What's Better: Bass Player or Producer?
Musician Rick Barrio Dill Finds a Way to do Both
Sugarwall, a Los Angeles-based band, formed in 2008, acquired bassist Rick Barrio Dill for its Midwest tour. Upon the tour’s completion, Barrio Dill brought on friend Ronnie Dee as vocalist. With a new voice, Barrio Dill also produced and re-mixed the tracks on May 2009’s Find a Way release.
The 10 tracks are all solid representations of the country, vintage soul and pop rock mixtures this band perpetuates. Vocalist Dee’s competent leadership and powerful direction brings easy comparisons to bands like Train, All-American Rejects or even New Found Glory.
Grounded in the flavor of the Tampa music scene, Barrio Dill comes from diverse musical background. On June 25, 2009, he granted a telephone interview to Suite101.
“My mom is Cuban, and her father was a Latin pianist,” he said. “My dad played the trumpet until he got his jaw broken over a girl. A lot of good music growing up—the Beatles, the Bee Gee’s—my dad liked Bob Seger and Southern Rock. I’m Motown.”
Rounding out the band, guitarist Mitch Mills and drummer Joey Lowe, all bring strong foundations that hint in nearly every genre.
“Ronnie is soul, he’s old soul, that’s his vibe,” Barrio Dill said. “He’s into the Black Crowes, Gavin Degraw. Mitch, he’s into the Faces, old Aerosmith, classic rock. People forget, that even Ray Charles did the country thing. Our music is rock pop with a hint of country. There’s a tagline that we use ‘If Matchbox 20 and the Goo Goo Dolls went into a country bar and played Otis Redding, Sugarwall came out.”
Which do you prefer, playing bass or wearing the producer hat?
“Production is work to me,” Barrio Dill said, his voice calm and collected. “But in a good way. You’re in really deep, your sleeves are rolled up. If you’re not pissing people off and pulling your hair out, you’re not doing your job.”
His voice rattles off to questions like “where do you draw the line?” or “is this the best?” before Barrio Dill contemplates the end of his answer. “You go chasing after the “almost.’ You have to be smart enough to know when to stop.”
Defining Producer
“A producer is part babysitter, part therapist, engineer and part office manager,” Barrio Dill laughed.
Larry Graham-Influenced
“Bass is like breathing,” Barrio Dill said. “I get paid to travel to play the bass. To play the bass is a privilege.”
Growing up, Barrio Dill said he became enamored with the style of Sly & the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham. Graham is also the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. According to Wikipedia “He is credited with the invention of the slapping technique, which radically expanded the tonal palette of the bass, although he himself refers to the technique as ‘thumpin’ and pluckin’.”
Love for Bass and Producing ‘Same’
“It’s just simple,” Barrio Dill said of the bass. “It’s like having children. One is a girl –the bass—she’s a beautiful girl and she’s perfect. Get’s great grades and is just perfect. One is a boy—a producer—he’s the problem child, always in trouble with the law. But, he’s a creative genius.
“My love for them both is the same.”
Sugarwall's bassist Rick Barrio Dill, far right.
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