Stories of touring with Kenny Loggins, film score updates, and a must-try approach for learning songs on the bass

Exclusive video interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman
January 1, 2024

Shem von Schroeck is a bassist, vocalist, composer, and conductor. Growing up in Idaho, Shem first picked up the bass at age 11 and took to it right away, mastering “Teen Town” and Chris Squire’s great bass lines on Close the Edge. At 23, Shem moved to LA, where he quickly discovered that being a singing bass player was a very handy skill to have. He met a lot of the right people, he says. One thing led to another and Shem eventually found himself playing with Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Marie Osmond, Stephen Stills, Tom Jones, Patti Austin, Gary Wright, Toto, and many others, including a particularly long stretch with Kenny Loggins. Also an accomplished opera singer, Shem’s been a regular vocal soloist with the Atlanta Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and the Philly Pops. He’s also conducted several pops concerts with the Columbus Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the Boston Pops.

Watch our interview with Shem!

See Jon’s blog, with key takeaways from this interview here.