Trevor Lawrence Jr.: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a very special edition of The TrevBeats Show. Today we’re joined by a man who provides the heartbeat for the most iconic stage in television history every Saturday night. From the avant-garde world of jazz to the biggest stages in pop and funk, his versatility is unmatched. He is the master of the low end, the rhythmic backbone of the SNL band, and a true titan of the bass — James Genus. James Genus: What’s up, man? I’m just trying to get over this jet lag. I just got back from Japan and then had to drive down to Virginia to help my dad with some things at the house. Trevor: Man, I appreciate you coming through because your schedule is crazy. But I had to have you on the show because I’ve had some of my best musical moments sharing the stage with you. You’ve had an incredible journey. Every once in a while I see clips from the early ’90s and there you are playing upright with everybody. How long have you been on Saturday Night Live now? James: Twenty-six years. Trevor: That’s amazing. And you’ve been there through so many eras of the show. James: Yeah, when I first got on the show the cast included Molly Shannon, Will Ferrell, Tracy Morgan, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey… and then later Kenan Thompson and Amy Poehler came in. Trevor: And meanwhile you’re still out touring and recording with people like Herbie Hancock. James: That’s been one of the blessings of the gig. The SNL schedule actually allows you to do other things, especially in the summer when the show is off. Trevor: Break down a typical Saturday for people who don’t know what that schedule is like. James: Usually I get there around 10 in the morning. We rehearse from about 10:30 to 12:30, then we run music for sketches if there’s any. After that it’s rehearsals, adjustments, and preparing for the show. And then the live broadcast goes until around 1 a.m. So you’re basically there all day. Trevor: That’s a serious grind. James: Yeah, but the show has evolved over the years. When I first started we used to record music earlier in the week. Now a lot of the music is produced digitally ahead of time and we rehearse it on Saturday. Trevor: Let’s talk about your playing for a second. You’ve always been a musician who can shift styles effortlessly. You can play the most creative jazz thing in the world and then lock into the tightest groove imaginable. How do you switch that mindset? James: For me it’s always about serving the music. The notes are one thing, but the feel is everything. You can play the right notes and still not have the feel. And I’ve had the blessing of playing with incredible drummers over the years — people like Vinnie Colaiuta, Dennis Chambers, and Jeff “Tain” Watts. Playing with musicians like that really sharpens your time. Trevor: Let’s talk about how you ended up playing with Herbie Hancock. James: I first met Herbie when I was touring with Michael Brecker. Over the years we’d run into each other at festivals and backstage at shows. Then one day I went to see Herbie play in Paris while I was on tour with Dianne Reeves. After the show he said, “What are you doing right now?” And I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “You want to come out with us?” That’s how it happened. Trevor: That’s unbelievable. James: Yeah, I later got the call confirming it and I realized it was real. Trevor: For the gear heads out there, what’s your bass setup? James: A lot of the sound starts with your hands. But gear-wise I’ve used a modified Walter Woods amplifier for years. It’s a small amp but it’s powerful — around 1600 watts — and it has two channels which lets me run both upright and electric setups. For live shows I also like to feel air moving from a speaker, even if I’m using in-ears. Trevor: You’ve also played on some huge records, including sessions with Daft Punk. James: Yeah, that was interesting. I actually ended up using a lo-fi Jazz Bass for most of those sessions because that’s the sound they wanted. Trevor: Another thing about your career is that you play both upright and electric bass at a very high level. Usually those are separate careers. James: Yeah, when I was in school they required upright bass. At first I was mainly an electric player, but once I started studying upright seriously it opened up another world. Later on I moved to New York and people mostly knew me as an upright bass player. Eventually musicians started discovering that I played electric too. Trevor: That’s when the Brecker Brothers call happened, right? James: Yeah. I was touring in Austria when Michael Brecker called my hotel room asking if I wanted to join the band. That was a life-changing moment. Trevor: After 26 years at SNL you’ve seen some wild moments too. James: One big one people always ask about is the Ashlee Simpson lip-sync incident. I actually didn’t know what was happening when it happened. I stepped away for a minute and when I came back the stage manager was yelling at me to get back on stage. Apparently the backing track started playing the wrong song and it exposed that vocals were being tracked. Back then that was a big deal because most artists were expected to sing live on SNL. Trevor: You’ve also seen some legendary performances come through the show. James: Absolutely. Seeing bands like U2 or System of a Down live in that room was incredible. You could really feel the energy. Trevor: Man, it’s been an honor playing music with you all these years. James: Same here, man. Much love. Trevor: James Genus, everybody. Thanks for coming on The TrevBeats Show.