Paul Rogalski – The Art Of Listening
By Brent-Anthony Johnson

Paul Rogalski is a busy man! A bassist since his early teens, the Boston native graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1990, and has since been based in Boulder, Colorado where he found touring and session work with Northern Colorado mainstays Nina Story, Lauren Monroe, and Touch Monkeys. These days, Paul’s main gig is the principle instructor of Mojo’s Music Academy. There, he teaches 45 private lessons each week. In addition to his duties at the academy, he leads MojoMama – a heavily booked R&B-based quartet featuring his wife, Jessica Rowand as vocalist.

BAJ: P-Rogue! What’s happenin’! Welcome to Bass Frontiers, dear friend, and congratulations on Mojomama’s second release, “Think.Feel.Love.Listen”!

PR: Hi Brent-Anthony, and thank you for this opportunity! It is such an honor to be on these pages of Bass Frontiers and it is always great talking music with you, my friend… let’s get on with it.

BAJ: Let’s go way back, man… Tell us about your teen years (where did you grow up, etc.) and your beginnings on the bass – up through your time at Berklee.

PR: Okay… I grew up outside of Boston in Hingham, MA, near the Atlantic Ocean. I often found myself gravitating towards the bass while listening to music at the junior high dance -standing there watching the bass player. I got my first bass in 8th grade and started taking lessons, while my brother studied guitar at the same place. We had a blast learning songs together and we’d go home and crank up our amps to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull and Mountain. I continued to practice and started getting involved with rock bands playing at school events, parties and a few clubs around the Boston area. We would cover everything from the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead to the Beatles. I was also going to lots of concerts back then and just loved the connection bands were making with audiences through their music. We’d go see Little Feat (Kenny Gradney on bass) and Santana (with Alphonso Johnson)… very inspiring!
I continued taking lessons and found a great bass teacher in the area, Andy Bergsten, with whom I changed my entire perspective about the bass. He was a true bass player and opened my ears to the likes of Chuck Rainey, Jaco, Abe Laboriel and Stanley Clarke. He’d take me to shows at Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory, and I was amazed by those players – not knowing what it was they were playing! I just wanted to get to that level some day. Andy is a Berklee Alumni and inspired me to apply to that school. I was accepted and made my way through as Professional Music major, graduating in 1990.

Berklee took everything to the next level for me! I discovered tons of new music, and met players from around the world who were just amazing musicians. I also audition and landed a gig with a fusion band called The Max Ridgeway Band, and we played around Boston! This group really pushed me to stretch my ears and to be free with the music and I saw my musical growth come a long way from high school. By the end of my Berklee years, I was overwhelmed from learning and I needed a break. So, I headed westward to Colorado and found myself in Boulder… taking time to watch the mountains grow.

BAJ: One of your coolest qualities (and there are a few), in my opinion, is your steadfastness to the 4-string bass guitar! Can we talk about that?

PR: Sure thing, man! I studied throughout the Berklee days on my 4-string Fender P-bass. So the 4-string has always been “home” for me. I did pickup a Ken Smith 5-string and played that for few years… I also saw the Aquarium Rescue Unit, with Oteil Burbridge his Modulus 6-string and he totally floored me with his playing! So, I sold my 5- string and picked up a Modulus “Sweetspot” 6-string. I played that instrument for a few years with my fusion band FuzzChunk and played lots of solos, having notes at my fingertips, and I made full use of that instrument. But, I never felt quite at home on the 6-string… I still wanted that Modulus tone and I came upon a couple of their 4-string basses, sold the 6… and now I’m happily back on the 4-string. I feel much more comfortable on “The 4”. Now, I can focus on the groove more than playing too much and feeling like I need to use all those strings! I still love the sound of the 6 string bass and players like you have got it down, man… But, it just ain’t my bag, baby! (Laughter)
(Editor Note: Thanks, Paul)

BAJ: You have recommended Ernie Ball Strings for many years! How is your relationship with them? Also, what is your current gear roster, and what can you readily recommend to our readers in that department?

PR: Like most bass players I’m always searching for the perfect string. I have regularly used Ernie Ball “Super Slinky Bass Strings” – even on our latest Mojomama recording! I am currently using D’Addario “Pro Steels” and “XL Nickel Wound/Light Gauge”. I love their feel and tone at this time! I recently tried a set of ZON Strings and they are also amazing! Whenever I think I’ve found the perfect string… another brand or gauge comes around and I have to give it a run.

I’ve recently acquired a Genz Benz GBE 750 Bass Amplifier and I absolutely love it! It has an amazingly versatile tone, and it has plenty of power… and cool blue lights! It has a tube stage and a solid-state preamp and you can blend them! I get a great sound – clean or gritty. I also used Genz Benz cabs: I have a 4×10 and a 2×10. They work great, individually or combined!! The cabs have tons of lows and punch at the same time! Check ‘em out!

BAJ: Tell us about the scene in Northern Colorado, and how MojoMama is holding-up against the competition! Also, what’s next for the band? Is there a DVD/live CD coming soon?

PR: The Northern Colorado scene is quite strong with lots of working bands and plenty of events and performance opportunities! We are fortunate to book a mix of gigs from nightclubs, to concerts, to annual festivals. Each year our gigs improve a little more! The live DVD/CD thing is really something to consider…

BAJ: Mojo’s Music Academy is doing incredibly well! Congratulations, man! Let’s talk about the origins of the school and what the immediate future holds for you there.

PR: Thank you! Things are going quite well at the academy. Mojo’s Music Academy started out of feeling a need for something different in our town of Longmont, CO! The local music stores always offer lessons, in the back, to generate business for the sale of instruments. We opened a place exclusively for the learning music and we began creating music events for the community. My Mojomama band-mates are also teaching there: Mike Fogerty teaches drum lessons; my wife, Jessica, teaches voice, Doug Carmichael teaches saxophone, and I teach bass there. That is also how we came up with the name Mojo’s Music Academy – www.mojosmusicacademy.com. We are currently immersed in summer camps for teenagers how to perform in a band situation. We’ll do a big show with all the bands at the end of the summer at a local music venue!

BAJ: Mojo’s Music Academy (MMA) features a roster of clinics that would be the envy of any school! How do you maintain your steady stream of guests? Who’s coming to Mojo’s next?

PR: Yes! We’ve been very fortunate to make amazing friends in the music world! I know tons of people who know tons of other people… and once you get a good thing going, the word gets around very quickly. I’ve been contacted by so many players as a result of successful clinics it really blows my mind! Next we have Michael Manring coming to teach private bass lessons for a weekend, and Tom Cleary from Mike Gordon’s band will be teach a jazz vocal workshop with his wife, Amber Cleary. These musicians are on the road a lot! Most of our guests are friends of ours or have been in the area! So they call when in they’re in the area! We’re very happy to help put some more money in their pockets and bring amazing talent to our community. These events are always open to the public for a reasonable fee.

BAJ: What types of things can an enrollee at Mojo’s Music Academy expect to learn?

PR: The majority of our business is private instruction for guitar, bass, drums, voice, keys and sax. Naturally, the students are a bit different from one another, but we try to keep a common thread in our teaching: proper technique training, scales and chords, music theory… that leads them to learn songs. Quite often this is rewarded with a recital in our lounge for the students’ family and friends, and that gives the student a chance to show off their skills!

BAJ: The Denver Metropolitan area has virtually exploded with bass oriented functions in the past couple years, hasn’t it? Does Mojo’s Music Academy find itself in partnerships in that area in addition to being an independent entity?

PR: The bass has really turned a corner in the Denver area! MMA has attended a few different bass events, like The “LoDo Bass Bash” (www.lodobassbash.com), and we’ve met several great players. My friend Glenn Tapia (bassist for Bigga Digga) and I organized the “Rocky Mountain Bass Slam” and MMA helped sponsor the event along with Warwick, Genz Benz, International Institute of bass, Schector guitars, GHS Strings, Guitar Center, and local Colorado legend, Drum City/Guitar Land! We pulled together a dozen local bassists to perform either solo or in a duo setting, with a drummer. We also donated a couple basses to Denver Schools music programs, and did raffles. The event was a huge success and look forward to doing it again next year. I may be giving you a call, as well…

BAJ: What do you “do” in the limited spare time you have these days? What are you interests other than music?

PR: In my spare time I try to practice my bass, and I work at home, doing yard work. I also really like trout fishing… it clears my mind.

BAJ: What is in your iPod, and who’s knocking you out, musically?

PR: I just recently got the newest Maceo Parker album, and I’ve been revisiting Weather Report’s “Mr. Gone”.. There is a great rock band from Boulder called Rose Hill Drive and they’ve got a cool raw energy that so many bands lack nowadays – find of “Rush meets Zeppelin” style! They are great players and bassist is the lead vocalist! I can listen to them and escape analyzing music and just feel the music – which is refreshing to me!

BAJ: You seem to have a particular proficiency for backing female vocalists! How did you develop that talent? Also, what is your song writing process?

PR: I don’t know if that’s a talent or a curse… (Laughter) It’s just where I’ve ended-up over the past 10 years! There are a lot of talented female singers in Colorado and they do well with the audiences. Up to this point, Jessica and I have written the material for Mojomama. Most often I get an idea or influence from a song in my head and I try to listen… Then, I fire up the drum machine and start grooving on a bass line. Then I figure out the chords to fit the line and record it for Jessica. She then sits with the music for a week, or so, and we see what happens. Finally, I bring it to the band and let them finalize it with their real parts and it comes together beautifully.

BAJ: Can we look forward to a Paul Rogalski “solo” outing any time soon?

PR: I do have many ideas that don’t fit the band and I would like to push them further into an instrumental fashion. So, yes I hope to have something out by next spring.

BAJ: Thank you for taking some of your truly non-existent time to spend with us at Bass Frontiers, Paul! What would you like to say in parting?

PR: Thank you! It’s been a great pleasure talking with you. I’ll say, “straight ahead and strive for tone!”