Now That’s Bass

What gets you hired as a professional bass player — and what does it take to stay relevant across decades of musical change?
Charlie Jones has worked with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, spent around 18 years with Goldfrapp, produced and co-written music with Siouxsie Sioux, and toured with The Cult.

Chapters
01:03 Life off the road: The Cult, recording and creativity03:33 From a Woolworths bass to early recording sessions09:00 How working in a studio shaped Charlie’s sound12:04 Why a record deal doesn’t mean you’ve made it14:13 Early sessions, chance connections and the Robert Plant call20:33 How Charlie prepared for the Plant audition — and why he got hired24:27 Honouring John Paul Jones without losing your own voice27:43 Page & Plant as an apprenticeship: musical instinct and thick skin35:05 No overdubs: the making of No Quarter: Unledded36:23 A new musical language with Goldfrapp45:05 Strong musical personalities: respect, contribution and loyalty50:44 Career advice: play live, create opportunities, trust your instincts56:48 Why spontaneity and enjoyment matter more than perfection1:00:30 Essential bass lines: Ramble On, Jah Wobble and more

In this episode of Now That's Bass, Charlie takes us behind the scenes of that remarkable career, from his early days working in recording studios to performing with some of rock's most influential musicians.
We explore why Robert Plant chose him for the band, how working with Page and Plant became his real musical apprenticeship, and why moving into Goldfrapp's electronic world challenged him to develop an entirely new musical vocabulary.
Charlie also shares practical advice about:
Getting hired for more than technical ability.

Developing your ear and understanding what a song really needs.

Working confidently and respectfully with demanding artists.

Building relationships and remaining loyal without losing your self-respect.

Finding live performance opportunities in today's music industry.

Using social media without becoming trapped by comparison.

Leaving room for experimentation, mistakes and fun.

We finish with a fascinating discussion of the bass lines and musicians that shaped Charlie's playing, including John Paul Jones, Jah Wobble and Ron Carter.
Now That's Bass explores the realities of building a working life in music through honest conversations with professional bass players.
Follow the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and if you enjoy the episode, please rate, review or share it with another bass player.

What would you do if Bryan Adams called and gave you six days to learn his arena set? Richard Jones nearly said no. In this episode, The Feeling bassist explains how he tackled the challenge—and what years of gigs, setbacks and unexpected opportunities taught him about earning a living in music.
Richard joins Pete Roythorne to explore why having your own sound can make you the right person for a gig, how a working rhythm section helped him land Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s audition, and why he temporarily stepped away from her band when their relationship began.
There are practical lessons in learning songs quickly, building musical chemistry and recognising the value of gigs that appear to go nowhere. Richard also tells the story of the “Sewn” demo that survived an expensive studio remake, and makes the case for keeping live bass players onstage.
In this conversation:
• What ten shows a week taught The Feeling about playing together.
• The value of learning by ear—and why Richard still wishes he could sight-read.
• How Spike Stent helped preserve the performance behind “Sewn”.
• Why an individual sound matters when people decide who to hire.
• Preparing for Bryan Adams: manageable practice blocks, the hardest songs first and getting off the page.
• Saying yes to a frightening opportunity without letting the next gig consume your time off.
Follow Now That’s Bass for more honest conversations about working lives in music. If you enjoyed this episode, leave a rating on Spotify or a rating and review on Apple Podcasts—and share it with a musician who would find it useful.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Richard Jones: a working life in bass
01:00 The Millennium Falcon bass story
05:22 Finding bass—and your place in a band
13:54 How bass shapes the whole arrangement
19:10 What you lose when bass goes on track
21:31 Music school, ear skills and real work
27:36 How a covers gig built The Feeling
32:28 The edge that won Sophie’s audition
38:48 Hearing the hit inside the demo
44:29 Why Richard stepped out of Sophie’s band
49:52 Why the “Sewn” demo beat the remake
53:10 Finding the sound that gets you hired
1:02:42 The call from Bryan Adams
1:08:25 Learning an arena set in six days
1:18:00 Stop letting the next gig consume you

What does it actually take to build — and sustain — a career as a professional bass player?
John Garrison has spent 18 years playing bass with James Blunt and has recorded with artists including Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran, Christina Aguilera, Josh Groban, Passenger and Benson Boone. But his route into that world wasn't built around sight-reading, virtuosity or chasing the spotlight.
In fact, John can't read music.

Chapters for easy navigation
00:17 John Garrison: 18 Years at the Top03:46 How John Accidentally Became a Bass Player06:52 The Roadie Who Helped Launch His Career11:14 From Aspiring Artist to Professional Bass Player15:38 How John Landed the James Blunt Gig19:34 What Keeps You Hired for 18 Years?22:09 Learning to Serve the Artist — Not Your Ego26:28 Why Major Producers Keep Calling John31:58 Inside Lewis Capaldi's “Forget Me”36:53 Why the Notes Are Only 30% of the Job42:25 The Extra Skills That Get Bass Players Hired45:23 What Great Players Get Wrong About Building a Career51:43 Glastonbury, Jay-Z and Life at the Top55:06 Peter Gabriel, Kylie Minogue and a Very Surreal Dinner57:06 The Bass That Ended Up on Arctic Monkeys' Debut

In this episode of Now That's Bass, John explains why being able to play is simply the starting point — and why speed, musical judgement, preparation, backing vocals, versatility and being someone other musicians actually want to spend time with can matter just as much.
We get inside the session for Lewis Capaldi's “Forget Me”, including why John had to re-record the bass part on a different 1970s Precision before discovering it was about to become the first single.
John also reveals how he can turn around major-label bass sessions in less than an hour, why being a songwriter changed the way he approaches bass, and why his younger self had to learn that playing 23 notes a second wasn't necessarily going to get him hired.
We also talk about the unexpected “beer test” that helped him land the James Blunt gig, the challenge of moving from frontman to sideman, surviving 18 years on the road with the same artist, social-media comparison, ego, work ethic — and the question every aspiring professional musician should ask:
Would the rest of the band actually want to have a coffee with you on the day off?
Plus: playing Glastonbury with James Blunt, getting applauded by Jay-Z, asking Kylie Minogue to pass the HP Sauce, accidentally lending his bass to the Arctic Monkeys — and the two bass lines John believes players should spend some time with.
If you're trying to turn being a good bass player into actually getting hired, there's a lot in this one.
Now That's Bass — honest conversations about bass playing, careers and what it really takes to make a living in music.

Nick Owen spent ten years at London’s Bass Centre during an era when it brought together bass players from around the world. He remembers the famous names who passed through, the clinics, the unlikely encounters and, above all, the community that formed around a shop where people could try an instrument and talk to someone who knew it inside out.
What did working there teach him about basses and the people who play them? And could a place like that exist again?

Chapter guide
00:00:00 Nick Owen’s Unusual Bass Career00:05:46 Inside the Bass Centre00:15:25 Clinics and Bass Centre Legends00:23:06 From a Dep Gig to Sway00:29:11 The Jeff Beck Audition00:41:17 Music and the London Taxi00:48:11 Basses Kept, Sold and Remembered00:59:37 What Nick Would Do Differently

Nick’s story goes well beyond the counter. He talks about the dep that led to nearly 30 years with Sway, work with Ronan Keating, Gary Barlow, Bonnie Tyler and Dirty Vegas, a daunting Jeff Beck audition, and the complicated freedom of driving a London taxi alongside a playing career.
The final part is a treat for gear lovers. Nick discusses the basses he misses, the boutique instruments that left him cold, and what years of handling vintage Fenders taught him about judging an old bass on more than its age or price.
If you visited the Bass Centre, we’d love to hear your memories.

Guy Pratt has played bass with Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bryan Ferry, Robert Palmer and some of the biggest names in music.
But behind that extraordinary CV is a much more interesting story about confidence, instinct, relationships — and what it actually takes to survive for decades as a professional musician.
In this episode of Now That's Bass, Guy talks candidly about the imposter syndrome he felt working alongside the world's elite session musicians, why Bernard Edwards asking for him still seems extraordinary, and why being good in the room may have been as important to his career as being good on the bass.

Want to jump to the cool stuff?
00:34 Why bell ringing got Guy more press than playing bass03:22 How Guy first found the bass07:29 Learning by ear and making music without reading09:56 When playing bass became a possible career11:32 The first jobs: making a living with no plan B20:49 Why people kept calling Guy back23:40 Does imposter syndrome ever go away?26:31 What Bernard Edwards meant to Guy32:00 From band member to session player35:13 Murder on the Dancefloor and the bass line you barely notice37:08 Guy’s process for creating a bass part40:34 Has the music business become harder for working players?43:38 What Guy would tell his younger self about a music career47:38 The relationships that disappear between tours49:32 How to handle life when a tour ends51:22 Bass lines Guy wishes he’d written54:35 The bass part Guy is proudest of56:28 The bass players who give Guy stage fright58:47 How Guy became a stand-up storyteller1:01:43 Recording with Robbie Robertson1:04:41 The time Michael Jackson hid in the studio1:07:21 One bass line every player should learn

Still want to read more...
We get into how Guy actually creates bass parts in the studio, why he sometimes starts with absolutely no idea what to play, the 17-minute session that produced his bass part on Murder on the Dancefloor, and why he believes a great bass player can sometimes be like a great waiter: you barely notice them, but everything gets done.
Guy also reflects on an industry that has changed almost beyond recognition. He explains why the music business may look bleak while opportunities for working players aren't necessarily as bad as they appear, why personal relationships matter so much to making great music, and the huge amount of downtime that nobody sees behind a successful touring career.
Plus: playing with Bernard Edwards, being wound up by David Gilmour before a Pink Floyd bass solo, recording Earth Song and Like a Prayer, working with Robbie Robertson, the bass lines he wishes he'd written — and why bell ringing has somehow generated more media attention than almost anything else he's done.
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