Donnie Castleman
BASSIST,
TAX PROFESSIONAL, ENROLLED AGENT
(above photo 2005 by
Randy
Linder)
*****
Bass Page MusicianTax / Specialty Tax Services
Favorite Links Pictures via Yahoo Pictures
Click HERE to go to Bass Website!
My
kids, Adam, Amanda, and Aiden!!
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MUSIC Music has been a big part of my life ever since age 2 when I learned how to change Johnny Cash records on my folks' console stereo. I picked up banjo at age 8, drums at age 10, and bass at age 12, and by age 14 I was playing in clubs and at other functions around my hometown of Jackson, TN. Forwarding the clocks to the present, I have a music career playing alongside many wonderful people onstage and in studio. RUSH The summer before 7th grade I was hanging around some older kids in a grocery store parking lot when I heard something that changed the course of my life forever. My friend Jimmy Riggins had just gotten a new cassette tape by Rush called Moving Pictures, and popped it in his truck stereo, and I heard a song called Tom Sawyer for the first time. At that moment I knew I wanted to play the bass. I played Dwight Woodard's dad's '72 Fender Telecaster bass at his house for almost a year before finally getting my own, and immediately started learning every Rush song in existence. I feel very indebted to Rush and bassist Geddy Lee for providing the groundwork for me to learn my instrument, which has provided much joy and a living for many years.
Me with Alex Lifeson & Geddy Lee of Rush ***** TAX PREPARATION In 1986 I started studying the tax code to be able to keep up with my own music income, and, rolling the clocks forward to 2005, I am doing over 200 tax returns a year and, along with scoring in the highest percentile in the nation in Individual Tax on the CPA exam, I just became an Enrolled Agent, allowing me the same legal powers as an attorney or CPA when it comes to representing my tax clients before the IRS and in U.S. Tax Court. Check out the MUSICIANTAX page for more information. *****
THE SECRET OF HAVING PERFECT PITCH,
SUBTITLE, HOW I DO IT! The thing about me that has blown people’s mind for many years is how I can hear a note, a chord, the key to a song, and tell you exactly what it is, just by hearing it, with no instrument, no pitch pipe, no cheating! There’s really not much to the “gift” of perfect pitch, and I will share that with you here. When you think of your favorite bands, Beatles, Eagles, Steely Dan, Rush, and think of a song that they do, don’t you usually hear the tune in your head pretty close to the key that the song is actually in? Like the key of E, Rush The Spirit of Radio, Rush Tom Sawyer, Beatles Day Tripper, and Eagles Life in the Fast Lane! Chances are, when you hear it in your head, you hear it in the same key as it’s in. That’s what I do, I have memorized over my entire lifetime certain pieces of music in the original key, and that’s how I find notes. For example, I memorized on the 6 string bass, BEADGC open strings, I memorized in marching band the tuning notes of F, Eb and Bb, so there’s my 8 notes that I can recall just like that, so that only leaves out F#, G#, C#, which I figure out if it’s not one of the 8 notes I memorized. And, I have certain songs memorized in their original keys; I’ll list some of them here. Carl Perkins Movie Magg (E) and Everybody’s Trying to be My Baby (E), Rush Tom Sawyer (E), Billy Idol Rebel Yell (B), Cheap Trick Dream Police (E), Journey Separate Ways (E), Jackie Ward Big Blue Diamonds (G), Eagles Life in the Fast Lane (E), and Ace Cannon Memphis (D). So, there’s really no magic trick, it’s mainly about really listening to songs you’ve heard for years and figuring out the key they’re in and just remembering it! Now, some times I can’t remember my own name (just kidding), but these tunes and these notes I can never forget, and yes, it does drive me crazy to hear tunes when they’re just a little sharp or a little flat, anyway, take what I’ve said and see if you can make perfect pitch work for you, it’s just memorization for the most part. I use perfect pitch every day onstage and in the studio, and the more you use it, the stronger it gets. It’s honestly the only chance I’ve ever had as a musician, just a knack for remembering notes! Good luck acquiring perfect pitch for yourself! |
Q&A with Donnie (as
interviewed by Richard Marsh)
Richard Marsh: How long have you played bass? And how long have you been a tax accountant/enrolled agent?
Donnie Castleman: A musician for 30 years (since age 9), Bass for 25 years, tax preparation for 15 years, and I constantly strive to get better with everything as time goes by.
Richard Marsh: Who are your musical heroes?
Donnie Castleman: Geddy Lee, for influencing me to become a bassist; Nathan East, for always playing that perfect bass part every time; Ron Rowlett, for coming by the house many times when I first picked up bass to work on songs with me; Stephen Steinbach, for being in my first band with me and working on tunes during the formative years; Every musician I’ve ever had the opportunity to perform with or listen to; Carl Perkins, who inspired me musically from the time I knew his name to even now; My many music teachers that pushed me to be the best I could be, including Bill Watson, Ronnie Brooks, Joe Haynes, John R. Duke, and the late Marilyn Hunneycutt; and my Dad, who believed in me enough to buy me my first bass and amp.
Richard Marsh: What bassists significantly shaped how you played bass today?
Donnie Castleman: Well, definitely Geddy Lee first and foremost, I learned every lick on Rush’s Exit Stage Left and Moving Pictures albums, that shaped me into a bassist rather quickly. Also, I loved Will Lee’s playing on a Star Wars/Other Galactic Funk record back before I even owned a bass, also Louis Johnson, I loved the “Stomp” song with the bass solo. Foreigner had some bass lines that were actually overdubbed and I actually learned to play them at the same time, thinking it was a single line. Also, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden fame, I thought he was playing with three fingers doing his gallop style playing on the Piece of Mind album, turns out he just plays with two fingers, but it facilitated me the ability to play with 3 fingers. Recently I started a thing called double fingering, I guess you would call it that, I use just my first finger and go back and forth like a pick, I think I probably got it from Geddy as well. I love Nathan East’s playing on everything he’s done, and consider him THE guy I would like to most model my playing after. Bob Daisley played some definite influential licks on the first two Ozzy records. David Hungate did great work on the Grease album and also on Olivia Newton John’s Physical single, go back and listen to the chords he does on that song, it’s amazing (UPDATE! I met David Hungate in the Nashville airport, you couldn't meet a nicer guy!) I learned a lot of Billy Sheehan licks but really those licks only belong on a Billy Sheehan record. I love Mark King’s drum-like playing on the Level 42 albums. Of course, there’s Stanley Clarke that I learned, and Jeff Berlin bass parts that are always peachy keen and clear as a bell. Willie Weeks has tone to die for, and Mike Chapman comes up with really cool licks that just fit a song. Roy Vogt has some of the most amazing technique I've ever seen, and Muzz Skullings played some great stuff with Living Colour, and I really love Charlie Hayward’s parts over the 26 years I’ve gotten to listen to him with the Charlie Daniels band. I’m also influenced by many keyboard sequenced parts on some pop records on Madonna and Stevie Nicks records, and how top producer Baby Face uses the sequencer as well. Also, John Patitucci is brilliant in the jazz world. I love a ton of great musicians, and hope to one day inspire someone else as they have inspired me.
Richard Marsh: Favorite concerts?
Donnie Castleman:
Rush, 2002 & 2004,
Richard Marsh: Would you share any trivia about you?
Donnie Castleman: Sure, once I flipped the arcade game Defender 11 times in a row, but the world record was 17 hours. I was born the same day, same year, same city, same hospital, same maternity ward as Lisa Marie Presley. And, I was the fastest sacker at Sunflower Grocery when I worked there from 1985-86 (83 items a minute), let’s see, that’s $3.35 divided by 60 minutes divided by 83 items, the store was paying me $0.0007 per item!
Richard Marsh: Most embarrassing moments?
Donnie Castleman: I got introduced in front of 2,000 kids with the MTSU Jazz Band at a concert in Tennessee, 1988, and when I took a bow, my neck heavy bass tilted and the headstock whacked Walter, the trombone player, right on the head with this HUGE crack that reverberated throughout the auditorium, followed by 2,000 kids laughing their heads off for almost a minute! Oops. Also, once I tried to pull my keys out of my pocket in a dead silent recital onstage at MTSU, and all my change fell out of my pocket all over the stage, but no one was laughing on that one, double oops. Also, one time on a telethon being broadcast in three states the drummer for the band I was playing in counted off the wrong song, one way faster than the one we were going to do, and we had to slow down the tempo and change keys on live TV, gee I wonder if anyone noticed? Triple oops!
Richard Marsh: Your favorite memory?
Donnie Castleman: 8th grade, playing bass with the junior high school jazz band in the gym for a concert, looking up after we were done seeing my mom in the stands with her thumb up in the air to let me know she approved!! And, the birth of my three kids.
Richard Marsh: Worst memory?
Donnie Castleman: 9th grade, 15 years old, being a pallbearer for my best friend Johnny Terrell, who committed suicide a few days before on March 9th, 1983, carrying your friend’s casket is something you carry with you for the rest of your life.
Richard Marsh: First date?
Donnie Castleman: 18 years old, with my hairdresser from Fantastic Sam’s, she was 21, I thought I was king for a day going out with an “older” woman!
Richard Marsh: Favorite dating memory?
Donnie Castleman: I have to plead the 5th amendment on this one, but some memories last forever!
Richard Marsh: Biggest audience, and smallest?
Donnie Castleman: 2 Largest, 100,000 in Johnson City TN with the Van Dells, 45,000 in Wisconsin with Tanya Tucker, and then smallest, an audience of one, some guy named Al, with Stephen Sorrentino at a huge 5 story club in Nashville. Also repeated the audience of one with the Smith Brothers at the Suncoast, just a woman named Gloria in the audience! She got a hell of a show for her money! (laughs)
Richard Marsh: Do you drink or do drugs?
Donnie Castleman: No drinking for me, would that make me a tee-totaler? Not even beer. I’m not advocating that anyone else be as boring as me, but nothing to excess. Drugs? No way, users are losers, don’t use drugs!
Richard Marsh: Favorite pastime?
Donnie Castleman: Sleeping.
Richard Marsh: Political party affiliation?
Donnie Castleman: None, I pretty much hate all politicians for having their collective head up their collective butt.
Richard Marsh: First crush?
Donnie Castleman: A girl named Betty Roo in kindergarten class, I got to sit next to her at a play once and thought I was so cool!
Richard Marsh: First car?
Donnie Castleman: Umm, depends, I either drove a Chevy Silverado truck or a Ford Fairmont station wagon. The first car I bought with my own money was a 1991 Mazda Protege, I put over 275,000 miles on it before finally selling it for junk in 2003. I'm driving a 1997 Toyota Camry and have my eye on a brand new 2007 Toyota Prius, depending on how work goes this year.
Richard Marsh: Favorite musical acts?
Donnie Castleman: Rush, April Wine, Stone Temple Pilots, The Sullied, Hoobastank, Nickelback, The Eagles, Cheap Trick, The Offspring, Metallica, Journey, Rascal Flats, Green Day, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins.
Richard Marsh: Any favorite quotes you’d like to share?
Donnie
Castleman: Two of
my own;
The first one: “The gates of hell can open
beneath your feet, but don’t worry, it ain’t nothing but a thing,
and God’s love prevails over all things.”
Richard Marsh: Anyone you need to say hi to in this interview?
Donnie
Castleman: Yeah, anyone I
haven’t seen in a while that I know, and all of
Richard Marsh: Reckon anybody will read this entire interview?
Donnie Castleman: Nah, I’m sure they’ve all fallen asleep at the computer by now.
Richard Marsh: Having a great day?
Donnie Castleman: You Betcha!!
Richard Marsh: Did you just make this stupid interview up so people would think you're really being interviewed?
Donnie Castleman: Yep, but the opinionated crap contained here is definitely my own words!! (you guys really didn't think I could actually FIND someone to interview a boring guy like me did you?)
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