Olivier Pinard: Cryptopsy’s “White Worms” Bass Playthrough
Get ready for an aural assault: Olivier Pinard has released a new playthrough video for “White Worms” by Cryptopsy, and it’s super heavy. Pinard rips through the blazing tempo with incredible veracity and right hand technique. This playthrough is not for the faint of heart.
Peter Erskine Releases New Albums with Benjamin Shepherd and Damian Erskine
Drum legend Peter Erskine has worked with a slew of the world’s best bass players, and that’s once again documented on two new albums from his projects. First up, Erskine’s “Dr. Um” band has followed up their successful debut album with Second Opinion. Where the original album featured Janek Gwizdala, the former Weather Report drummer tapped bassist Benjamin Shepherd to...
Earth, Wind & Fire Announce Spring Tour
Bass legend Verdine White will be hitting the road with Earth, Wind & Fire this spring for a tour that will span March. Focusing on the East Coast, the tour kicks off March 9th in Saint Augustine, Florida and is scheduled to wrap up April 2nd at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center in South Carolina. The band is also...
What a Day: Mardi Gras Mambo
The unconventional duo What a Day, consisting of upright bassist Jonathan Joly and singer/typist Leah Gracie, are ready for Mardi Gras this year with a cover of the classic song “Mardi Gras Mambo.” Joly handles all of the harmonic accompaniment with a simultaneous bass line and countermelody on his upright while Gracie leads with her soulful vocals. The result is...
EBS Launches Blue Label Pedals and Premium Gold Flat Patch Cables
EBS unveiled a new line of pedals called the Blue Label Series at NAMM this year. It’s starting this year with three analog overdrive models called the Drive Me Crazy, The Black Haze, and The Drive. While EBS makes everything work well for bass, these pedals are made specifically to work well on bass and guitar. “We know how to...
Bass of the Week: Blasius Guitars Kata 4 Headless
The Kata 4 Headless from Blasius Guitars features a pretty unique body shape with the tone to match. A take on the company’s flagship Kata model, this headless bass is built with three-layer body wings consisting of a bubinga back, maple core, and flamed maple top. Its five-piece neck is a sandwich of maple, padouk, and walnut while the ebony...
Trickfish Amplification Introduces Bullhead .5K Bass Amp
Trickfish Amplification introduced a new bass amp at the Winter NAMM Show this year called the Bullhead .5K. A little brother to the Bullhead 1K, the amp features a Mike Pope low noise preamp matched with a Class D power amplifier that offers 500 watts at 8 ohms and 700 watts at 4 ohms. “We embarked on an important mission...
EchoTest Releases Third Album, “From Two Balconies”
Ever since Julie Slick teased the album back in October, we’ve been patiently waiting for the new EchoTest album. Now we’re basking in the goodness that the band calls From Two Balconies. Slick shares bass duties in the band on her Bass VI with fellow phenom Marco Machera, who plays on a five-string. Slick gave the lowdown on their third...
Halo Orbit: An Interview with Juan Alderete
Juan Alderete is the king of pedals and effects, and he’s proven that once again with his new group Halo Orbit. The band, which includes Japanese guitar whiz suGar Yoshinaga and drummer Mark Guiliana, released their debut album earlier this month and it’s filled with the bassist’s unreal tonal palette. Halo Orbit’s self-titled debut is Alderete’s first full release since...
Viktor L?rincz: Grinder Groove
Viktor L?rincz’s creativity always astounds me, and his latest video is no different. “This video was made with drummer Steven Oravecz, who made a ‘grinder drum’ video on the Facebook,” L?rincz explains. “When I heard it, I felt the groove, and I made my bass line and video, and I mixed them.” Dig it:
Electro Harmonix Unveils SYNTH9 Pedal
Electro Harmonix has expanded their line of synthesizer pedals with the SYNTH9. Suited for bass and guitar, the stompbox emulates classic electronic synthesizers with nine settings: OBX, Profit V, Vibe Synth, Mini Mood, EHX Mini, Solo Synth, Mood Bass, String Synth, and Poly VI. “Using the same innovative technology that powers the award-winning B9 and C9 Organ Machines as well...
The Descendents Announce 2017 Tour
Punk legends The Descendents have announced a massive headlining North Amercian tour that will kick off in April and continue throughout December. Anchored by Karl Alvarez, the band will start in Santa Cruz, California and make their way East and then South to cover most of the U.S. with a handful of Canadian dates mixed in. The band will be...