what bass and gear did you use on ‘August and everything after’? I listened to that CD almost every night that was in Iraq, and I cannot pinpoint what that was. I was thinking a “P” with really old flats (even a mute) for part of it, but I love that tone. My homemade fretless semi-hollow with dead-flats-and-a-mute can almost get the tone on some of that CD. Did you use an upright maybe?

Hello and thanks for stopping by! Thanks also for liking August and Everything After. On August, I played a fretless Musicman Stingray, (Mr. Jones among others), and a hollowbody fretted Hoffner bass which got destroyed a couple of years later on tour. I don’t know the model but it was an awesome bass. Large hollow body – and cherry burst finish. On the Musicman I used roundwounds but on the Hoffner there were flats. On Murder of One, for example, the Musicman is on the choruses and the Hoffner is on the verses. Crazy stuff. Everything went through an SWR Redhead amp/cab with a 2nd channel direct into the board. The SWR amp was a 1991 model, I believe. I still have it in storage here at home. Thanks for listening and for visiting me as well! Matt

Thanks for the reply. I wouldn’t have guessed the fretless ray. . . . but it sure sounded good. the other stuff from you guys was great too, but since that was the only one I had when I was in Iraq it really stuck with me. . . especially lying in the tent on a cot in hot weather, I could get lost in those lyrics…..... really helped a bad situation. thanks again.

Thanks Jacko. Sounds like it was an intense time in Iraq. You’re a true hero for going through that. America is obviously very divided about the reason for the war but any way you slice it, the people who served there are heroes. Matt

Hey! The Counting Crows have been and still are one of my favorite bands, and I thinks it’s cool to be chatting with ya Matt. The lines you laid down were really great (to understate). Anyway if I could ask what was it like being in the crows? Have ya got any cool stories to lay on us? Is Adam really that uder-hip? Thanks!! RJ

Hi Randall and thanks again for stopping by! Well, C. Crows and any other working rock band means living in hotels and putting the rest of your life on hold. It was fun in my ‘20’s and part of my ‘30’s but when my boys came along I started to suffer. Hearing my first-born say for the first time “I love you dad” over the phone from Amsterdam was embarrassing – being an MIA dad started to feel like a bit of a disgrace. Career and family take balance and I was living WAY off balance. If you’re not the family type and you plan on entering middle age single then touring in a rock band in your ‘40’s is great fun. It really was a blast though. Great memories and adventures all the time for 14 years. Good to have you here Randall – Matt

That’s a noble reason. I have a 10 year old son, and a 4 year old daugter, and I went through the same thing with my son (not quite on the scale you did) it’s had balance the two things you love the most. RJ