Thursday, April 20, 2006
Q&A: Cameron McLaughlin of Balancing Act
You'll hear their music in upcoming episodes of MTV's "Punk'd" and "Making the Band."
Courtesy of Cameron McLaughlin
Cameron McLaughlin (left) and Matt Henninger relax in a recording studio during production of their CD.
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The story of Balancing Act begins in 2004 when a pair of bass players -- Roanoker Cameron McLaughlin and Michigan native Matt Henninger -- met at Steve Bailey's weeklong Bass at the Beach workshop in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Each digging the other's playing style, McLaughlin soon gave Henninger a copy of some tracks he'd recorded. Henninger overdubbed his own melodies and counterpoints over McLaughlin's looped and layered grooves.
They found the results extraordinary.
Realizing they were onto something, they decided to abandon the popular notion that the bass player should remain with the drummer in the back, out of the way of the fiddly-diddly guitar hero up front, and prove that two bassists can be better than one. While one holds the groove, the other can explore and exploit the textural and melodic voices the bass can possess in the right set of hands.
After jaunts to Nashville, Tenn.; Indianapolis; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and several NAMM (North American Music Merchants) conventions and shows (both McLaughlin and Henninger are endorsed by Benavente Guitars & Basses), the pair assembled a collection of musicians to make their recordings become a real band.
Jonathan Ovalle (drums/keyboards/percussion/vocals), Madeline Davis (vocals), Dan Puccio (horns), Gjergji Theka (guitar) and Martinsville's own Josh Shilling (keyboards, vocals) took to the task with ease.
Their self-titled debut, released this year, has earned them favorable reviews not only in the current issue of Bass Player Magazine and the upcoming issue of Bass Guitar Magazine, but has also landed them a licensing deal with MTV, which is set to feature their music in upcoming episodes of "Punk'd" and "Making the Band."
Q: Were you surrounded by music at home?
McLaughlin: My dad always had smooth jazz on in the background, but I never really paid attention. He'd always wanted to play an instrument but, you know, you come home from work, you've got kids ... you're just too tired. One day I bought him a bass. I couldn't let him go through his whole life with something as simple as not saving the money for an instrument stopping him. Now we have something else we can bond over.
Q: What drew you to the bass?
A: Dad had a Marcus Miller CD, "Live and More" I think it was, and there was this song on there that just nailed it home. My family had no musical history, but I just went at it and here we are today, nine years later. I had a band in high school, Sound and Fury, with some friends. That was the beginning of everything.
Q: Bands will often have multiple drummers, such as the Allman Brothers Band, and Iron Maiden currently boasts three guitar players, but it's rare for a band to have two bassists.
A: Matt and I had the same technique so when we sat down to play it was really nice. We kept in touch. I gave him a copy of some of the solo bass stuff I'd recorded. He overdubbed some of his own stuff on top of it, and it was phenomenal. We decided we needed to get serious about this. He came to Virginia, and we recorded a bunch of tracks at my house on a laptop and just went at it. We built our album from the ground up. We started with the multiple bass tracks, then laid down the drums, keys and vocals. We had no idea how any of it was going to come out at all because we'd only really written our bass parts ... layers and layers of bass grooves, melodies, tapping, chords ... each song has about four or five bass parts, but it sounds really smooth. We wanted the tracks to be really good songs, though, because that's what it's all about. The rest of the album was written as it was recorded. (Laughing) We didn't really meet until we were all on stage at a NAMM show in '05 after several calls to "go-to" people for the gig!
Q: Why do this?
A: We want to bring the fun back to music in an industry which is just so unbelievably image driven. When I was in L.A., there were all of these people spending eight hours a day trying to put the right pants on to maintain their "image," and I'm just standing there in jeans and some instrument company's T-shirt I probably got for free. We just want to be able to get on the road. And all the interviews and articles and MTV and all that stuff aside, we're just regular people who wanna make people get up and dance and play any kind of music we want and not be put into a box for marketing reasons. Most importantly, these players are truly phenomenal, which is why we do this in the first place.
FLASHBACK
When Cameron McLaughlin was a senior at Northside High School in Roanoke County in 1999, he was asked by this newspaper to pick his favorite music of the year. His short bio read: “He has played the bass for four years and plans to play professionally.”
McLaughlin graduated from Virginia Tech in 2004 and now tours with his band, Balancing Act.
Here’s what he picked:
1. Victor Wooten, “Yin Yang”
What can I say? I am a bass player, so I have to support my kind. Still, this is an amazing double CD. It features jazz, funk, hip-hop and many innovative sounds. Victor Wooten has prowess on the bass, bringing this traditionally background instrument right to the face of the listener. Even if you don’t like jazz, this CD will open your eyes.
2. Days of the New,“Days of the New 2”
This CD features amazing acoustic work. The music definitely is unique, and it has great musicality. Although the original band split up, the lead singer sure has produced an impressive compilation of sounds with great support from backup vocals to great syncopated guitar rhythms.
3. Incubus, “Make Yourself”
This band may not seem like much on the surface, but upon further digging, the driving force that it commands is infectious. It is interesting to see how this band has progressed from its early years (the older music is great, too) to what it is today. Somehow they have command over making music that is addictive with funky bass and smashing drum beats. The guitar work is simply fantastic.
4. Dave Matthews Band, “Listener Supported"
What needs to be said about this band? Dave Matthews has graced the musical scene with his innovative guitar playing along with excellent accompaniment by his crew. This is a hip, jazzy and funky CD sure to please all.
5. Nine Inch Nails,“The Fragile”
There is nothing quite like the musical style and genius of Trent Reznor. He has yet again produced great quality work. His music is an acquired taste, considering that it really doesn’t fit under any genre. It could be considered techno, but it has much more depth than the average club scene beat.
— From “Favorite Music of the Year” in The Roanoke Times, Dec. 29, 1999
HEAR THEM LIVE
Balancing Act
Roanoke: 9 tonight at Campbell’s Place, 526 Orange Ave. N.E. $5. 344-4874.
Blacksburg: 9 p.m. Friday, Attitudes Bar & Cafe, 900 Prices Fork Road. $5. 552-7001.
Net: www.balancingactmusic.com, www.myspace.com/balancingactmusic
