Day 3 of Rose On The River at The Salt Shed in Chicago was a day of musical prowess, and was certainly an all-star day highlighting some of the most exciting musicians in the world of bass. By day’s end, Jody and I certainly we motivated to hit the shed and practice!
Opening the day, we saw New York-based producer and soulful wizard CARRTOONS. Opening the set with the critically acclaimed ‘On My Way’ set the tone for the day, as Ben Carr (who uses the stage name CARRTOONS) added some of the tastiest bass playing over top of the delectable musings of Kiefer on keys and Diego Joaquin Ramirez on drums. Shortly after, singers Julia Zivic and Hailé Supreme joined the stage for a set of soulful chillwave, perfect for a perfect summer day. Closing the set was a masterful interpretation of the beloved Jaco Pastorius’s ‘Continuum’, as if Ben knew the day was to be filled with adoring bassists like us.
Up next was the mind-melting duo of DOMi + JD Beck. As one enthusiastic concertgoer put, “these two got NO business making all of that sound like that!” Filled with high energy, hilarity, and intensity, the pair demanded the attention of every set of eyes and ears on site. As a special treat for us bassists, the set closed with a version of Weather Report/Jaco’s ‘Havona’, with DOMi inexplicably nailing the bass solo while driving the harmony (both in the tone of her keyboard as well as the transcription). WHAT A TREAT!
Hitting the stage hard was the groove-filled Canadian innovators BADBADNOTGOOD. We had the pleasure of catching up with bassist/co-founder Chester Hansen on the Bass Nerds podcast (to be released) before the festival opened, and he shared some of the band’s history in a way that was almost far too humble for what we experienced during their set. Expert communication, crushing grooves, thunderous and driving bass lines, and seamless transitions that made their 1-hour set completely fly by!
Closing out the evening, we were in awe of the musical pioneer Thundercat. His ability to bring such virtuosic bass solos into pop music (and pop culture in general) is truly a blessing. In between songs, his amazing sense of humor shined, with breadcrumbs of his soul shining through in some of the quips he shared with the audience with such a refreshing authenticity. Such bold and brave expression is an absolute inspiration, and we were all so fortunate so share in this connection.
