Archive for October 2011 - Page 4

Technical death metal supergroup Blotted Science recently released The Animation of Entomology, a 7-track EP follow-up to their full length debut The Machinations of Dementia. The trio consists of Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster, Watchtower guitarist Ron Jarzombek, and Obscura drummer Hannes Grossman, and their science/gore based music is written using a 12-tone system written in conjunction with “bug movies.”...

Fender is once again shipping the Jaguar Bass, which was discontinued last year. Originally introduced in 2006, the Fender Deluxe Jaguar Bass now comes in three finishes: 3-Color Sunburst, Candy Apple Red, and Cobalt Blue. The Jaguar bass features an alder body, a C-shaped maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard with 20 medium jumbo frets. Aged white pearloid block inlays...

After focusing on jazz in his career, Argentinian bassist Willy González turned to traditional Latin American songs of folk lore and formed a duo with vocalist Micaela Vita. González fills in for a whole band by utilizing chordal strumming and percussive attacks while Vita pours her soul into the song, which translates to “Dancer of the Mountains.”

Original Tool bassist Paul D’Amour has unveiled a new track from his latest project, Feersum Ennjin. Though the band has been around in some form since 2005, their debut self-titled album is due out November 22nd. It will mark the first hard rock release for the bassist since he left Tool in 1995, as he pursued a career in TV...

Epiphone has reintroduced the Tobias Toby, now in a Standard IV and Deluxe IV models. The entry level instruments are built around master luthier Michael Tobias’ original designs from 20 years ago. Both basses feature bolt-on construction with a basswood body and hard maple neck. The neck is shaped using Tobias’ Asymmetrical Neck Profile, which makes it thinner on the...

Alusonic takes metal bass to a new level – the Italian bass builders make their instruments out of aluminum, citing characteristic and environmental reasons. The special Anticorodal and Ergal alloys that they use are naturally light, rigid and produce a balanced, fat sound while Aluminum is completely recyclable, making it more eco-friendly. On top of that, the body provides full...

When I found out this video existed (much less the performance), I was highly jealous of the entire audience who was able to witness it (Ben Harper + Tal Wilkenfeld!) Luckily, someone in the audience was able to capture it for the rest of us. In this video, Harper, Jackson Browne and Tal perform Harper’s “Steal My Kisses”, which originally...

The Book of Triads, a new instructional e-book on triad exercises, is available for download for use with a Kindle, iOS device and desktop. The book contains 80 exercises covering all the diatonic triads available in the key of C. Each is written for two octaves in musical notation as well as tablature. “Triads get overlooked sometimes, especially in this...

After nearly two years of writing and with the help of three bassists, Jane’s Addiction have released The Great Escape Artist. The new record is their fourth studio album and their first since their 2008 reunion. After the departure of Eric Avery in 2010, Jane’s Addiction began writing the album, enlisting the help of former Guns ‘N Roses bassist Duff...

Q: I’ve been reading a lot of posts online and doing searches about which scales work over what chords. I’ve found a lot of good information, but I’m not really sure how to actually practice and internalize the information once I have it. Any advice? A: This is something that I’ve been working on with my students at PSU (Portland...

We’re firm believers that two basses are better than one. Here’s a cool example from the DVD Casiopea vs. The Square, where the two Japanese fusion bands perform alongside each other. This song, “Eccentric Games,” features an awesome bass battle between Casiopea’s Yoshihiro Naruse and The Square’s Mitsuru Sutoh.

Meshell Ndegeocello has announced a string of tour dates to support her upcoming ninth album Weather, which is set for a November 8th release. The bassist/singer/songwriter will stop off for a few shows on the East Coast next month before covering the West Coast and Midwest in January. The album, which she describes as “strkingly organic” and “song-based,” is yet...