Bassist Bob Nyswonger is what you call a musical “lifer.” Regardless of what else is going on in his world, you can rest assured that music will play a role in one way or another. Even as the economics of the modern music industry make it necessary for Bob to hold down the dreaded “day job,” his bass is never far away mentally or physically.

I first heard Bob play with The Bears, an intelli-pop quartet based in Cincinnati featuring himself, Rob Fetters, Adrian Belew, and Chris Arduser. Rare is the day pop music contains this level of smarts and top-shelf musical ability. Of their four studio albums, I would rate Car Caught Fire (released in 2001) as my favorite. But it’s impossible to go wrong regardless of which album one chooses to explore.

Bob plays BIG notes, driving songs along with propulsive playing that reminds me of John Entwistle. The groove is solid and anchored firmly within the context of every song. Bob’s skills can be heard clearly whether he’s playing fretted, fretless, or upright basses. He’s also a talented songwriter, contributing contributions to The Bears, Psychodots, Tickled Pink, or any of his other projects, including solo albums.

I got to spend a day hanging out with Bob in Cincinnati, where he served as my tour guide. We visited record stores, I had my first Skyline Chili experience, and we spent some quality time with the other Psychodots. In the meantime, we shared our mutual love for sports (particularly baseball) and Thai food (yeah, we ate quite a bit that day). This story is much longer, and will eventually be included in my follow-up to I Can’t Be the Only One Hearing This. Suffice to say, it was a really fun day. You’d be hard-pressed to meet a nicer human being.

I would sincerely like to thank Bob Nyswonger for taking part in this CirdecSongs Interview.

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I’m currently at work on my next book, The Wizard of WOO: The Life and Music of Bernie Worrell

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