Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 152
KIM
Interview by Ty Campbell
Kim Lee
This interview is part of the
ongoing ‘Bass On Broadway’
series
in Bass Musician
Magazine, highlighting the Lower
Broadway Nashville Bass Scene.
Click: Gage Boecker
Click: Scott Petersen
Click: Jon Quintero
Click: Zach Sturms
Click: Michael Pisculli
Kim Lee has been performing on Broadway for
the last five years and gives us her insight on
being one of the few female bassists (and an
amazing bassist) on the Broadway scene.
What influenced you to choose bass as
your main instrument?
I’ve played other instruments (piano, flute,
saxophone) my entire life, and I’m actually a
(terrible) guitarist too! It’s a cliché, but it holds
true in my case that the bass chose me.
A working and respected NC cover band,
Triad, was looking for a bassist, and I made an
impulsive decision to audition as a bass player.
(I had no clue what I was doing, and these guys
had 20 years more musical experience than I
did!) I had so much fun learning to play the
bass and tackling their set list that it has stuck
with me ever since. I got the gig, and it has
been my preferential instrument since 2005.
What specific challenges do you face as
a female bassist?
Music is a predominantly male field, so that can
be a challenge, and there is a learning curve
involved. I have found that it is essential to work
as hard as my male cohorts. What is expected
of male musicians as far as their playing, gear,
and professionalism is also expected of me. I