Nobody Owes You a Gig | Chris Horrocks on Building a Modern Bass Career

What does it actually mean to be a professional bass player in 2026? Chris Horrocks (That Guy On Bass) joins Pete to talk honestly about building a sustainable music career that combines session work, weddings, content creation, YouTube and podcasting. From getting made redundant and deciding to go all-in on music, to balancing gigs with running a successful business, Chris shares a refreshingly realistic look at life as a modern working bassist. Along the way they discuss networking, soft skills, learning songs without charts, social media, tone chasing, content creation and why simply being someone people enjoy working with is often more valuable than being the flashiest player in the room. Whether you're an aspiring session musician, weekend gigger or full-time pro, this episode is packed with practical advice that every bassist can use. In this episode: Chris's journey from guitarist to professional bassist Why redundancy became the best thing that ever happened The realities of today's wedding and function scene Why soft skills matter more than technical ability Building multiple income streams as a musician Content creation vs live performance Learning songs without charts Why audiences don't care about perfect note-for-note covers Tone chasing—and why Chris is trying to stop Advice for younger musicians The one song every bassist should learn If you enjoy these conversations, don't forget to Like, Subscribe and Share. #bass #bassplayer #bassguitar #sessionmusician #thatguyonbass #inthepocketpodcast #musician #musiccareer #basspodcast #nowthatsbass