Bullwinkle's Naming Convention, or...

Why I prefer the 3-piece band, or rhythm 'n rhythm rules

An erstwhile employer of mine in the so-called "music industry" is dead set against three-piece bands. Famously dead set against it. His statements were the subject of ridicule on internet bulletin boards for months. He infamously claimed that "a 3-piece is not a band; it's a blueprint for a band."

I beg to differ. I prefer the 3-piece band. Here's why.

When you have a 3-piece band, every player has to hit it every time. They play the absolute necessary parts and by all means, keep the rhythm churning. When you add another guitar, you often do add texture, however, you also allow meandering. Noodling. "Guitar exploration." You may call that "lead guitar."

If the singer isn't playing guitar, then he is free to beg for attention with all he's got. I prefer when the front man has the multi-tasking responsibility of singing and playing rhythm guitar and then perhaps busting into a tasteful 8-bar melodic "solo."

The bass should provide a melodic anchor as should the drums. Do you know who does this 3-piece thing perfectly? The Reigning Sound. What makes them stand out is that Greg Cartwright is the greatest songwriter of the 21st Century so far. People may beg to differ, but I know I'm right.

When The Greenhornes dwindled their ranks from five to four and finally down to three members, I thought they made the move from trendy neo-garage niche to a more evergreen Cream-inspired blues-based one. They do not light up the stage with physical pyrotechnics, but they have the best rhythm section in contemporary rock today. And they are so young! That they resonate with a vintage facility in their improved 3-piece line-up at this age, one can only expect that as they grow old together, The Greenhornes will shore up the foundation of this thing we call rock n roll and make it fresh for the generation born in the 70s.

One of my favorite bands of the 70s, The Faces, had a good mix. One guitar, bass, drums and a Hammond B3. Yes, they had the flashy singer, but what a voice he had, and energy, and a way to interpret those songs that set the bar for other "blue-eyed devils" who dared sing Black music with a British rock accent.

What I'm talking about really doesn't have anything to do with a band having 3 or 4 instrument-playing members. Its about making fresh sounds with a pretty standardized configuration. A lot of people are all excited about The White Stripes and their no bass approach. They aren't the first and they will not be the last band with no bass player. Let's look at the past decade: The Gories and The Oblivians. These bands made a super serious impact on Jack White in no uncertain terms. You can hear it in his songwriting and in his vocal style. Neither of these influential 3-piece bands had a bass player. The Black Keys - guitar and drums; Mr. Airplane Man - guitar and drums; The Moaners - guitar and drums; the seminal Bantam Rooster - guitar and drums; I could go on, and I will, but not about this no bass thing.

When you look at Led Zeppelin or The Ramones, what you have are two 3-piece bands that have a singer who doesn't play an instrument on stage. I guess Cream could have gone that route - but could you imagine Eric Clapton without a guitar? Exactly. That's why the Jeff Beck Group had Rod Stewart singing in front of Beck and then-bass-player, Ronnie Wood, who is as good on the bass as any of the famous bass players ever. (Actually, it's a Yarbirds thing, isn't it? Page & Beck, - both slinging guitar behind some golden-voiced front man with stand-out hair while Clapton managed to do his own singing.)

As for me, I like the bass and everything it provides. Listen to the orchestral outro to the 60s classic, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." The bowed bass really drives that song to its climactic ending. Crucial. Listen to the bass line of any Beatles song and dare to slag Paul McCartney! How about the driving melodic bass on Tom Petty's "American Girl" or "Debris," the Ronnie Lane number on The Faces' "A Nod Is As Good As A Wink" album?

There is no better presentation and exaltation of bass than The Dirtbombs. The Detroit quintet is a rhythm n bass combo. Two drummers, two bass players, one guitarist/singer. Now this is one helluva an amazing live band and its partly because of the double shot of rhythm. There is nothing like witnessing this band from the back of any given concert venue. Seeing two drummers playing equally hard, but showing it in different ways. Bam Bam - my secret name for young, blond Ben Blackwell, is like a big puppy, putting his paws to the skins and slamming them. Pat Pantano is all finesse in presentation but hits just as hard and as fast. Its really something to behold. One bass generates punctuated fuzz while the other plays fast and melodic. Troy Gregory might have the fastest fingers in the world. This double rhythm rock n roll is the brainchild of Mick Collins, the former Gories guitar player. From a band with no bass to a band with two. Cool. The Dirtbombs is one of those bands that make me want to play bass! Usually, you will hear a record and have guitar fantasies where you are Jimmy Page or Keith Richards. Me, I just want to play bass when I hear the Dirtbombs.

At the end of the day, I just like good music. It doesn't matter to me if three guys make it, or if ten guys do.