[jackr]

Here is Victor Wooten at namm. I have some other videos of him as well but I like this one.
I know it is not dead related but since were all musicians, why not?
I have seen Victor a bunch of times before. I have never seen anyone break so many bass strings as he does.

[JonnyBoy]

Right on Jack, hope you are having fun up there in never never land. Victor is a pretty bad ass bassist. that place sounds like a good time. Alright, what's the next one you got for us to see?

Hey what was Wooten sponsoring there, speakers/combo amps? There was so much bass it was clipping your speaker in your camera! man he was really gettin' at it, as we would say down here. When you have the time, show us a few more!..

[jackr]

He was at the Hartke booth.

Here is another since you asked.

[JonnyBoy]

was he showing off that little bass amp he has there? that thing seems to be pumping out major levels. Cool vid, thanks for sharing.

[jackr]

he was just promoting Hatke in general. He was playing though a 500 watt hartke head and that cab.

[ugly rumor]

I used to play with Victor's old drummer, Kelly Gravely, who appeared on the Yin/Yang album and the Bass Day '98 video. A really sensitive, intuitive drummer, who can really listen well. He taught me a lot. Victor is extremely talented, and a really nice human being. I have no interest in his style, although I can definitely appreciate it, and his brother is one of the best if not the best guitar player I have ever seen.

[philsaam]

Happy Fourth of July ----Victor Wooten ...consumate musician ---genuine --master of the electric bass --genius ---a most un assuming man that ministers music and personal creativity with an elevated awareness of self---like a yogi --a Kung Fu Grand Master - hey -what note does your cell phone produce ringing? pitch sensitive he is --accurate he is - focused totally on his senses ---a very keen and alive man he is ------however ....his sound --that is ---Victor needs to get a McIntosh --1....2 Vic needs to have speakers that can handle the bass freqs --a free air resonance of at least 30/35hz -a transducer a 10" spkr specked 35-hz to say 2000hz ---a pair of 10s / or 12s ----Hard Truckers ...he needs to hear his bass with out that shitty distortion of cheap spkrs ---Meyers get Vic some Meyers -----same ones Anthony Jackson uses ---BOOM 0-CASE Closed!!!!!-----Victor gets sweet talked to use the commercial stuff that is readily available at G.C. --however Victor deserves BETTER ---thats what the GREATFUL DEAD sound is all about ....getting the instrument a means to express its personality the musician can work ----distortion if necessary -also range, sustain , rich harmonic color with a natural decay ----for bass -clean rich ,full and pure note articulation ---The Greatful Dead Legacy is also the sound quality and the Genius of sound pioneers -Ron Wickersham -Rick Turner -Bear-Dan Healy ---McIntosh amps ---JBL spkrs -Gauss Spkrs- John Meyer ---Hard Truckers and Bag End --get it --Victor having the fidelity that Jack Casady and Phil Lesh relied on ,,,,would give Victor an Epifiny--tonality -range -presence -and [ my favorite word] SONORITY ! Victor deserves better!

[tcsned]

I used to play with Victor's old drummer, Kelly Gravely, who appeared on the Yin/Yang album and the Bass Day '98 video. A really sensitive, intuitive drummer, who can really listen well. He taught me a lot. Victor is extremely talented, and a really nice human being. I have no interest in his style, although I can definitely appreciate it, and his brother is one of the best if not the best guitar player I have ever seen.

Ha! I remember Kelly - jammed with him a few times. Great player - a bit on the crazy side from what I remember

Vic is outta this world saw him a bunch with the Flecktones - he's the one who turned me on to the Aquarium Rescue Unit back in the day. He comes from a very talented family. I didn't know Kelly hooked up with Vic - didn't he also have some sort of Prince connection?

[ugly rumor]

Kelly played in a band that was sponsored by Prince, but never got off the ground so far as recording. He has some stories about practicing eight hours a day, and stealing balogna from the convenience store to eat. Prince didn't share the wealth too much. Kelly was Regie's roommate at college, in Virginia Beach...maybe Old Dominion, my sister's alma mater, if I remember correctly. We played together with Marie Artis, a local blues singer, but established enough that we played festivals. Also high school auditoriums, etc. Larry Gillespie played guitar, who does more by accident than I can on purpose, is a phenominal musician on guitar, bass, drums, sax, to name the instruments I've heard him play. Just has a natural flair, does it as naturally as I go to the refidgerator. Washes dishes by day, practices at night. Calls improvisational music "make belief", and wants to copy exactly the record. To his credit, he does, and if there are two guitars, he gets them both! We did a lot of Koko Taylor, Etta James, BB King, Bobby Bland, ZZ Hill, among others. I also played with Kelly in a couple of basement bands that never got out the door, one a band we called the Funkadelics, with 11 members, including three female singers, for about a year. I played rhythym guitar there, except bass when the bass player sang, as he couldn't sing and play at the same time. He was one of my students at the time, and last time I saw him (Harold Hancock) he was doing pretty good. We only played out a couple of times, at house parties in that band. The women's jealousy was a big part of that band not going anywhere.

Kelly usually plays with Victor when Victor comes to Roanoke, as a guest. He really should have left the small town scene and stayed away. Nashville, New York, somewhere!! At his age, close to mine, but a little younger, it's getting late.

You should make a trip out to the Denver area. Lots of heads, pretty active scene, several cover bands, but from what I've seen, you could really improve the level here. Book a tour!!! These guys could use some good old down home Virginia schooling!!!

[tcsned]

You should make a trip out to the Denver area. Lots of heads, pretty active scene, several cover bands, but from what I've seen, you could really improve the level here. Book a tour!!! These guys could use some good old down home Virginia schooling!!!

I wish we could Rick getting these shitheads anywhere is like cat herding I love Colorado - did some recording in Littleton back in the early 90s and one of my all time best friends lives in Telluride - also a great singer songwriter (Eamon Alger) - check him out if you ever get a chance.

Back to Vic - I agree about the gear philsaam. It's tough when people pay you to play their gear or at least give it to you for free. Though he can pull sounds out of it the most mere mortals cannot. Vic is a trip, when the Flecktones played here in Blacksburg for the first time Vic was messing around out in front of the club holding himself sideways on a bus stop sign like he was being blown by the wind - almost caused the bus to run off the road.

[Rusty the Scoob]

IMHO Victor's tinny and brittle tone is partly what allows him to articulate with the speed and clarity that he achieves. If he used a big full sound like Phil in the 70's it would sound like mush in most rooms.

[Grant]

tinny and brittle? have you seen victor before??

[philsaam]

I guess it all comes down to "having a ear" ..either you like how you sound or ya "tweek " a few knobs til ya do .....Victor is like the Ray Brown of electric bass and then some ...thanks for the video Jackr .......