you working on right now? The SSB (Salvador Santana Band) is currently opening for Santana on a West Coast US and Canadian tour. Today I'm in Edmonton , Alberta Canada . What gear are you touring with now? My current tour set up is a 06' MTD Kingston Z4 (with Bartolini pick ups and preamp) and a 99' MTD 535 fretless. My amp is an Aguilar AG500sc connected to two DB210 cabinets and DR String's Hi Beams. My other MTD's are a 98' MTD 535 fretted and a 05' MTD 435 fretted. I love the sound, look, and feel of Michael Tobias' work especially the playability of my Z4. You have dedicated a large portion of your life to the study of music, so how do you find practice time when you are on the road? When you do practice, what do you work on? Practice is tough on the road. The best times are early in the morning when everyone's still sleeping in their hotel rooms. The tour bus' back lounge which has a stereo is usually vacant, so I sneak in listening and practice sessions at that time. When I practice, I learn things I've listened to and copy note for note what each musician is interpreting, sometimes whole solos. I'm working on Willie Weeks famous solo from Donny Hathaway Live CD now. At home, I work on my reading as much as I can. Practice is humbling. You are very vocal about how important your family and friends are to you. How do you deal with long tours and frequent absences? How do you stay close to your family when you are on the road? Touring life is tough. Usually, phone calls and texts messages are thoughtful. What drew you to playing the MTD Kingston basses? First, the look of the Kingston Z bass is attractive. The maple burl top is very beautiful and eloquent, which adds a complimentary finish to the craftsmanship in the Kingston Z and I receive many compliments as a result. Second, the sound is versatile. The combination of a mahogany body, maple neck, Barolini pick ups, and Bartolini pre-amp make the Z bass a classic and tasteful MTD sound. The Bartolini preamp offers an awesome treble, mid, and bass boost/cut which adds to the Kingston Z's wide versatility. Third, the playability of these basses are second to none. The neck feels ergonomically correct to my hands and I love how its feels throughout the whole range of the bass. Lastly, it's affordable being a quality instrument. Awesome! How can people learn more about your music and follow your tours? Please visit salvadorsantanaband.com or Myspace.com/emcardenas for more information.
Photos by Jeff Koral |
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