The “little bass” in question is a Kala U-Bass. It’s a bass ukulele made of Hawaiian koa wood created and manufactured by Kala Brand Music in sunny Petaluma,California.
I heard about this beautiful instrument back in 2012 when my buddy, blues guitarist Arthur Neilsen emailed me with an mp3 attached that simply said… “You have to listen to this!” It was just someone playing a simple bass line on this instrument called a U-Bass. I was listening on my lap top and even on those tiny speakers you could hear the punch. I was smitten but I thought, where am I gonna use one of these?
Later that year the Bacon Brothers were getting ready to hit the road and the guys were looking to shake up the set list. I think our drummer Frank Vilardi suggested that we put an “unplugged” section of 3 or 4 songs into our set. He got his hands on a cajon, a box-shaped drum which the player sits on. It’s originally from Peru. I decided to get the the u-bass. After trying a few at my “go-to” local music store Alto Music, I chose to get a fret-less model. We had so much fun and the audiences reacted so well that the “unplugged’ section has been a permanent part of our shows ever since. Nearly everywhere we play someone comes up to me after the show and asks: “What is that little instrument you play? It sounds so big and deep!” Well, I like to think I had a little something to do with it! (Smiley face here!)
Recently I got an email from my friend Butch Jones who said he was talking with his client Dave Wish founder of the Music Will Foundation. Butch said that he knew me “Paul’s the master of the little bass!” I’m not sure about that but when I play it I feel like a kid. It’s just too much fun to feel like I’m working. But, thanks for the shout out Dave! It’s a little slice of Michael Bacon’s great song 36-Cents which has become a real fan favorite. It’s what our classical musician friends call tutti-soli. The whole band is jamming on the same melody line.
Anyway, here’s a great clip of us on stage at The Birchmere. If you come out and see us this year please stop by after the show to say hello.
