44 BASS MAGAZINE ; ISSUE 4 ; bassmagazine.com
Eva Gardner
right bass was playing in the Middle Eastern
ensemble in college. Those were crazy time
signatures and super dense charts with half-
flats and such, so that threw me into so many
other textures, timbres, and musicalities. But
all through college I was still playing bass in
rock and prog bands, so that's always been
there as well.
What is it like playing with Cher?
Cher is awesome. She’s just super cool
and down to earth. When I first met her, she
gave me a huge hug. She’s super funny and
fun to be around. I started with Cher two
weeks after I finished a long Pink tour, so it
was a quick transition, but because so many
of the band and crew members were coming
over with me for that gig, it was pretty smooth.
That gig definitely has a ton of pinch-me mo-
ments, because I’m playing songs like “I Got
You Babe” and “Turn Back Time,” so that was
pretty surreal in itself. She has a 50-plus-year
career, so playing so many songs that I grew
up listening to and that my parents grew up
listening to was special.
What about playing with Gwen Stefani?
I was brought into her band by the mu-
sical director in the Cher camp, so I knew a
few people playing with her, which was nice
in easing me into it. That was such a fun gig
because I love her music, and it was so great
to play those songs live. It was a lot of key-
board bass for those sets. Her stuff is really
upbeat and poppy, with a lot of cool grooves.
The MD was a keyboardist, so that helped
with me programming all of the songs and
getting my sound just right. I learned so
much about software on that gig. I was sing-
ing on that material quite a bit, which was
awesome, because Gwen’s choruses are re-
ally big, and it was cool to belt those onstage
with her. Those shows definitely had a seri-
ous party vibe.
What was it like writing the original material
for the first Mars Volta album?
That was an incredibly creative time. I
started playing with them when I was still in
college, which was so refreshing, because all
of a sudden I was in a room with those guys
where the rules I had just learned didn’t mat-ter. I could let all of that go and be free and
just write and play whatever came from the
heart. I remember sitting with the Omar [Ro-
driguez Lopez] and Cedric [Bixler-Zivala]
in their rehearsal space and going through
those parts and feeling an incredible connec-
tion. It was a really special process.
Was it surreal to have Flea go on to play
your parts on the album?
It couldn’t have been more of a compli-
ment or an honor. He and I actually talked
about that several years later, and he said
they didn’t need to be changed and he loved
them the way they were. That guy is such a
monster player and has influenced so many
bassists. It meant the world to me.
What was it like having Fender make your
own signature line of basses?
That still feels surreal to me. Having
grown up with Fender being a household
name as far back as I can remember, to have
my name on one is unbelievable. I still can’t
believe that happened, even after all of this
time. As a second-generation bass player who
grew up playing Fenders, that’s an absolute
pinnacle for me.
You have an amazing collection of vintage
gear from your father. What are your prized
bass possessions?
The basses that I inherited from my
dad mean so much to me. His ’62 Precision
in Fiesta Red is my absolute prized posses-
sion. He tore the frets off it in the mid ’60s
and claimed that he was the first one to cre-
ate a fretless electric bass. It has such a spe-
cial and unique sound. My first bass is also
my favorite. I got it under the Christmas
tree at the age of 15, and I eventually mod-
eled my signature bass after it. I also inherit-
ed a beautiful Pfretzschner upright from my
dad that was built in the 1860s, which I love
to play. I toured with it for a little while, but
then stopped because I got too nervous that
something would happen to it. I took it out
to Vegas for the residency with Cher because
I didn’t have to travel much, but right now I
have a 1950's Kay for the Pink tour. It's a to-
tal workhorse and can take a good beating on
the road.