How long have you been playing Chris?

I’ve been playing for 4 years now. I actually started playing piano at the age of 5 but by 12 got tired of it. I didn’t play any instruments for a while and then at the age of 16 was introduced to a bass. I’ve never looked back.

How did you get started?

A friend of mine got me into it. We went to some meeting about a new Bass teacher at school, I was so impressed by this guy’s playing that I decided to start. I bought my first bass the next day ( a 4 string Phil Pro) and I guess you could say that was the end of it all…

So you don’t come from a musical family?

Not really. My parents are both completely non-musical while my brother is a very talented pianist and Singer. My grandfather was fairly musical; he was an opera singer for quite a few years. I think the main thing was that most of my friends have always been into music and also played various instruments or sung in the school choir with me since I was at school.

So did you start having lessons with the bass teacher at school?

I did indeed. Unfortunately he left within 2 weeks of starting and then I was stuck with no teacher. Luckily he was replaced by an awesome bassist called Dave Manchip. He got me into the more hardcore bass stuff such as Bella fleck and the Flecktones.

What’s your favourite band / solo artist?

I wish I knew who my favourite band is. Influentially I would say Bands varying from Tool through to Funstorung. At the moment I’m very much into the more Punk type of stuff, Green Day, Sum 41 that type of vibe, also very much Dave Mathews Band. Specific Bassists would have to be Ryan Martini, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool.

What are the amps and instruments you currently use?

My Amp is currently an Ashdown Labs ABM 300 with a 2X10” cab and a 1X15” cab. I’m Currently playing a Cort Curbow 5 fretted tuned E,A,D,G,C. I also play a Warwick 4 string Corvette Fretless and I am waiting for my Lakland 5 String Skyline Deluxe to arrive. I also play through a Line 6 Constrictor Pedal.

I see some similarities between us – I have a 5 string Cort (Artisan) Strung E thru C, a Warwick (Streamer) 4 string and a 1 x 15 cab (Peavy 300 combo). Does your equipment pretty much suit your needs or does it fall short?

At the moment it is falling short a bit. My cort seemed to be a very special addition which came with a custom built fret board which peels off the neck every 3 shows or so. It however does get beaten quite hard every show as you can see in the images so I don’t think you can blame anybody for that. Other than that, my equipment does fit my needs. I get a very nice sound out of my amp nowadays. It may just be a little short. Need something taller to jump off!

What instruments would you like to have if money were no object?

Ashdown Evo II 900 Amp head with a 8X10” cab and a 1X15” cab. Would run it through a Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live. Instruments would be a Lakland Decade series and a Lakland 5 string American deluxe series. Just for basics…

What have you been doing for the last five years or so?

Playing Music and attempting to attend school when I wasn’t playing music. I managed to matriculate end of last year (2004) and since then I’ve been playing music non-stop. Played for a small rock band for a while and then was asked to do a few sessions for Candy Fly. Ended up joining them and am now so happy that I did.

Have you visited www.bassplayers.co.za yet?

Of course! Been visiting for a while now. Love the web page and the fact that it’s more organized than the local guitarist one…

What recordings that you’ve played on would you recommend for listening?

I have yet to play on any large released records but I would recommend listening to any of the stuff by Candy Fly. 6 Feet underground when played live is a must!

Can you tell us a bit about Candy Fly?

Sure. We are a high energy (and I mean exceptionally High energy) Punk Rock band. The band has been around since 1997 and had a no. 1 hit on 5fm for a while called “I Wanna Get Laid”. We recently won the Authentic Ideas Battle Vir Woodstock Competition and will be playing there on Saturday evening. The band consists of Thomas Selmer-Olsen, Mark Peters, Alistair Mcalpine and I.

What’s been the low point in your career so far?

No specific Low point’s yet. Playing to a club of 3 people, the door-man, the sound guy and the barmen was pretty bad.

We’ve all been there - more than once!!!! So what’s been the high point?

Playing with an awesome band to some Crazy crowds.

What does Chris Preyser get up to when he hasn’t got a bass guitar slung round his neck?

What does he do? I don’t know. I relax with my close friends. I do a bit of Sound Engineering. I’m also the designer of all the Candy Fly merchandise (Cd’s, Stickers, T-shirts). When I get the time to I do Graphic design and various forms of art.

What are your goals currently?

To record and release an album.

Thanks for the interview Chris – best wishes to you and the band.