Full Circle

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My first foray into music journalism was way back in college. I was attending Hofstra University and figured I'd take a shot at writing for the school's newspaper, the Hofstra Chronicle. It was a cool experience. I got to write reviews and do a couple of interviews, and it helped me to eventually land a writing position for Good Times magazine, which was the biggest local music-only paper at the time.

At the Chronicle my very first interview assignment was with bassist Percy Jones of the fusion band Brand X. Percy-Jones.jpgIt was at the height of the jazz-rock fusion era, Brand X was on fire, and Percy had already established a reputation of being one of the most innovative and influential bassists in that genre. I went backstage after the show with no mic or recorder, just a pen and a pad, and chatted with one of my personal bass heroes. It was a bit surreal for me, and obviously a sign of things to come. I have no recollection of how it all went, but I did write the article.

Fast forward to late 2016. This time I had a recorder when I got to interview Percy for a second time a few months ago, not to mention a bit of experience under my belt. Amazingly, Brand X is back together for a reunion. Deja vu all over again! The results of our interview are in this month's January 2017 issue of Bass Player, which, by the way, also features a great cover story interview with Metallica's Robert Trujillo.