“I LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN TO sing and play bass,” declares New Orleans native Annie Clements—so she must be loving her gig with country/pop mega-act Sugarland, who’s touring worldwide this summer with doublemega- acts Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney in arenas and 80,000-seat stadiums. But the fully grounded Clements earned it through years of club gigging with blues guitar legend Cranston Clements (her dad), careful study of her bass heroes James Jamerson, Paul McCartney, and George Porter Jr. (the Meters), and a stint at Berklee College of Music. Then Hurricane Katrina wiped out her home, displacing her entire family. “For all that was lost, we gained a sense of community,” she says. “We functioned with only the bare essentials—but in a lot of ways, that’s what you do on tour. You take only what you need to survive, and you make do.” Katrina drove Clements to Nashville, where she landed the Sugarland gig. Looks like her touring conditions have improved.
Coming from the “school of gigging,” how was Berklee College of Music for you?
It was interesting. I didn’t have a ton of technical experience or theory chops, but I had all of this “street” knowledge as far as being able to play any number of songs. I was able to work around my weaknesses by demonstrating for each [ensemble] teacher that I actually already knew the material selected to be performed, and then they’d let me in. This way I got to play with as many bands as possible and really home in on functioning effectively within dozens of rhythm sections.
How is it different auditioning in Los Angeles vs. Nashville?In L.A. I stood in line with 30 other people to play two songs with an unknown artist. They took a Polaroid of me, asked me how old I was, handed me a piece of paper with questions like, “What’s your favorite restaurant?” The auditions were videotaped. I tried to make small talk with the artist, which was awkward. Not a lot of warm, fuzzy vibes. In contrast, my Nashville audition was offered only to a handful of other musicians based on recommendations. I had my own private 45- minute slot! They hugged me! They had Star Wars decals on their road cases! These were my people. Nashville is a much better fit for a simple Southern band geek like me.
In landing the Sugarland gig, what did you have that others didn’t?I think it came down to my ability to sing and play simultaneously. Kristen Hall had just left the band, so the other girl voice in their sound was missing. They also needed a bass player. To be able to play the fun pop-country that Sugarland delivers and to get to sing every night with someone like Jennifer Nettles is a dream come true.
Any advice for bassists, particularly women, on landing and keeping a gig at this level?Lay down a solid foundation, and learn to sing! And just be yourself. It’s good for everyone to have a girl out on the road. People are more polite, buses stay cleaner, and there’s someone around if you need a hug. Oh, and stay away from high heels onstage if you’re hard-wired. That’s a big ol’ tangled mess.
CHECK HER OUT
Sugarland, Love on the Inside (Deluxe Fan Edition) [Mercury, 2008]; Sons Of William, What Hides Inside [Red Lick, 2007]
CURRENTLY SPINNING
Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life [Tamla/Motown, 1976]; Aimee Mann, Lost in Space [Superego, 2002]; Kings Of Leon, Only by the Night [RCA, 2008]
GEAR
Basses Fender ’61 P-Bass with ’63 Fender Jazz Bass neck; Fender Custom Shop copy of same; Fender Roadworn ’60s Jazz Bass
Live rig Avalon U5 DI; Ampeg B-15 combo (with Sugarland); Ampeg SVT- 4PRO head and SVT-810E cabs (other gigs)
Bass Battery
Metallica’s Robert Trujillo and ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted shared the stage on April 4, 2009 to mark their band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Ray Burton, father of original bassist Cliff Burton, was on hand to accept the award on his son’s behalf. In other news, To Live Is to Die: The Life and Death of Metallica’s Cliff Burton, a new book by Joel McIvor, was just published by Jawbone Press (jawbonepress.com). Look for more Metallica in next month’s issue.
Pete Griffin Wins Grammy For Zappa Plays Zappa’s “Peaches En Regalia”
Pete Griffin, bassist for the Zappa Plays Zappa touring band (led by Frank’s son Dweezil Zappa), just scored some shiny new hardware. The ZPZ crew won this year’s Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance of the maestro’s legendary “Peaches En Regalia,” a 1969 tune originally graced with a killer, Jamerson-fueled bass line by Shuggie Otis. “Approaching that song to learn it,” says Griffin, “I tried doing it ‘my way’ but quickly realized that Shuggie’s bass part was integral to the song, even though it’s a fairly busy line. So once I got the isolated tracks of just bass and drums, I decided to learn exactly what he played—but after three years of playing that song I’m now injecting a bit of ‘me’ into that part.” Looks like it worked: The Grammywinning version [Zappa Plays Zappa, 208 Razor & Tie Entertainment] has Griffin’s “injected” line on it. Congrats!