Archive for June 2015 - Page 4

Swedish bass building company Unicornbass has announced the Artist 10th Anniversary Limited Edition Bass. Limited to 10 basses, the instrument is based on one of their existing models with several special upgrades. “[It is] based upon the Artist Master bass, however this has a few hidden tricks up its sleeve,” luthier Christian Olsson writes. “[They include] a chambered body of...

Here’s Kyle Thornton & The Company performing their tune “Read Receipts” live at Berklee. Anchored by bassist Henri Young, the band has a nice groovy vibe. Kyle Thornton & The Company will be making an appearance Lollapalooza on July 31st.

If you’re a fan of 1960s and 1970s pop music, you’ve heard the work of a group of studio musicians often known as “The Wrecking Crew”. They were musical ringers, called in to back up (or sometimes play for) top artists, kind of like Motown’s famed Funk Brothers. The Funk Brothers were profiled in the eye-opening 2002 documentary Standing in...

Judging by the excitement in his voice, you’d think gospel legend Andrew Gouché was just getting his start in the music industry. Sure, he’s worked with The Winans, Prince, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Andraé Crouch, and many more. But after nearly four decades of playing behind the world’s biggest gospel and R&B stars, the bassist is stepping out on his...

We’re used to seeing Zander Zon push the envelope with a single bass. But he’s been branching out of late – starting with his first ever collaboration video (with singing duo KJC.) Zander just sent me his latest video, featuring his new acoustic bass guitar. “The bass is a custom, made by luthier Chris Larking who’s based in Ireland,” he...

Phish played some of its most experimental live music during shows in Amsterdam back in 1997. Now three complete shows, played there between February and early July, 1997, are available on an 8-CD set called simply Amsterdam. The band, featuring bassist Mike Gordon, played all the shows at the 1,500-capacity Paradiso, a former church transformed into a rock venue/cultural center....

Swedish melodic death metal outfit Soilwork has announced a changing of the guard in the low end. Longtime bassist Ola Flink has amicably parted ways with the group 17 years after he first joined. The bassist, who appeared on all of Soilwork’s releases since 1998’s Steelbath Suicide, will be taking time to focus on other endeavors, a press release stated....

Q: I’m a fairly busy bass player working with five or six different bands ranging from funk to soul to hip-hop/neo-soul to jazz to disco to metal and a few function bands which encompass just about everything else! For the last four years, I’ve mainly used one sound (neck pickup, flatwound strings) on one bass for everything. But I recently...

I recently returned from the International Society of Bassists convention where there was a week’s worth of double bass performances, clinics, and masterclasses from the world’s foremost players. One of the performances that stuck out was by the Bassmonsters, a double bass quartet that plays arrangements of rock, pop, and metal songs. The group takes on Metallica, Michael Jackson, The...

Pianist Robert Glasper has reunited with his trio, which includes bassist Vicente Archer (Terence Blanchard, Kenny Garrett, Wynton Marsalis, Stanley Jordan, Amos Lee) for the acoustic jazz record Covered (The Robert Glasper Trio Recorded Live at Capitol Studios). The trio, with drummer Damion Reid, is the same one that recorded Canvas in 2005 and In My Element in 2007. The...

Tony Gregory was five years old when his dad put a bass in his hands. That was all it took. Today, Tony plays in two bands in and around Connecticut. He’s this week’s reader in the spotlight, and here’s his story. Bio: I was born in Brooklyn NY in the 70’s, and my pop played guitar in a folk rock...

Pedulla is continuing their 40th anniversary celebration with a reissue of fusion bassist Mark Egan’s Signature model. The Pedulla Mark Egan Signature Model Anniversary Edition is a five-string bass retains the features of the original bass with modern features that weren’t available when it was first released. The bass has a 19mm string spacing and has a body that is...