LeftyBassist.com

I was wondering how you guys feel about this:

A friend of one of my bands is a very talented young producer and also does some work for us and assists us in the process of songwriting once in a while and will record our upcoming album sometime next year. So far he has always done this for free, but we haven't been able to do a lot back so far. Our guitarists are currently building his website for him, but that's pretty much it.

Recently he asked me to lay down the basslines for a heavily rock-influenced hiphop album he's producing for a rapper he's friends with, as he liked my playing and the sound of my Jazz Bass through my EBS HD350 halfstack a lot, so he really wanted that sound. Turns out though, this rapper was in jail at the time the recording sessions took place, and the producer visited him in jail once in a while to have him listen to various premixes on a small ghettoblaster in his cell . I have no idea what he was doing time for, nor does this producer. I liked the songs he sent me and liked to be able to help our producer out, so I grabbed the opportunity.

What would you have done in this position?
Would you want to find out what he was doing time for before you decided if you'd want to be a part of this, or would you let the music speak for itself and take the opportunity straight away?





FYI, this rapper was released on christmas eve, and tonight we're having dinner with him and all who were involved with this album during his time in jail. This will be the first time I meet him, and one of the first things I will ask him is what he was arrested for. He's been in jail for approximately one or two months, so rest assured it was not murder or anything within that range

I'd do it unless the guy was a murderer or kid toucher or rapist I guess

You just need to find out the crime and decide for yourself if this person is someone you're comfortable working with.

I wouldn't have an issue with working with someone who's got a petty criminal record if they're a cool person to be around otherwise.

Probably describes most of the people I've played with over the years

Most of the people I know have either spent time in jail or take part in activities that would land them in jail if they were caught. Of course, I live in America where the prison system is a FOR PROFIT venture, and jailtime is the answer to every problem.

Well, the thing is, I never actually worked with the guy so far because he was still in prison when my basslines were recorded



I just got home from a great evening out. Turns out the guy has been in prison for two and a half months for a drug deal he has committed a few years ago. But the justice department lost his file, so it took them a while before they could arrest him, so when they finally did he had no idea what it was for... . He's clean now and only smokes pot once in a while but is off the harddrugs.
He's a very friendly and cool guy to talk with, has a very broad taste in music, and has asked us to actually form a band around him to tour with quite intensively. But having a fulltime job and playing in two other bands, I don't think I will be able to as his aim is to play a LOT. Otherwise I probably would have done it. The guy's ambitious, the other musicians are great guys to work and play with and to hang around with as well.

I will rehearse with them and maybe do some gigs until they've found a bassplayer who is willing and able to play with them as often as they require, but I don't think I can be the constant and steady factor they need for this to work. But that's fun to do too

Hey that sounds really cool man. I'm interested to hear what this sounds like. Keep us posted

In the U.S. anyone can look up the history of somone's criminal record. All you need to do is go the the appropriate State's criminal justice website and type in the person's name.

I don't know if that is possible in Europe, as you guys have much tighter privacy laws ( from what I understand ).

Even tho you met the dude and he seems on the up-and-up, I'd still check out his background if at all possible. And like the above posters, make a decision for yourself.

I say this as I'm usually a very trusting person and have more than once been floored by the truth about some of the folks I've met while walking on this lil' planet of ours.

I think it's pretty cool. At the end of the day, pretty much all the music we play on electric bass is outlaw music: rock, jazz, hip-hop, electronica etc These were all invented by the outliers of society.

I looked up all the criminal records of the board mods here and was glad to discover that every one of the mods here are hardened criminals.

There are a couple of tracks online now on his MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/micgeeband