The Dropkick Murphys Return with “11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory”
The Dropkick Murphys are back with their ninth studio album, 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, their first since 2013’s Signed and Sealed in Blood. Anchored by bassist/vocalist Ken Casey, the album was influenced by the band’s work with their charity The Claddagh Fund, whose mission statement is to “raise money for the most underfunded non-profit organizations that support...
In Memoriam: Doug Evans
Doug Evans, who laid down the low end for punk trio the Didjits, passed away December 28th. He was 53 years old. Evans founded the seminal punk band with brothers Rick and Brad Sims in 1983. They spent much of their career on Touch and Go Records, releasing five studio albums before they split in 1994. Their music proved influential,...
Bass of the Week: Kanzian & Traunsteiner Viennese Five-String Bass
As a double bass player, I love seeing old basses and wondering what stories they could tell. But I also love seeing the creation of new masterpieces, including this Kanzian & Traunsteiner five-string bass. Alex Kanzian and Fabian Traunsteiner are luthiers based in Vienna, Austria that opened their own shop about five years ago. “We are both classically educated violin...
Tim Lefebvre Featured on Posthumous David Bowie EP
One year after his passing, a new David Bowie album has been released. No Plan is a four-song EP featuring the previously released track “Lazarus” plus three songs from the Lazarus musical. The tracks are the pop legend’s final recordings. As with his final full-length Blackstar, bass monster Tim Lefebvre holds down the low end on the album. His playing...
Fodera Unveils Monarch-P and Emperor-J Standard Classic Basses
Fodera is gearing up for NAMM by introducing two new Standard models with the Fodera Emperor-J Classic and Monarch-P Classic. The retro-styled basses are built in Fodera’s Brooklyn shop alongside their custom instruments but are built in batch with limited options to keep costs and wait time to a minimum. The Monarch-P Classic comes in two configurations: an ash body...
Bass Bash Returns for 2017
The Bass Bash is back for 2017! Coinciding with the annual Winter NAMM Show, this year’s event is bound to be another great one. The lineup this year includes bass legends and international stars, featuring Chuck Rainey, Michael League, Janek Gwizdala, Federico Malaman, Amanda Ruzza, Bryan Ladd, Tony Grey, Andrew Gouché, Ida Nielsen and Maurizio Rolli. Besides all the incredible...
Aguilar Amplification Unveils Limited Edition SL 112 and SL 410x Cabinets
Each year, Aguilar introduces a limited edition cabinet color at the NAMM show. This year the amp company will be unveiling the Limited Edition SL 112 and SL 410x in Antique Ivory. They will be limited to 250 units of the SL 112 and 100 of the SL 410x. In addition to the color, each cab will feature a custom...
Dominic “Forest” Lapointe: Teramobil’s “Magnitude of Thoughts” Playthrough
Bass monster Dominic “Forest” Lapointe is one of my favorite metal bassists, so I was pumped to see his latest playthrough. This time he tears through the title track to Teramobil’s latest album, . Lapointe utilizes his awesome fingerstyle playing with some gnarly chordal work, bends and tapping thrown in for good measure.
Mark Egan and Dade Reissue “Dade In The Shade”
Dade, the all-star group featuring bassist Mark Egan, has released a remastered version of their album Dade in the Shade. The band also features Danny Gottlieb, Jeff Laibson, David Weissbrot, David Drubin, Lew Soloff, David Taylor and Pete Levin. “Dade is an all-star group playing original music and improvisations,” Egan shared. “Originally released in 1990, this remastered digital release, ‘Dade...
Bergantino Audio Introduces the Reference Series Speaker Cabinets
Bergantino Audio Systems is kicking off 2017 with a new line called the Reference Series Speaker Cabinets. Available in two configurations, the series is described by the company as a versatile benchmark of quality bass amplification. “The Reference series are available in two driver configurations; 1-12″ w/ Tweeter & 2-10″ w/ Tweeter,” Bergantino writes. “The internal components utilize high quality,...
Consider the Source: Reckoner
Besides rocking out their own brand of sci-fi/Middle Eastern/fusion music, Consider the Source has been performing some incredible sets of Radiohead songs. Here’s a great clip of the trio tackling “Reckoner” from In Rainbows. Bassist John Ferrara lays down a lot of the ground work with arpeggiated chords on his five-string plus a heavy bass line on using foot pedals...
Gail Ann Dorsey Joins Celebrating David Bowie Tour
Gail Ann Dorsey will be taking part in a series of tribute concerts celebrating the life and music of music icon David Bowie. The “Celebrating David Bowie” concerts will feature Bowie band alumni performing across the world with shows in London, New York City, Los Angeles, Sydney, and Tokyo. Dorsey, who played with Bowie for many years, made the announcement...