LIVE MUSIC CHICAGOs "Beginnings" Josephs BassView 08022026

By: Chicago

The guitar starts and then the bass comes in. I thought it was another song with a bass solo for an intro. It’s not and I realized as soon as I played a high note. I turned it into a solo/intro part and the drummer was super smart in his compensation. I think he waited a bar or two so that my part made more sense.

The original bass part is unique, theatric, and awesome. Even with all that, I can improvise little or a lot. I improvised a lot on this rendition. I think it’s fine and I still serve the song and the changes. Nobody is complaining. I am grateful.

Differences in my playing:

I’m not waiting to see what happens anymore. I am announcing, guiding, bossing, and demanding communication while performing. The best bands do it. They are very slick about it. We did a great job of communicating at this August 2nd 2026 performance.

Gear:

Amp:

The venue has an amp that I like to use. I plug into a direct box and also the amp. I finally took pictures and I can say that it’s an Ampeg B2-RE head. 450 watts at 4 ohms or 250 at ???

The amp head is on top of a speaker cabinet with 4 ten-inch speakers. I like that for my boomy Fender Jazz bass tendency. 4 tens should be more punch and less big low boomy speaker sub type sound. So far, band mates have no complaints.
I also plug into a direct box so that the sound guy can get a clean feed directly from my instrument.
He told me later that it sounds good and he runs the bass signal though a compressor. He also plays bass. I ask him if it gets too clicks and he says all good. I like all of that. I have the freedom to accidentally play too loud a little.

Bass:

Fender Jazz Bass Deluxe 4 String… also known as “Bread and Butter.” I use this bass for long periods of time. I modified it for longevity. Light strings, heavy-mass bridge, low action, grenade launcher with cup holders, thick strap, MAC-10s, toilet seat cover dispenser, and very useful tone knob controls.

I’ve been obsessed with quarter ever since arcades existed. I’ll probably add a quarter machine to my bass soon. :)

Music Stand AND Lights:

I purchased the stand lights for these Gaslamp performances. I don’t remember the brand name. The lights are rechargeable and they come with a long long long charging cable. It’s amazing how long it is. Black and long. Very, very long and black. Hard… to see. I don’t know what you were thinking, but the music stand has been with me for a long time. It’s very portable because it breaks down into a small manageable shape. It’s long and fits well into a former telescope bag. I recently fixed the zippers with a busted keychain. I’m surprised the stand is not broken yet.

The venue:

A locally world famous type of spot that loves to have our band, Jazz Derelicts. We bring in an audience that likes to buy drinks and can afford to eat also. Our fans have disposable income. We make them lots of money on an early Sunday afternoon.

I hear the burgers are good and I still haven’t purchased one. Venue beer is good enough and a “drink ticket” is nice. They have lots of seating and the room is large. People say the sound is good. There are many good places to hide our equipment. No wind because we are indoors. Parking is awesome, so please don’t tell anyone.