We thought it would be fun to get to know a little bit more about our Anthology Artists. Watch the video or check out the "Quick Six" Q&A below with bassist Jordan Brooks. Jordan has been featured on a number of albums from artists including A$AP Rocky, Bosco, Pachyman, Schoolboy Q, Ex-poets, Kolumbo, Albert Hammond Jr, and Joba.:
1. What was the first concert you attended?
The first concert I attended was Nine Inch Nails. My dad brought me when I was in fifth grade, actually, and we happened to meet Trent Reznor - just kind of fortunate. He just walked past us and I took a picture with him. It was so cool. And then I recently saw them again, only for the second time about a month ago. My friend, Stu Brooks, great bass player, was playing bass, so it was so cool to see them all those years apart. Still a great show.
2. How old were you when you started playing the bass?
How old was I when I first started playing bass? I started playing bass when I was like 13, I think. So I started like slightly later than a lot of my friends who were like serious musicians who I went to college for. I want to say it's never too late to start playing an instrument, but ... for like ... I knew a lot of people who have been playing piano since they were like 6 or 7 years old when I went to college and I started at 13. So I had some catching up to do. But, yeah, that's when I started playing.
3. What is a venue that you would love to play at or that you have already played at?
What's a venue I would love to play at one day? Probably Sydney Opera House at the top of the list, Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall. I think those are three of my bucket list goal venues to play at.
4. What is an artist or song you are most into right now?
An artist, or a song I'm most into? That's a tough one. I recently saw Lightning Bolt play at Zebulon and I had been a fan of them. I think they started in 1996. I was a fan of them in the early 2000s, and then they, you know, resurfaced in my mind playing a show, and I went to see it and it was great to revisit it. They're an amazing band, and it was such a high energy, like, incredible show. It was really inspiring.
5. Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
Do I have any pre-show rituals? It depends on the tour that I'm doing. Like how high energy is the set? But usually I will, like, jump up and down like 200 times just to get my blood flowing, like, right before I go on stage. Just not to, like, get a full on, like, sweat, but just to get my heart pumping a little bit and to kind of like, make sure I'm, like, wide awake and, you know, ready to hit right from the get go.
6. Who has inspired you most as a musician?
I think in terms of who has inspired me most as a bass player, other musicians, probably Family Man from Bob Marley, James Jamerson, famous Motown bass player, and I think Chuck Rainey who was like a big session bass player. He played on some Marvin Gaye stuff, Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan. He has a really distinctive kind of punchy sound that's unlike anyone else I've ever heard. So those are the big three. And then just as a musician as a whole, like my parents, they were super encouraging and supportive. So I'm like very grateful that they always, you know, had my back because being a musician is is not easy. And yeah, they were always so supportive. They come to my shows and I think that's just great.