The innovative icon reveals which band he'd love to fill in for, his first bass, and what he'd be doing if he wasn't a musician
Tony Levin is far and away my favorite musician. Even before I picked up the bass guitar, I kept finding his name in the liner notes of my most-liked albums. I’ve seen him play with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Stick Men, and with his brother Pete playing in their Levin Brothers jazz combo.
And of course, once I did start studying his bass (and Chapman Stick) lines, they were a revelation. Endlessly creative, both driving and being driven by the song, only showy when the moment called for it, fluid, sometimes fierce, always the perfect mixture of technique and emotion.
And I was born a long time ago today
and everybody loves me goes away
I turn 49 today, so I asked Siri to play me some birthday music. She immediately launched into this cheerful 1998 tune by The Jesus and Mary Chain. I’m not complaining.
I’ve had blogs in the past, going back over twenty years ago. This time I’m trying WordPress as a blogging engine, since that seems to be the popular option these days.
Speaking of the distant past, you might be wondering what “The Phoenix Trap” is. It was the name of the rock band I was in from the late ’90s to the early 2000s. I kept the domain name phoenixtrap.com long after we disbanded, and figure it’s as good a name as any for a blog.
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Jon D'Auria
wholelottajackets
The Jesus and Mary Chain