Andrew Lusher - bassist
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Background: Since the early days of the famous Le Hibou on Sussex and a time when Cream, Jimi Hendrix and The Who played to small crowds at Ottawa's long-forgotten Capital Theatre Andrew has performed with many of Ottawa's finest musicians. This list includes such well-known names as Jeff Steck, Barry Wanless, Kelvin Wong, Brian Sim, Ken Hodgkinson, Steve Hollingsworth and Pat Travers. | |
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The Band: Andrew writes: "As a progressive rock fan, the last thing I ever expected to do was to play Little Feat material. This is complex and challenging material to perform well, especially as a four-piece band. I'm certain this very challenge is what keeps us working at it. Also, I am very excited to be a part of the rhythm section with Jeff again, and Barry and Kelvin are both truly amazing musicians. There is so much enthusiasm and excellent musicianship in this band that Feat First has truly become a labour of love for all of us. | |
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Concept: The concept for this band originated with Jerry Samson who was our drummer prior to Jeff. He arrived at my door to serve notice that I should play bass in his band. I agreed. We worked hard and when we were finally ready to play our first gig (a New Year's eve opener for Kim Mitchell) the bad news came. Jerry had been diagnosed with cancer, and sadly passed away within weeks. Fortunately, when things were beginning to look bleak Jeff arrived. We play together because we truly love this music and we are great friends, but for me it is also to honour the memory of Jerry. | |
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Philosophy: "Don't dream it, be it! You can do anything you want to do in life if you have the desire and are willing to believe in yourself. One also must be prepared to do some hard work along the way. This is what I love most about music. There are no perfect musicians. We all aspire to greatness, but no matter how proficient we are there will always be someone a little better and someone less well off. Work hard, share with your peers and what you send out will always come back to you. The learning never stops, so drop the ego, get to work and most of all: HAVE FUN!" | |
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Influences: "Over the years there have been so many influences on my personal style. My first major influence was the late, great John Entwistle. He changed the world forever. My short list would also have to include James Jamerson, Joe Osborn, Donald "Duck" Dunne, Tim Bogert, Jack Casady, Lee Sklar, Greg Lake, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, Chris Squire, Tony Levin, Geddy Lee, Jeff Berlin and Stu Hamm.... and what list could be complete without proper credit to the amazing Victor Wooten?" | |
| Gear: "After a quarter of a century of beating on my old '62 Fender Precision bass I began the search for a perfect instrument and the way to expand my musical horizons. Currently I am playing Dingwall basses and using TC Electronics amplification." Click on the "Warning" below for my self-indulgent gear pictures. | ||
| A very special thanks to Keith Braund and Jim Hamilton for keeping me constantly inspired musically. Lastly, thanks also go to Brian Sim and Ken Hodgkinson for all those good years we shared playing together. |
