"Eva Gardner recounts her whirlwind experience: Three days for mastering an entire performance set, only one rehearsal, encountering Pink at soundcheck prior to the first show, then performing before immense crowds."
Fresh off the bat, Eva Gardner — the LA scene's rising star with ties to Mars Volta, Veruca Salt, Pink, and Cher — has a musical pedigree worth barking about. Her old man, Kim Gardner, was a four-string heavyweight of the 60s British Invasion, laying down the low-end grooves for countless gigs.
The family connection to music could have been a major influence in Eva's life, but their relationship wasn't always harmonious. "I had the bass itch since I was 12," Gardner tells Bass Player. But her dad, cool as a cucumber, wasn't exactly thrilled with her playing ambitions.
That changed when his best buddy, the legendary producer Andy Johns, came over with a gnarly bass and amp. Eva's ol' man thought it was for him, but it turned out to be her new musical plaything. He handed it over, and the rest was history. The spark lit up, igniting Eva's passion for rockin' the four-string.
The fledgling bassist began her career with Mars Volta, signing on as their original player in 2001. She played on their debut EP, Tremulant, but left the band following her father's demise during a tour.
Life threw a curveball, but she bounced back, joining Veruca Salt on tour in 2005. From there, she scored even bigger gigs with Pink in 2007 and Cher in 2014. In 2022, she made a comeback with Mars Volta, revisiting her roots and older tunes.
"It's a full-circle moment," Gardner says of her Mars Volta reunion. "Playing these old songs and contributing to two records — the self-titled one and the acoustic one — has been an incredible homage to my past and a look towards the future."
But it's not just her family history that shaped Eva's musical tastes. Growing up, the bass was always within arm's reach, and her dad was a serious inspiration. "I learned from the best," she says. "Equipment-wise, my dad played Fender basses and Ampeg amps, so I got a taste of that old-school magic."
Stylistically, things grew a little more intricate. Her father played fretless with a pick, but high school jazz band encouraged fingerstyle playing, leading her to develop her own unique approach.
The base story is simple: music runs in the family for the Gardners, and Eva caught the bass bug early. And while her dad may not have been the most encouraging teacher, it's clear that his influence played a crucial role in her passion for the instrument.
- Eva Gardner, who played the bass guitar, was introduced to it by her father's best friend, using an amp, and that gnarly bass changed her life.
- Despite initial resistance from her father, Eva's passion for the bass guitar eventually led her to sign on as the original player for Mars Volta in 2001.
- After leaving Mars Volta, Eva played the bass guitar on tours with Veruca Salt, Pink, and Cher, showing her versatility in entertainment and working with various celebrities.
- Influenced by her father's fretless bass playing with a pick and her high school jazz band's encouragement for fingerstyle playing, Eva developed her unique technique with the bass guitar.
- Eva Gardner, with ties to Mars Volta and a love for Fender basses, found the old-school magic of music within her family, shaping her musical style and career.
