James Searl - Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Ghost Party, Black Lion & the Heat Wav Band | 1975 Fender Precision Bass
"I was playing in three bands with Matthew Goodwin - Mountain Mojo Authority, Bombsquad, and the Bam Sequence. They were all great and I was in college and each band began to become more busy and serious so Matt and I came to a welcome predicament - we couldn’t all be in all the bands - so I went with my oldest friends in Bombsquad (soon to be Panda) and Matt sought out additional musicians to bring into the mojo fold. On bass he found Jeremiah Pacheco to fill my position. He was killer (still is) and at some point they all went to HOG to pick out a bass for him. Miah knows good stuff. He’s a man of the land. He feels the physics. He picked the Ash body 1975 P-Bass and played it in Mojo. I knew next to nothing about actual bass guitars. I just knew I liked playing them and I know when one feels nice and nothing felt nicer than that one! Unfortunately it wasn’t mine. But Mojo broke up, and the bass sat in Matt Goodwin’s house for many months until I started to come over and play it a bit. And then one day I took it. Jeremiah was totally cool with it for the time because he was going to devote his energies to learning how to be a master farmer. So in fact, this bass kinda fell into my lap and that’s how most of my life has been. I’m not proud of it, but I’m grateful. He did all the work and then I got the bass. Years later I paid him for it, but not until after offering it back to him when he yet again took a step away from farming to be the thunderous bass of THE Thunder Body. After seeing what my sweat put the bass through, he laughed and just told me to cough up the money, which I did over a period of a few years. Jeremiah is now producing some of the finest produce the world has seen in the heart of Naples, NY, and you probably eat it often at the Brighton Farmers Market or various restaurants he and his wife at Squash Blossom Farms provide veggies to."
"The instrument itself? I wasn’t ready for it. It has been my entrance into the mystical world of bass guitars and how they have impacted millions of lives on this planet with their sound. The heart of the P-Bass sound is unmatched. I call it the morsel. The sound on the very inside of the note. It is real, full, warm, and deep. To be honest, there are a lot of other undesirable elements of this bass for me. It’s a bit too big. It has single coil pickups that scream in just about any room so I have to often roll the tone knob totally off or if I’m recording I have to stand in funny positions to avoid the BUZZZZZZZZZ. I’ve also treated it terribly from over a decade of touring where many nights you just have to GTFO the stage so you throw your bass in the case and it goes in the van and you’re off. Even though I wiped it down every night (I sweat more than anyone!?) it would still kinda be wet the next day. Terrible. One time I had some work done on it and the repair guy had guessed it had been in a Florida basement for 20 years. But one thing I love about the P-Bass design is that it’s very simple and the electronics are about as basic as it gets. It’s hard to kill this thing. When you play a P-Bass you start to hear the DNA of all of your favorite basslines. There is a lot of spiritual memory there and I use it as a conduit to the eternal land of music where all the lines and players who have played them all exist together. The more I play it the more I love it. Every time. Now it’s my sibling. We’ve spent a lot of great times together and I will give it to my children."
Who is your favorite Rochester musician?
"It’s a very tough question. My wife makes fun of me because she says that I say that everyone is my favorite and that everytime I talk about a musician I know I mention how incredible they are. But what she doesn’t know and what I do know because of m sample size and extensive life experience around music and musicians is that I just happened to stumble into life during an amazing and exciting time where lots of totally unique and creative people have had the equipment and environment to hone in on their craft.
Everyone I speak highly of to her genuinely deserves the credit. There are a million average musicians out there and I just happen to know several exceptional ones. After some quick thinking I realized that it’s probably Dennis Mariano. Dennis not only influenced most of the people who were just a little bit older than me when I was just getting started, but he continues to be a part of so many projects I love in this city. He plays a variety of instruments and something about his playing just makes me feel like I’m being hugged while also making me want to cry. Whatever drove me to play music in this town, the melancholy never ending slight depression that is so soothed with the warmth of sweaty venues and tube amps, for me is embodied in the playing of Dennis. We’ve also never created any music together so I can at least up to now just remain a fan of him, which is often how I like to keep my art. I enjoy being a fan and a consumer of these special products our local musicians create. Special shout out to my drummer Chis O’Brian who also carries out many of these qualities that Dennis has and will always play something tastier than I when he picks up a guitar, bass, or sits at the drum."
What is your favorite Rochester music venue?
"Currently Anthology is my favorite place to play. Phil goes out of his way to treat musicians well and he has always been there for our band since the very beginning. He didn’t have to be. He puts so much work into his venue. He personally just cares very much and I don’t think there has been a time that I’ve waltzed in there and not been warmly greeted while also interrupting some project he is immersed in to improve the venue. But my absolute favorite place to play in Rochester is anywhere outside in the streets. I LOVE the sound of my bass bouncing off of buildings and the dub it creates. So be it Party in the Park, Jazz fest, Bands on the Bricks….We just love that stuff. More of that city of Rochester. It promotes peace and makes people proud. Special shout outs to Flour City who are also just some of the nicest folks around and always make musicians and fans feel together and welcome in the place."
Why do you love the Rochester music scene?
"I love the Rochester music scene because of the love that exists within it. People in this city have always been so supportive of original music. I was inspired as an 11 year old by all of the original bands around me. I never considered playing covers because everyone was original and there was a lot of energy there. Also older musicians and venue owners have always been extremely encouraging and supportive. To be very open and honest - music saves me from depression. It always has and I think a lot of people in Rochester because of the climate or the time or whatever can relate. It’s a great way to pass hard times and I was lucky to grow up in a city where people provided a lot of atmosphere to make that possible and I hope that just continues to grow and be supported by the local government, business owners, and fans."
