Vulfpeck’s Joe Dart Reveals Sage Bass Advice He Received From Flea As A Teen

Before he anchored Vulfpeck bottom end, Joe Dart was a teenager bold enough to write a letter to Flea, one of his bass heroes. Dart recalled his surprise when he received an insightful hand-written note back from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist during his appearance on the latest episode of Scott’s Bass Lessons.

“I wrote Flea a fan mail letter when I was, like, 12 or 13 years old, and I was just like, ‘I want to do what you’re doing. And do you have any advice?’” Dart explained.

A response came to Dart’s delight. “He wrote me back – it’s unbelievable. He’s the sweetest guy ever,” the Vulfpeck bassist remembered. “He wrote me back a handwritten letter, and his advice to me was like, ‘Remember that the bass is a supportive instrument. You’re there to play a supportive role. You’re part of a rhythm section.’”

The advice Flea imparted in his note to Dart still resonates with Joe today. Flea also gave Joe Dart a listening assignment. “’If there’s one thing I can tell you, it’s listen to James Jamerson on Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On,’ and learn it. And that’ll sort of set you up.”

“You don’t listen to Flea and immediately think, like, ‘Oh, there’s a James Jamerson guy.’ You don’t just immediately hear that,” Dart continued. “He’s not copying James Jamerson. But that’s just essential, because it’s supportive bass playing, but it’s also so melodic – and then I started listening to what James was playing on some of that Stevie Wonder stuff: it’s almost like a bass solo, but it’s hitting all the right marks.”

Joe Dart also showed off several bass lines of Vulfpeck songs, discussed how the band was formed and spoke about many of the bassists who influenced him during the interview. Vulfpeck will return to New York City’s Madison Square Garden this Saturday, September 13.

Watch Joe Dart share his Flea story and the full interview below:

[Hat Tip – Guitar World]