The old phrase goes “heavy is the head that wears the crown.” Yet, for the effervescent bass virtuoso Freekbass the mantle given to him of “The New Spiritual Warrior for the Funk” by the iconic Bootsy Collins fits him well. While some may crumble under the weight of such a title given out by the god of funk bass, Freekbass flourishes releasing top-notch albums and performing on stage with some of the best in the business.
We caught up with Freekbass to talk about his new record, his all-star band (The Bump Assembly), and the lessons learned from some funk pioneers as he gets set to perform at the Asbury Jams concert series tonight at The Wonder Bar.
You released a new record, Krameria, this year. How do you feel this album differs from your previous record, All The Way This. All The Way That.
ATWTATWT was our first time recording with Color Red at their studios, and it was a combination of some unreleased material with a combination of new material at Color Red Studios. With Krameria we came into the studio knowing a little more what to expect, and how the creation process works there. We actually just got back from touring in Colorado, and just had another four-day session at Color Red for some new material on the label. I feel this is some of our strongest material yet with them, and can’t wait to release this.
On Krameria, you have one of my favorite singers, Nigel Hall, doing vocals. Can you talk about why you recruited Nigel for the record and did his work surpass your expectations?
Nigel is one of the most talented singer/musicians out there now in my opinion. He and I met onstage at a jam session by Dumpstaphunk playing at Bear Creek Music Festival a few years back. Also, he, Nikki Glaspie and I did a funk power trio together at New Orleans Jazzfest. I was always looking for a good opportunity to collaborate on a song together, and when I wrote the song “Drive” Nigel was the perfect fit, and the person I envisioned taking it to the next level, which I think he did.
A new addition to The Bump Assembly is another amazing vocalist, Sammi Garrett formerly of Turkuaz. What does Sammi bring to the table vocally that made you tap him to be the vocalist for this tour?
Sammi has actually been touring with me in The Bump Assembly longer than anyone else at this point. Back in 2017 I was working on a track I wrote called “Love In Your Pocket” which was being produced by Itaal Shur he won the Grammy for writing the song “Smooth” by Santana. When he heard the song he said he thought it needed some female vocals on it. That week Turkuaz was in Cincinnati and asked me to sit in. Itaal came along with me, and heard Sammi and we both thought she would be perfect for the track. We hit it off and started writing more songs together, along with music videos directed by Angie Wilson, and asked her if she would be into going on the road with us. She has been in the van since!
If someone was interested in checking you out at Asbury Jams this Thursday, what song of yours would you recommend they check out in order to get a good taste of what your music is all about?
The song we open the set with as of late, “Get Out Of Your Own Head” seems to bring all elements of what Freekbass & The Bump Assembly is together.
Speaking of the tour, can you fully put into words the experience of a Freekbass show?
We always try to make the audience feel like they are part of the band. Funk is all about community, and that is what we always hope for at a Freekbass show.
You’ve worked with icons in the funk world like Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins — what was some of the best advice they gave you and/or what was the biggest takeaway you got from working with them?
I would need a book to describe all of the wisdom I’ve gotten from both Bootsy and Bernie, but one thing that always stuck that Bootsy told me, is “don’t get too high on the highs, or too low on the lows. the music business is all about ups and downs, and if you keep level headed about each side of it, you can have a long career.”
In the same vein of inspiration one question I ask every musician I interview is — what is it that you love about what you do?
Connecting with people. Whether I’m playing live or I’m streaming at my Twitch channel, that connection with folks is my fuel.
Finally, what are you most excited for, musically, in the coming year?
I am playing the National Anthem on bass next week at TQL Stadium for FC Cincinnati professional soccer team. That has been a life long dream. Sammi and I performed the National Anthem together at the Cincinnati Reds game a couple of years ago, but this will be the first time I’m doing it all on bass.
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