...And Now a Word From The Bass Master General with Karl Alvarez (Descendents, All, Massacre Guys)

Four Strings and the Truth

Grab your bonus cups and strap on your ear goggles (kinda mixing band references here) to drink of the wisdom of one Karl Alvarez, the fleet-fingered fellow who anchors and propels power pop deities Descendents (as well as their alter-ego combo, All, who are no longer active).

As with many of our show’s guests, you could readily identify any of Karl's bands’ songs solely by hearing the isolated bass part. And for all the tumult, there’s a ton of melody. Over the years, Karl’s honed his songwriting (all of the members write), and is responsible for many of Descendents’ most popular tunes. We’ll hear about their evolution from community centers to 2024 festival stages, the far-flung band’s unique writing process and whether we should start anticipating a new Descendents album or not.

Descendents (https://descendents.bandcamp.com/album/9th-walnut)

All (https://open.spotify.com/artist/4UWlpzLFbNdlaRXuZeTPlH?autoplay=true)

Massacre Guys (https://open.spotify.com/artist/2xF6odoDOWP93qPOyBi0Os?si=KAbqQ3CBRLeJfJSqF0vtbQ)

Punk Rock & Paintbrushes (https://www.punkrockart.com/)

Special thanks to my childhood buddy and occasional bandmate Lindsey Anderson for the connect!

This episode was brought to you by "The Bastard Instrument: A Cultural History of the Electric Bass," the essential new book that illuminates the origins and impact of our beloved instrument in all its glory. An amazing read. Buy it at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Bastard-Instrument-Cultural-Electric-Tracking/dp/0472056816/) or your favorite book slinger. And check out author Brian F. Wright's website (https://www.brianfwright.com/) for unreleased content from the book and more of his writing.