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Unconventional

Eric Judy

By Jimmy Leslie | June, 2007

Like much of its music, Modest Mouse’s bass situation is atypical: The group formed in 1993 with multi-instrumentalist Eric Judy playing bass with singer/guitarist Isaac Brock and drummer Jeremiah Green, but Modest Mouse has since doubled its membership to include guitarist/bassist Tom Peloso, percussionist/drummer Joe Plummer, and legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. Onstage and in the studio, the band uses whichever lineup best suits each song, but Judy remains the group’s primary live bassist. Eric also played guitar, accordion, and clarinet on We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, a compelling blend of yelping vocals, happening grooves, and original songwriting that manages to be both accessible and esoteric.


How did you get the huge bass tones on this record?
Honestly, I’m not all that pleased with some of my tones. The bass and the kick drum sounded really big and bassy in the earlier mixes, but I feel some of that got lost. I like the stuff that I played with Tom’s early ’70s P-Bass, which is about half the record, and I like the weird tone I got with my Rickenbacker on “Fire It Up.” I used coated Rotosound strings that feel like plastic. The tones I got with my Jazz Bass sound too soft for my taste. I’m a little jealous, because I think some of Tom’s basses sound better than mine!

Did the band work out the music ahead of time, or did you create it in the studio?
We worked on the songs together in Portland for a long time before we went into the studio. We’d jam on somebody’s riff, put it down, talk about it, and jam on it again the next day. The last track, “Invisible,” is the only song on this album that started with my bass riff.

Do you consider your bass playing conventional or unconventional?
I don’t do anything that weird, but I don’t think my playing is conventional. I pick the strings pretty hard, using a lot of upstrokes. I know that as a bass player I’m supposed to hold stuff down no matter what, but melody is very important to me—I tend to play high up on the neck.

just the facts

Can Be Heard On:
Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank [Epic]

Currently Spinning:
Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha [Fat Possum, 2007]
“The album’s got disturbing lyrics, both sad and uplifting melodies, and really interesting instrumentation.”

Gear
Basses:
’64 Fender Precision Bass with Leo Quan Badass II bridge, ’60s Fender Jazz Bass, Rickenbacker 4001, D’Addario strings and Rotosound Tru Bass 88 tapewounds
Rig:
Hughes & Kettner BassBase 600, Ampeg V9 9x10 cabinet, Ampeg B-15 (studio)
Effects:
Ernie Ball VP Jr., Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, Boss RV-5 digital reverb, Korg rackmount tuner
Pick:
Dunlop nylon .88mm

“My main live bass is a ’64 Fender Precision with active pickups and a Badass bridge. The guy I bought it from said it was from a batch of orange Fenders that were recalled and repainted white. You can see the orange paint underneath where it’s chipped.”

 

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