Like so many musicians, my first exposure to practical musicmaking was not in school but in church.

The ensemble was several guitars, an Omnichord, a piano. Occasionally older kids in the parochial wind band would bring their horns. We’d sway to the post-Vatican II treacle of Carey Landry, Dan Schutte, and Marty Haugen. We’d sway gently.

On very special days: an electric bass. For some reason this changed everything. To my little Catholic ears there was something dark, even sinister about those passing tones. Sort of like hearing Neil Diamond singing “Here I Am, Lord.” I’ll never forget the feeling.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.