Canadian Musician - March/April 2021 | Page 54

Alex St . Kitts
PHOTO : OKWA ANDREW

Alex St . Kitts

Over the last number of years , Alex St . Kitts has become one of the most in-demand bassists in Toronto . He ’ s also an accomplished singer , songwriter , and multi-instrumentalist , with his solo projects including The Projektor , Alexander Saint , and dumbbass . As a bassist , he has shared the stage with k-os , SATE , Tony Royster Jr ., Alyssa Reid , Adrian X , Digging Roots , Slakah the Beatchild , and many more . He has performed at the American Music Awards with pop-R & B artist Francesco Yates , and alongside Ed Sheeran at the Much Music Video Awards .
CM : What ’ s the most recent piece you ’ ve added to your bass rig and how did it earn the spot ?
St . Kitts : I ’ ve actually added a couple of pedals ! Last year I was really trying to rekindle my passion for bass playing , and a good friend of mine had just been talking about updating his pedalboard . So , I looked around , didn ’ t want to spend too much , and found these Donner pedals on Amazon . Got a delay , chorus , and pitch shifter for like $ 150 and let me tell you ... I made a whole solo bass EP because I was so inspired by the sounds I could produce sitting in my studio
54 CANADIAN MUSICIAN and just having fun . Now , I ’ m looking at getting a Kinnatone-modded RAT .
CM : Is there anything technical you ’ ve been working on during all the time off the road because of the pandemic ? If so , why did you choose that to work on and how did you approach it ?
St . Kitts : I started going through Janek Gwizdala ’ s book , All the Better Stuff , again , trying to more quickly and efficiently navigate the fingerboard . I really wanted to see new patterns and take my mind off of the bass auto-pilot we get caught up in sometimes . I also started lifting things , like the melody for Mike Stern ’ s “ Mood Swings ,” parts of a Rich Brown solo , and Jaco [ Pastorius ’] solo on “ Punk Jazz ” ( which I ’ m probably 5 % complete !). Slap bass was also something I felt particularly weak in , especially compared to some other great Canadian bassists , so I started really concentrating on righthand technique and watching a lot of Mark King videos .
CM : You ’ ve played for a number of notable artists across a pretty wide spectrum of genres / styles . How did you develop the musical agility to do that well ? And how do you quickly find your place , musically , in a new band ?
St . Kitts : I was lucky starting out . I got to play in my dad ’ s wedding band for four solid years , and you learn a lot pretty quickly being thrown into those situations . He would yell a song at you as you ’ re still playing a song and give you about two beats until we transitioned into it . We played everything from the newest top-40 to Motown to rock , so I developed a large repertoire of tunes and genres that way . I also listen to a lot of different music ! Everything from The Beatles to Earth , Wind & Fire to James Blake to Nine Inch Nails . I listen to a lot of what ’ s coming out now , as well , so I can make more informed choices bass wise ( like Dua Lipa ’ s “ Future Nostalgia ,” which is awesome , especially for bass ).
I think it ’ s really important to be yourself when you ’ re looking at fitting into a gig / new band . In the beginning I , like a lot of younger players , would really try to be something I wasn ’ t . Try to be Pino Palladino or Victor Wooten or a gospel bass player ; whatever I thought would get me the gig . The problem with going that route is that ’ s who you have to be every day , and that becomes very draining . I started thinking about what people liked the best about me as a bassist , and how I could build on that . I like to have fun on stage , it ’ s really where I feel super comfortable . So , I used that to my advantage , and instantly found it separated me from a lot of other bassists .
Another thing I had to learn very quickly was what my role is . Am I just the bassist ? Do they want someone to perform ? How involved am I in creating or is it just a job ? These are all valid questions I have to ask myself for every gig . The better I understand what it is people expect of me , the better I ’ ll be able to fit into that musical surrounding .
CM : In your experience , what are the key ingredients for the best collaboration between drums and bass ?