Wading with the Waterboys-An Interview with
Jo Wadeson By Katie Sigler

Photo: Jo, San Francisco 2001

In the ever-shifting roster of the Waterboys, the players have shared one thing in common. They've been-as the name implies-male. With the exception of the uniquely talented Sharon Shannon during the Room to Roam era, no female faces have infiltrated this masculine cast of lovers, thieves, and fools known as the Waterboys. That changed last year when Mike Scott added a jolt of positive feminine energy to the band by bringing in the graceful and talented Jo Wadeson to play bass.

A deft player who has been honing her craft since her teens, Jo has proven that being male isn't required to anchor the booming rhythm section of an explosive rock band. She provides a vibrant, sinuous sound that supplies the stable foundation needed for the lush, expansive musicianship of Messrs. Scott & Co. She also gives the women in the audience a inspiring role model, and the men in the audience a reason to push to the front of the stage.

Joanne Wadeson was born into a musical family in Derbyshire, England, a country village of about 1,000 people. Her musician parents (dad a drummer, mum a keyboardist) were in bands during Jo's childhood, playing gigs several times a week, often with their daughter in the audience. "The first gig I ever did was with one of their bands, as a backing vocalist," Jo said. "I was about 13. That was it then, I had a taste for it. My parents never discouraged me because they had so much fun themselves."

Jo began her own musical career at 15 when she and some friends decided to form a band. "None of us could play, so everyone just picked an instrument," she said. "I picked the bass because it seemed mysterious."

The band she and her friends formed, Smoke, lasted six years and although they never recorded an album, they did attract the attention of famed producer Roy Thomas Baker. Unfortunately, Baker couldn't resist the temptation to disrupt the band's chemistry by playing musical chairs with the members. "Baker's attitude was "well, I'll take you and you, and then I'll take someone from another band to replace you," Jo said about her first lesson in music business politics. "So it never worked out and we never did a proper release."

Smoke did provide Jo with a wealth of experience playing live. "We did tons of gigs," she said, "which has stood me in good stead." After Smoke, Jo did a stint with Dave Berry and the Cruisers, a band best known for recording the original version of "The Crying Game," in the mid-sixties. "I wasn't tempted to go with him," she said, "but at that point in my career, getting money for a gig was great."

The Finnish saxophone player, Jimi Tenor, was the next musician to recognize Jo's talent and she played with his band for a year. "He was a lot of fun," Jo remembers, "and we did tours around Europe and Australia." Jo left Tenor's band when he stopped touring and because Tenor, like someone else Jo has played with, likes to change his line-up frequently.

After two gigs with experienced musicians, Jo then joined an all-girl punk band called Thrush. "We were terrible," Jo said with a laugh, "the worst band I've ever been in. I hope they're not still going, especially if they read this." Jo soon left Thrush, which left her without a band for the first time in many years. "I went through a bit of a lull where I was playing very little," she said. "I though it might be time to ditch the music and get a proper job because I was living in Derbyshire and I had done just about all I could do there."

Jo's musical career was resurrected by a call from a friend inviting her to move to London and join his band, PixieSixer (later just Sixer). When Sixer disintegrated eight months later, the fates were watching over Jo. No less than a week later, she got a call to audition for the Waterboys. "The timing," Jo says, "was perfect."

When Jo auditioned, she wasn't familiar with the Waterboys' music other than "Whole of the Moon," a situation that has definitely changed after three tours with the band. During her first gigs, Jo tended to hide in the shadows on stage, but as the tours progressed she has moved into the light, a welcome change that has been noticed by fans.

"I was feeling my way at first," she said. "These are the biggest audiences I've played for, but I've gained confidence. It's been a great experience, traveling, meeting new people. I've gained confidence with life in general and that's coming through when I'm onstage." Jo is also now singing more. "I love singing," she said. "When I was in Smoke, most people knew me by my singing. The bass was rather secondary. But singing just fell by the wayside in my later bands." Now her lilting harmonies are adding texture and color to Waterboys' classics such as the one song she knew at her audition.

So far, Jo enjoys being the Watergirl among the Waterboys. "They're great guys, and they're really mature guys," a maturity that relieves any tensions that could arise from being the only girl in the band. Working with the meticulous and often mercurial Mike Scott has also presented no problems. "He's passionate about his music, he's also upfront about what he wants," Jo said, "so you know where you stand with him."

Jo also likes to use touring as a way to explore new music. "I take CDs with me on tour that I wouldn't listen to otherwise because it forces me to listen," she said. Her personal musical tastes are diverse, ranging from Motorhead to Charles Mingus. "I like little bits of a lot of different music," she said, another possible result of her musical childhood. "My dad is a rocker into Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, and my mum is into Abba. I loved it all." Her bass-playing influences include James Jamerson of Motown fame and Adam Clayton of U2. "I like the deep, driving bass sound," she said. When not playing, Jo is busy setting up her own studio at home in London. "I've got a lot of mates into music, so they'll come by and we'll have a little jam."

One musician Jo saw recently was the girl called Johnny herself, the seminal Patti Smith. "She was amazing, really inspirational," Jo said. "She rocked."

Just like another inspirational and delightful woman who now rocks with the Waterboys.