Archive for September 2014

Meet bassist Eliot Roby. Eliot is a young bassist hailing from Canada, but he seems wise beyond his years. When asked why he chose to play bass, his answer was priceless. In short, he said he wanted something that gave him “a sense of individuality”, and he didn’t want to be like “those guys” (guitarists). More on this below, along...

Last time, we got down and dirty with a overdrive-charged rock bass groove. This time around, we’re going to get a bit more funky with a modern Gospel-style lick, complete with all the slurs and slides. This groove is based on B minor Aolian, which is a great key and mode for this setting, especially on a 5-string bass, which...

Last night, Aretha Franklin took the stage as musical guest on the Late Show with David Letterman. The Queen of Soul, now 72, sang her version of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” before she and the band segued into “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” The legendary singer was once again backed by Jerry Jemmott, who began performing with Ms. Franklin...

Feel the need to hear some new music from Billy Sheehan and Mr. Big? Consider that need sated. Sheehan and the rest of the original lineup of Mr. Big (including vocalist Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert and drummer Pat Torpey) reformed in 2009, and is the second release (2011’s What If… was the first) from the revitalized rockers. The opening...

It looks like Black Sabbath will be returning to the studio again in 2015, according to Metal Hammer’s interview with Ozzy Osbourne. The band, anchored by bass wizard Geezer Butler, will reportedly record one more album with a final tour cycle. “The whole Sabbath experience this time around was great,” Ozzy told Metal Hammer. “We all made friends, we didn’t...

This week we check out an incredible project led by the good folks at Doner Designs, a father and son team that pieces together themed instruments to donate to charity. Steve and Richard Doner started playing bass and guitar, respectively, in 2008 as a bonding experience that grew into tinkering with upgrades and modifications. Now their hobby is benefiting their...

Les Claypool has always marched to the beat of his own drum. That’s why we’re celebrating his birthday today with a clip of the trio playing “To Defy the Laws of Tradition” from their 1989 radio performance on Stanford’s KZSU. The video captures the band’s eclectic energy as they start with a spacey atmosphere before kicking into the song’s groove....

Question: What would rockabilly be without the bass? Answer: Nothing. Al Gare, who holds down the low end in Imelda May’s band perfectly proves the point with a swinging sound that underpins the Irish rockabilly singer’s latest album, . Gare’s playing is an absolutely essential part of May’s sound, as you can easily hear in “It’s Good to Be Alive,”...

Yet another exciting week in the land of the low end. Things started of with a tribute to Jaco, on a sad anniversary. The master is still inspiring most of us after all these years. The bassist known as Snow Owl (Juan Garcia-Herreros) shared his interesting life and approach to music in our interview with him. Dr. D and Damian...

Reed James Engineering has expanded their RJ NEO line of pickups with the RJ NEO Split Blade. Utilizing the same technology as the rest of the series, Reed James describes the new split blade as having the same mid-range and dynamics of their Vintage Vibe Jazz Bass pickups with the smoothness of of the RJ NEO. The RJ NEO Split...

Bassist Federico Malaman sent me his brand new video of him doing a cover of a tune by another terrific Italian bassist, Pippo Matino. The tune is “Doctor Mike”, which Pippo wrote as a dedication to guitarist Mike Stern. The first video below is Federico’s cover. The second one is the original. To both I say, “Holy smokes!”

Top jazz bassist Steve Swallow and Austrian composer/trombonist and pianist Christian Muthspiel have teamed up for an album of duets. While the pair have played together in the Christian Muthspiel 4, is their first as a duo. The pair eschew electronic effects on the record and let the songs develop in their own simple, yet refined way. Muthispiel composed all...