Name:Vic Serbe
Location: Decatur, IL
Band: Imagine That Band

What got you started playing bass?

necessity. back when i was in high school, all my buddies wanted to form a band and the only instrument left to fill was bass. i guess nobody wanted to be the bass player. not as cool as lead guitar, vocals, or drummer. as it turns out, even after all these years, it’s still my favorite instrument in a band.

What bass players inspire you?

too many to name specifically, but i’ll give you a few examples. they all fall under one category, however, which is bass players who write lines that, if not played, the song isn’t the song anymore. players like james jamerson, carol kaye, chuck rainey, jaco pastorius, the doobie brothers’ bassists, fran sheehan of boston, and many many more, including many of the jazz greats like stanley clarke, eddie gomez, ron carter, etc. you get the idea.

What song has challenged you the most?

i can’t narrow that down to one song, but instead a genre. jazz. jazz forces you to do what all musicians (not just bass players) should do… listen. the lessons i learned playing jazz have been the hardest to learn, and the most valuable as a band member. knowing what not to play is just as important as knowing what to play, and if you aren’t listening to what’s going on, you can’t make good choices. a band is not several people playing as individuals, it’s a coherent conversation on a common musical thread all are subscribed and committed to.

What’s your favorite song to play in your current band’s set?

Probably Separate Ways by Journey. that song just always clicked for us, and is easy for us to generate power and energy with.

What’s the most overplayed song?

Maybe Funky Music by Wild Cherry. But it still works! Some songs just live forever I suppose. On the “downside” maybe sweet home alabama or mustang sally as honorable mentions. lol

What’s the most memorable thing that happened to you at a gig?

this goes back to my jazz days, but we were all so fully engaged and connected by the song we were playing (All Blues by Miles Davis, simple, classic), that we all went off into a poly-rhythmic theme at the same time, and re-entered the form of the song at the same time, as if we’d worked hard to rehearse it over and over again, but it happened on the spur of the moment. those are the magic moments you remember forever.

What’s your current rig?

I have several high end basses, but the ones I play most are Fender Jazz bass themed. I do own a Fender, but I also own MTD, Sadowsky, and others. I’ve owned the super high end stuff like a Fodera, but I just keep coming back to the J bass, just like the ’78 J bass i bought new and miss to this day. I’ve also been through a lot of amps/cabs, but have kinda’ come full circle. I played a lot of Gallien Krueger stuff in the 80’s, and it’s what I play the vast majority of the time now. I use one of their micro bass heads (MB Fusion 800) and their Neo 112-II cabs. Most of the time I only need one, but I have a second one just in case. everybody is stunned by how i can support a 5 string bass down to the low B with a single 12″ speaker, but that little rig is amazing… and just as importantly, very lightweight and portable. i gave up on the big heavy stuff years ago and don’t miss any of it.