Nov. 17, 2008 - Kevin Smith

My Influences:

Mr. Kevin Smith
string bass

My cousin turned me on to the Asylum Street Spankers. He paid me a visit after he stumbled across their first CD in a bin at Tower Records. We threw that CD into the stereo and enjoyed some fine music. At some point, we had both started thinking about the great bass sound and started discussing the nature of his percussive effect. How is this guy making all this racket?
This guy was (and still is) Mr. Kevin Smith.
I'm sure that I had heard a string bass being slapped before hearing those recordings but Kevin was most certainly the first bassist that made me aware of this technique.
For that alone, I am monumentally grateful and indebted to this great man.

It would be a serious foul to understate Kevin's great ability with this instrument. Our man is very easily one of the best string bassists around ... and, I don't just mean around town.
Kevin has the most phenomenal taste; an uncanny ability to share and play the music that we all seem to desire in any musical setting. He presents this ability and this music in a very comfortable and natural manner that seems to relax and soothe yet inspire and excite the attentive listeners as well as the jabber-jawed conversationalists in his audiences.
I'll say it again; Kevin is very easily one of the best string bassists around!

Kevin is not just an amazing musicianer. He is an amazing friend and an amazing human being.
On more than one occasion, Mr. Smith has rushed into my corner to assist with me with the battles life has thrown my way.
A few years ago, my roommates and I lost our house to a fire. After the firemen cleared the house, I went to work immediately on the recovery process. Knowing that process would be an all-day affair (at least), I dropped Kevin a call to ask him if he could cover my gig that evening. When I explained to him why, he wanted to know what else he could do. He had already done enough by taking that stress off me so I didn't wish to bother him with anything more. With a kind and genuine "thank you!" we ended the conversation. Twenty minutes later, he pulled up out front of the smoked house ready to help.
For the next six + hours Kevin rummaged through the charred mess with me, salvaging the bulk of what I owned. He helped me clean what we could on the spot and pack those sooty personal items into my wagon. Throughout, he successfully kept my spirits up by good, light-hearted joking and, he even insisted on driving us to the local grocer to pick up lunch -a concept completely foreign to me in Marine mode.
By the end of the salvage day, I was covered with char and smoke. Kevin, stylish gabardine jacket and all, had one small bit of soot on his collar; not only did he rush to the house to help me through and recover from a fairly stressful situation, reorganizing all of his (many) other responsibilities, he did it with style, grace, and genuine care and friendship. And, he kept it light!

Kevin is a great friend. He has warmly invited me to be a part of his life. He has shared his wonderful and kind friendship with me. He has treated me like family. He is easily one of the best human beings I have ever met!

Thank you, Kevin! You have been and always will be a very great influence and inspiration to me in all aspects of my life. You opened up one of the most important doors in my life that has led to some much of the good that surrounds me.
Thank you for all the good you present to so many other lives, too! This world is truly a better place because of your efforts.

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Some Links:

www.myspace.com/txstringbass

www.myspace.com/highnoontrio

http://www.heybale.com/

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"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
~ Winston Churchill