The Note's Charlie Blasberg was able to ask Busty and the Bass' keyboardist, Eric Haynes, some questions about their journey, how they got their name, and what goes into being part of one the hottest bands on the scene.
CB: I love the name Busty and the Bass. How did you come up with it?
EH: We started playing together very casually when we were still in school. The name came out randomly during the first week we met and we've stuck with it. It's a silly name, but it keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously, and we like the idea of a collective having a name that implies a mysterious front-person. During our shows everybody gets to be "Busty" at different times.
CB: What were some of the highlights and challenges in the Uncommon Good record-making process?
EH: One of the highlights was working with producer and mixer Neal Pogue, who has worked with some of our idols like Outcast and Earth Wind & Fire. He helped guide us through the studio process and sculpt our sound, and we're really excited to be working with him on our next batch of songs as well. One of the challenges was that we made the record while we were touring a lot -- it was tough to get into a flow in the studio because we were basically just working on it whenever we were home. There were nice aspects to that too, though, because we got to come back to songs with fresh ears.
CB: You are such a large group. How do you keep it all together?
EH: I think it was really important that we met and started playing together before we started doing the band full-time and considerations like money got involved, because we're friends first and business partners second. There are certainly challenges to being in a band with so many people; the collaborative creative process that we've developed can be strenuous and keeping everyone on the same page is difficult. But there are huge advantages too, from our huge creative potential to the unique energy we create onstage.
CB: Do you have a formula for writing songs or is the process different for each one?
EH: It's a different process for each! Generally, though, anywhere from one to three people will come up with the core ideas of the song. They'll slowly bring it to more and more people in the band, and let the vocalists do their thing. The goal is that by the end of the process, everyone has had an opportunity to give input on the song, but the original writers maintain Vito power to keep the song from going too far away from its original vibe.
CB: What have you all been up to since the release of Uncommon Good?
EH: We've been touring a lot! We're currently in the middle of the biggest American tour we've ever done -- we just played our 7th show in 8 days and got to visit the south for the first time -- and we had the opportunity to go to Europe for the fourth time last fall as well. It's a real treat to play our new music for new people. We're also really stoked to be working on new songs. Especially since Uncommon Good was a lengthy process for us, it's exciting to move forward.
Busty and the Bass is on tour right now, so make sure you catch a show when they come through your city. Learn more about the band and listen to their latest music in the February 22nd edition of The Note.
EH: We started playing together very casually when we were still in school. The name came out randomly during the first week we met and we've stuck with it. It's a silly name, but it keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously, and we like the idea of a collective having a name that implies a mysterious front-person. During our shows everybody gets to be "Busty" at different times.
CB: What were some of the highlights and challenges in the Uncommon Good record-making process?
EH: One of the highlights was working with producer and mixer Neal Pogue, who has worked with some of our idols like Outcast and Earth Wind & Fire. He helped guide us through the studio process and sculpt our sound, and we're really excited to be working with him on our next batch of songs as well. One of the challenges was that we made the record while we were touring a lot -- it was tough to get into a flow in the studio because we were basically just working on it whenever we were home. There were nice aspects to that too, though, because we got to come back to songs with fresh ears.
CB: You are such a large group. How do you keep it all together?
EH: I think it was really important that we met and started playing together before we started doing the band full-time and considerations like money got involved, because we're friends first and business partners second. There are certainly challenges to being in a band with so many people; the collaborative creative process that we've developed can be strenuous and keeping everyone on the same page is difficult. But there are huge advantages too, from our huge creative potential to the unique energy we create onstage.
CB: Do you have a formula for writing songs or is the process different for each one?
EH: It's a different process for each! Generally, though, anywhere from one to three people will come up with the core ideas of the song. They'll slowly bring it to more and more people in the band, and let the vocalists do their thing. The goal is that by the end of the process, everyone has had an opportunity to give input on the song, but the original writers maintain Vito power to keep the song from going too far away from its original vibe.
CB: What have you all been up to since the release of Uncommon Good?
EH: We've been touring a lot! We're currently in the middle of the biggest American tour we've ever done -- we just played our 7th show in 8 days and got to visit the south for the first time -- and we had the opportunity to go to Europe for the fourth time last fall as well. It's a real treat to play our new music for new people. We're also really stoked to be working on new songs. Especially since Uncommon Good was a lengthy process for us, it's exciting to move forward.
Busty and the Bass is on tour right now, so make sure you catch a show when they come through your city. Learn more about the band and listen to their latest music in the February 22nd edition of The Note.