How did you get the Against Me! gig?
I was a geek fan. I had listened religiously to their first CD, Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose. It was raw and completely unpolished, and I was attracted to the earnestness. My old band was in the same DIY punk scene, but we were more math rock by comparison. Tom and I had become friends, and when my band was breaking up I sent him a drunken e-mail saying, “Fire your bass player and hire me.” I was half joking, so I was surprised when he replied that their bass player was going back to college, and that I was in if I’d relocate from Nashville to Gainesville, Florida. I moved within two weeks.

So you knew you’d have to leave the mathy stuff behind?
Absolutely, and I was not opposed at all. I was ready to lock with the drums and keep it steady so that the songs wouldn’t feel like a rollercoaster ride. [Stax/Volt session veteran Donald] “Duck” Dunn is one of my favorite players because he knows when not to play. I know that’s said a lot, but it’s so important. I can appreciate a bass solo in a jazz instrumental, but I don’t want to hear it in a three-and-a-half-minute rock song—unless it’s Matt Freeman from Rancid.

What kind of tone do you most appreciate?
I like an aggressive, bright tone, and the P-Bass gives me that growl. I play with a pick about 90 percent of the time, and I concentrate on keeping my plucking just to the bridge side of the pickups. When I was a teenager, my bass teacher taught me to play open strings whenever possible because the tone has more clarity and brightness. I took that to heart—it does sound better.

How do you execute with your fretting hand?
I was blessed with large hands, so I can play octaves easily with my 1st and 3rd fingers. That leaves my pinkie available, and I try to employ the basic technique where all four fingers hit the proper frets in the proper position.

What did recording with producer Butch Vig teach you?
I learned the most important thing: patience. Butch would not accept anything sub par. Many times I thought I’d nailed the part, but Butch would make me redo it until the take was completely solid all the way through. We recorded bass in the control room with a click track blaring. That took some getting used to, but it was worth it in the end. The whole experience gave me a new confidence about my playing, and that translates to the live arena. The best shows happen when you don’t have to think—it’s all muscle memory, and you’re completely involved. I know it’s boring to be a normal bass player, but I strive for that. I take pride in not screwing up.

CAN BE HEARD ON

Against Me!, New Wave [Sire, 2007]
“We auditioned a bunch of basses in the studio, and my 2002 American P-Bass got the job about 75 percent of the time. I was amazed, because it had been glued back together after being split in half on tour.”

CURRENTLY SPINNING

Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band, Live in Dublin [Columbia, 2007]

GEAR

Basses: ’78 Fender Precision Bass, ’02 Fender Precision Bass
Rig: Tech 21 SansAmp RBI; Ampeg SVT-II PRO; Ampeg SVT-810E; custom Ampeg cabinet with four 10s, one 15, and a horn
Effect: Prescription Electronics Depth Charge fuzz
Picks: Custom Dunlop mediums
“I like my tone to be on the verge of nasty, so I turn up the SansAmp’s drive to get an edge.”