Up next we have Andrea LaPrete who is a multi-instrumentalist from from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She plays piano and guitar but primarily plays the bass. Andrea’s production fuses jazzy elements, timeless hip hop beats, and groovy bass lines bound to give the listener stank face.
How did you find out about 1 rad? What made you want to participate?
The first time I participated in 1rad was in 2017. I was following She Shreds for the obvious reason that they were representing females in music. I saw them post about 1rad on the first day of the challenge that year and thought, “Hey, I’ve never been consistent in anything in my life, what better time than to try this than now?” I managed to not only make it through the 31 days, but also pull some inspiration from 4 of the riffs that eventually became new songs for my band Papaya Whip. It was exhilarating to feel that creativity and accomplishment. I was able to explore my new pedals and Bass VI, which is technically a bass, but many would consider it similar to a baritone guitar. This year was my 3rd year completing the challenge.
When did you start playing bass/guitar?
After thinking piano was boring and wanting to play “cool stuff”, I began playing guitar around 12 years old. I played in a cool dad cover band with my cool dad and some other cool dads where my dad played bass. He was learning bass when I was learning guitar. Sometimes we’d switch off when he would sing a song and I remember the first song I learned on bass which was “Cumbersome” by Seven Mary Three. I remember feeling super cool playing that bass line then. It wasn’t until college when I met some other musicians who needed a bassist and I said, “I can do it!” And so I proceeded to do exactly that. I fell in love with the low tone, the rumble, and the rhythmic power of bass and have been dedicated to it primarily ever since.
What was your 1 rad experience like this year?
This year, I’ll admit it was a struggle to get started. I had to fish around old sketches I made to get the ball rolling as I’ve had such a creative drought for the last 2 years, besides participating in 1rad. However, with daily practice, inspiration from others, and the support of many old and new 1rad buds, I began to feel more confident and the creativity began to flow more easily after week one. I was able to focus on different areas like playing tighter, or simpler, or working on difficult or new techniques that ended up making me feel like a better player by the end. I admired those who were beyond my level for their ability, as well as those who showed incredible tenacity as they were learning to get to know their instrument better day by day.
What was your personal goal for 1 Rad?
I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it again. That I could take this wilted creativity and nurture it to blossom again. I’ve been through slumps before, but never had felt so disconnected from music like I’ve felt in these past few years. I went from live shows and an album release to relative silence. I needed this to prove to myself that I still have it in me. Now I just need to keep the momentum going, which I plan on doing with #fridayriffday!
“I fell in love with the low tone, the rumble, and the rhythmic power of bass and have been dedicated to it primarily ever since. “
Your 1 rad videos, it was very creative, and exciting! What is your creative process like?
Thanks! Well, 90% of the time, I’ll begin with drums to help foster a more creative bass line. I’ll either create midi drums in Ableton, or use a sample. Then, I’ll pick up the bass and starting either playing, or sometimes humming an idea and then figuring it out on bass. I’ll set the loop to 16 bars and get something down that I can groove to. After that, I’ll either find a sound I like with my midi keys, or pick up my Bass VI to create a guitar part. I’ll tweak the mix and add effects to polish it up a bit. The other 10% of the time, I enjoy learning a cover. I used to hate doing that because I prided myself on creating my own music, but in teaching bass lessons, I’ve gained an appreciation for learning something someone else wrote. It’s refreshing to play in a way that my mind wouldn’t naturally come up with. It’s fun and teaches me different techniques and styles.
You had a full production of bass, drums, and keys for all your videos. How long did it take you to record and edit?
That depends on several factors, like how many instruments am I playing, or how many takes I recorded when recording the instruments, etc. Sometimes I definitely spent 2-3 hours recording, mixing, and editing. Other times were under 1 hour. I definitely got better and faster as the month went on. I made a point on one of the days to challenge myself to write and record a riff in 15 minutes, and then I edited for about the same amount of time. I don’t really mind spending the time though, I enjoy creating something visually appealing to accompany my riffs as a whole package.
Who were some of your favorite 1 Rad participants this year?
Oh so many, it’s tough to say! There’s some of the folks I’ve followed over the past few years like @laboulbeniomycete, @mackenzieazela, @krost, @scorpio.mp3, @georgiaplaysguitar, @corvus_plexippus, @theguitarplayer, @the_gracefoster, @pattypershayla and so many more.
The new ones this year I’ve loved include @annamacan, @jas.stade @negativefauna, @chechaboom, @damsch, and @erin__westfall. Among of course, many others.
Which artist/band inspires your playing?
So many artists have formed me over the years as my taste in music has also taken a wild ride, but some of my favorites currently are Juana Molina, Hiatus Kaiyote, badbadnotgood, and Kiefer. Definitely into jazz-infused and experimental music these days.
Could you tell me more about your band Papaya Whip? How did you begin creating music together?
Papaya Whip started off as a need to have my own baby project. I had always been a bassist in someone else’s band, and while I was fine with that at the time, I had gained enough drive to want to front my own project and play the music that I felt represented me better than anything I’d played before. I wrote some quick songs and produced them in Ableton and put them out on SoundCloud. I reached out to musicians I knew and tried out different people, but the internet (specifically bandmix and craigslist) was what brought me the people who would match up the best. We started out as a trio, but eventually our guitarist moved and my drummer and I had difficulty finding someone that fit our particular musical interests. We decided at that point to become a duo and figure things out from there. I went on a pedal binge, and my dad had gifted me the Bass VI I spoke about earlier, which all helped to make us sound like more than a duo, like a wall of sound. Through 1rad and our own experimentation, we came up with a sound that we were proud of. We recorded over what felt like years and finally released our album “Some Discoloration” in January of 2020 where we had an awesome show decorated with giant paper mâché fruit and a Papaya Whip dessert created by Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog, my bass student’s dad. I’m so proud of what we accomplished!
Finally, where can we find your band Papaya Whip’s music?
Papaya Whip is on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube Music, Bandcamp, and all other streaming services that you could possibly think of, including Napster, believe it or not. https://open.spotify.com/artist/14KpwAcoyxqRJ4Ev8RonGM?si=S1eGkp9iQByGUsDgpOtUkA
You can check out Andrea’s band and personal instagram below.
https://www.instagram.com/drea_likey/
https://www.instagram.com/papayawhipband/
