Long before Josh Ham started playing bass
and it just kept developing from there.
for the Planetshakers band, he was attending
of music, not just Christian music, not just Funk
or Jazz, or Rock, or Metal, or Electronic even.
Youth Alive events in his native Australia. Since [WM] The bass is a special instrument for so It was all over the place, there were a lot of
the 90’s, Youth Alive has reached generations many reasons. What attracted you the most? different artists who’ve spoken to me in their
of teens and young adults for Jesus with events
own different ways. But that main key one was
that are just as loud as they are relevant (just [Josh] One of the especially cool things about Abraham Laboriel, especially that solo that he
check out the guitar solo in the video below). the bass is that so many other musicians out did on Ron Kenoly’s “Ancient of Days”, it just
Youth Alive has also produced influencers that there are playing every other instrument under blew me away. The first time I heard it I was like,
include Planetshakers Church founder Russel the sun, and bass can play along with all of “Wow, I need to learn that as soon as I can.” I
Evans, The Belonging Co.’s Henry Seeley, and them. I’ve found myself in various garages just remember I was playing with a band and they
Josh Ham. Josh’s virtuoso bass playing is a jamming with people, learning specific songs in were doing a song in the same key that was
true reflection of the man behind it, so it is our my bedroom and then taking them to school around the same tempo, and the song kind of
pleasure to share this interview with you! and playing with people, or taking them to came down and I went into that solo. I thought,
church. Because I was raised in the church and “I can take something from this song and put
[WM] When did you start playing bass, and my mom was the music director, I got involved it into that song!” And that just blew my mind
was it your first instrument? with music at church. So, then I was learning as well.
those songs in my bedroom.
[Josh Ham] My Mom is a piano teacher so
[WM] I can also hear a touch of Stanley
she started me out on that. She was teaching It took me a while to realize that I could actually me the same way she was teaching everybody do my own thing, that it wasn’t just learning else which made me crazy bored, so I gave a part and that’s all you can do. I eventually [Josh] Oh, absolutely. A number of the bass
that up as soon as I could (laughs). But I loved improvised, and took some of those ideas and players who influenced me were themselves
music, so when my Dad came home with a put them into a different song. For the first two influenced by Stanley. He’s one of the bass
bass I stole it off him and just started playing. I years it was very much, here’s the song, learn players who everyone looks up to. Him, Jaco,
was twelve when I first grabbed a bass. the song, and then play away with your friends Marcus Miller, and all of these bigwigs, who
and give it a bash. even if you’re not influenced directly by them,
[WM] What about the instrument in particular
drew you to it?
Clarke’s vibrato in your playing as well.
they are definitely influencing your influences.
[WM] Who were some of the players who
inspired you early on?
[WM] How did you discover those guys since
[Josh] It was the first instrument in the house
they didn’t tour a lot in Australia?
that didn’t seem boring to me… it seemed [Josh] My very first inspiration was Abraham exciting. And it was one of the instruments you Laboriel, he played with Ron Kenoly on a few [Josh] It’s true, there are very few artists
could just pick up and run with straightaway, of his albums. It was the first time I had ever that do come out to Australia and when they
it didn’t take weeks and weeks of lessons to heard the bass as a feature. It wasn’t just part do it’s very expensive to get them out here,
be able to play a song. My Dad was getting of the band, playing its part or sitting in the so the tickets are expensive. I didn’t really
lessons at the time, and showed me some background, but it was actually bass solos get an opportunity to go and see them live. I
of the things he had recently learned, so I and bass intros. It was learning that all of these started playing bass around the same time
just picked it up and learned my first song. I different things where the bass part was the that YouTube started becoming a thing, so
thought, “This is amazing, what’s the next song feature of the song and going, “Wow, bass I was able to find different videos of the guys
I can learn?” And the next song and the next, actually can do this?” I just had never put two that I wanted to look at. I remember seeing a
and two together that bass could be more than Stu Hamm solo and watching his fingers, and
just the written part or the lower notes of the learning what he was playing just by the shapes
guitar line. So that was definitely the pinnacle or that he was playing.
the key to when I realized I could do more than
just play the part that’s in the song.
My Dad had a massive library of all these
different artists. Lots of different music, lots of
David Evans & the South Australian Youth Alive
Worship Experience, 11/19/94 // “Fire It Up”
Then listening to different people like Marcus different genres. He would show me Earth Wind
Miller, Billy Sheehan or Stuart Hamm. There and Fire, or Tower of Power, or even Michael
were lots of different influences from all sections Jackson and Stevie Wonder. And we’d listen to
February 2019
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