How did Das Vibenbass get started? Justin
“Das Vibenbass began as a duo of Vibraphone and Bass, hence the name Vibenbass. Geoff and I started it in college with the idea of playing mellow/lounge gigs as a way to make money. That lasted for a while but slowly we began writing music not suitable for quiet environments and the addition of drums and horns became a necessity fill out the compositions. Next DVB began hosting a weekly session at Tost Lounge in Seattle, Wa and the two players that showed up the most frequently were JC (drums) and Josh (tenor sax). They stuck and the lineup is the same today.” – Justin Sorensen
What's the origin of your band’s name? Geoff
“The name actually arrived by mistake from Justin and I. We (Vibes and Bass), booked a show at the now defunct Penny Café while in the process of writing our first piece of music for dance and needed a name to perform under. We wanted something that echoed Swedish since we were playing in Ballard (Seattle) and Das Vibenbass sounded at the very least German. As it turns out the name is nowhere near Swedish, but time had run its course and in the car on the way to the gig, Das Vibenbass was born!” – Geoff Larson
Who are your major musical influences? Josh
“As a band of individuals we all have different musical backgrounds and tastes. Good music is music that is made with passion, statement, and skill. That being said, there are a lot of musicians that move and influence us both locally and historically.
Some of the classics would be Cannonball Adderly, Miles Davis, Stravinsky, Elvin Jones, Eric Dolphy, Maceo Parker
Some modern influences would be Chris Wood, Skerik, Stanton Moore, The Cinematic Orchestra, Radiohead” –Josh Clifford
Who writes your songs? Geoff
“We work very hard as a GROUP to write all of the music we perform on stage. Months of rehearsals go into each composition. We bounce ideas off of each other, trying nearly everything we can think of before the music reaches the audience’s ears. The process always starts with one person bringing a groove, melody, form or beat to the table for us all to hear. We then improvise on that idea to find what each member feels from the idea. This is where the process really starts. We argue, discuss, play, argue, play, discuss until the music takes form. We will often switch parts, to see who should be playing a melody, bass line, or groove. The instruments always find their place. The arranging can be far more important than the idea itself. This is where the majority of time is spent.
After all of this has taken place, and everyone has put their stamp of approval on the music, we decide whether it is good enough for the listeners. There are countless pieces of music that will not see the light of day. We may have felt them ready and even played them live, but discarded them shortly after. It’s certainly difficult to produce something you are proud for an audience to hear. We are happy to have been fortunate to create so much together! (And we sure have spent quite a chunk of our lives together in small rooms together)” – Geoff Larson
“We work very hard as a GROUP to write all of the music we perform on stage. Months of rehearsals go into each composition. We bounce ideas off of each other, trying nearly everything we can think of before the music reaches the audience’s ears. The process always starts with one person bringing a groove, melody, form or beat to the table for us all to hear. We then improvise on that idea to find what each member feels from the idea. This is where the process really starts. We argue, discuss, play, argue, play, discuss until the music takes form. We will often switch parts, to see who should be playing a melody, bass line, or groove. The instruments always find their place. The arranging can be far more important than the idea itself. This is where the majority of time is spent.
After all of this has taken place, and everyone has put their stamp of approval on the music, we decide whether it is good enough for the listeners. There are countless pieces of music that will not see the light of day. We may have felt them ready and even played them live, but discarded them shortly after. It’s certainly difficult to produce something you are proud for an audience to hear. We are happy to have been fortunate to create so much together! (And we sure have spent quite a chunk of our lives together in small rooms together)” – Geoff Larson
What are the main inspirations behind most of your songs? JC
“Composing and Improvising. When we write a song, one particular member comes in with the framework of the piece, and little by little each musician adds his own twist to the song until it has structure. Once the song is "composed", each member can then add his own flair to the piece by using different improvisation approaches. The real essence of the song is then very exciting when performed live. You might see a dark and sinister version, or one with a light, tender feel. The shell of the song is always there, but the guts of a tune very based on our connection with each of the musicians at that particular gig or session. It's a lot of fun!” – JC Bockman
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together? JC
“When we first started, I don't think we had any idea how much fun we would have with the music we learned to create later. I think we were just feeling each other out for a while, until we eventually started to really communicate with each other musically. It takes a while to do that with your co-workers...you know,to get in sync? When we started touring, we began to get so tight with things, that we had to completely step away from each other when we got off the road, and attack new material in a fresh way. Each time this happened, we came up with different sounds, or directions that we wanted to head with our music. After years of playing together, there are only a handful of songs that we play from our first years together, I feel that now, we are on the start of something very unique and exciting. It is time to get into the studio and get this new material on wax!” – JC Bockman
What would you like listeners to take away from listening to your music? Justin
“First and foremost I want DVB’s music to be a release for audience members. I hope it can provide an environment that allows people to travel outside of their day to day lives. I want audiences to feel emotions, to be affected, and to take some element of what they experience with them. The music we write is not passive, it is engaging, and that excites some people and frankly turns some people off. Its not for everyone and that is ok. But the audiences that do respond, respond with amazing thankfulness and newfound inspiration for some aspect of their lives. “ – Justin Sorensen
What is the most difficult part of being on tour? Josh
“Tour is both trying and immensly rewarding. Everyone is working on little sleep and crappy food dealing with club owners that don’t want to pay or sound techs that have never seen a vibraphone before and have no idea how to not make it sound like a wood block. Tensions can sometimes run high in that atmosphere but the reward is the closeness in the music that becomes more and more apparent and tangible. Tunes take on a whole new dynamic, the improvisation more alive and more interactive. If there was a characature drawing of us on stage we would be giant ears with legs. Everyone is listening to every litle nuance ready to take a left turn at a moments notice (so to speak).” – Josh Clifford
Do any experiences you have while on tour influence your music? Josh
“I would say yes for a few reasons. I think we have learned that not every audience reacts the same and that reading the crowd and making setlists according to the vibe in the room is the final step in composition. We all compose differently and bring different elements of our personalities into the music. I think its good to have a broad palette of compositionaly different musical styles to have in our reportoire to choose from on any given night.
I would also say that we have learned (are learning) the subtle art of not taking ourselves too seriously while at the same time giving everything you have into the music. Taking things in stride and rolling with the punches is key to being successful (and happy). In the past we may have been a little more arrogant with the attitude of “this is our music, if you don’t get it I’m not going to explain it to you”. As we’ve gained more experience I think weve learned to be a little more open and a little less expectant.
I think lastly we have learned to lean on each other more and more. Sometimes one of us is on fire and just killing it with every note. Sometimes not. Not every gig is the best gig for each player and weve learned that is just part of the game and why we are a group and not solo acts. All for one and one for all so to speak.” – Josh Clifford
Tell us about your newest projects. Geoff
“We most certainly have an abundance of projects on hand. Where shall I start?:
Porkchop Express: This is a funk trio featuring Josh Clifford, JC Bockman, and Jon Solo. They have spent the last few months ripping through a catalog of tunes at some of the local Brooklyn spots.
Das Schwa: This is Justin and my project featuring some of the more mellow Das Vibenbass material. As well as playing with JC (Das 3), we have brought in drummers Bob Rees and Rick Weber to help with the atmosphere. Das Schwa spent last winter playing live for Yoga classes at a spot in Manhattan, as well as doing some selected clubs around NYC and Seattle. We attempt to find the space between what our senses detect.
Dance Contemporary: I was commissioned to create an original piece of music for the Seattle based dance company, Dance Contemporary and have been working with Justin as well as the Choreographer/Artist in Residence, Karen Grady-Brown to make a fully collaborative multi-media project. We will be using Music, Dance, and Digital media for this project to be performed early 2011.
Grant Morrison: Walking with Gods: In collaboration with Respect Films. The soundtrack will include pieces of Das Vibenbass’ music. This I still in the early stages of contracting but looks promising.
Michael Wellenfels/Das Vibenbass Comic: Michael Wellenfels is in Pre-Production of a new Comic book circling around the life of a young boy with a huge imagination, named Jacob. Das Vibenbass will be creating a soundtrack to go along with the story of Jacob and his adventures. This is the second work between Michael and Das Vibenbass (Don’t Forget Where the Sun Sets).
The Bushwick Book Club: I am producing this show, originally created by my friend Susan Hwang in Brooklyn, NY. This show will feature local Seattle songwriters making music about The Book of the Month. This show is meant to create a platform for local artist to get together and write new pieces of music. The audience is also encouraged to read the books over the month to participate in this project. These shows will be in benefit of The Seattle Public Library Foundation.
Community: This is a project in its conceptual stage by Brian Barnesky, Justin, and myself.
It will feature a journey into small town America, to gather the community together to create a multi-media performance of Music and Film. We will interact with the community to find what makes the town “tick”. And together we will present what we find to each other in a local performance. All of this will be documented in itself, to show the difficulties of a “big city” presence in a small town. “ - Geoff Larson
What can fans of Das Vibenbass expect next from the band? JC
“More interaction with dance, film, and the arts. We want to continue to grow as a group, and surround ourselves with new mediums that force us to get out of anything that you might expect. We want to stay fresh with our song composition, engaging in our live performances, and surround ourselves with artist that our fans might not have expect. I guess we want to just let it take its course. Ride the snake so to speak.” – JC Bockman
What's your ultimate direction for your band? Justin
“The bands direction is fluid and malleable and always will be. We adapt to the situations we are presented with. We write music based on the world that surrounds us in the present. When we are true to this, and remain focused on creating in the moment the music flourishes. Directions and goals for the band exist but ultimately are not the focus. The journey is truly what is important. Our music most likely won’t be heard on MTV or even on many radios stations so searching for that quick fix, that quick dollar is pointless. We exist as an alternative to the mainstream. We exist to breath a fresh sound into the ear holes of people that have become disillusioned and burnt out with hearing the same song recycled in pop circles around the states. The bands direction is unique and hopefully moving in a line contrary to all you have ever heard before. The goal is not to assimilate but create in the truest sense. Lofty, yes, but attainable with patience.” – Justin Sorensen
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