Ben Titus: Looping Bass Arrangement of “Radioactive”
Bassist Ben Titus sent in this awesome looping arrangement of the Imagine Dragons hit “Radioactive”, and I’m glad he did. He gets a gorgeous tone from his six-string and creates a perfect pad with his chord voicings.
In Memoriam: Marshall “Rock” Jones
Sad news to report today: Ohio Players bassist Marshall “Rock” Jones has passed away after battling cancer and recently suffering a stroke. He was 75 years old. Jones was a founding member of the Ohio Players precursor band The Ohio Untouchables in 1959, though he left after getting in a fistfight 1964. Another shakeup led to Jones rejoining in 1970....
Cog Effects Introduces Knightfall 66 and Mini 66 Overdrive Pedals
Cog Effects has discontinued their Knightfall pedal to create two new stompbox offerings: the Knightfall 66 and Mini 66 Overdrives. Each pedal is built one at a time with true bypass switching, engraved aluminium enclosure and no PCB-mounted jacks. The Knightfall 66 has two Gain knobs with an A/B footswitch so users can have two different drives dialed in. Both...
MonoNeon on Playing with Prince
When Prince died on April 21st, the world lost another legend. The Purple One touched so many lives through his music that he was more than a musician; he was a cultural icon. Besides being a world-class bassist himself, Prince always kept top-notch low-enders by his side. Rhonda Smith, Mark Brown, André Cymone, Larry Graham, Ida Nielsen, Andrew Gouché and...
Tom Barger and Leland Sklar: Jamaica Rendezvous
Today is Leland Sklar‘s birthday, and we’re celebrating with another great video. If ever you’re looking for a lesson in tone, taste, and time, just look up a video of Lee. (Even better, you should follow him on Facebook.) Here’s a duet he shared of “Jamaica Rendezvous” with the late singer/songwriter Tom Barger. Sklar lays down a tasty groove with...
The Killers Bassist Mark Stoermer Halts Touring
The Killers have announced that Mark Stoermer will be taking a break from touring with the band to work on his own projects. The bassist, who has been part of the lineup since 2002, will still be a part of the band and involved in recording the group’s new album. “Mark has decided to take a break from The Killers...
Fur Peace Ranch Announces 2016 Bass Workshops
Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch and Arts Center has announced its lineup of bass workshops for 2016, and it’s bound to be a good year. Kaukonen’s Hot Tuna partner and regular FPR educator Jack Casady will return while bassists Kai Eckhardt and Bobby Vega will teach their own workshops this summer and fall. First up will be Eckhardt, who will...
Stuart Hamm Announces Solo Bass Songs and Stories Tour 2016
Here’s a tour you won’t want to miss: Stuart Hamm will be hitting the road in June for his “Solo Bass Songs and Stories Tour”. The trek, which focuses on the Northeast and parts of Canada, will have the bass legend performing songs from his latest album, The Book of Lies, plus new music including his petite suite for solo...
Collectables: An Interview with Todd Coolman
Veteran bassist and educator Todd Coolman has worked with a who’s who of the jazz world. His resumé includes work with Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Tommy Flanagan, Ahmad Jamal, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, and James Moody (with whom he won Grammy), among others. In working with these incredible bandleaders, he’s gathered what it takes...
Alex Bershadsky & Rostik Lerman Project: Tango Traumatico
If you’re addicted to that fretless “mwah”, then you’re going to want to sit down for this one. Alex Bershadsky teamed up with pianist Rostik Lerman and drummer Shay Sasson to record Lerman’s composition “Tango Traumatico” and it’s got tons of creamy bass tone. The trio gets into a great tango groove with solid foundation from the bassist before he...
Peterson Tuners Now Shipping BodyBeat Pulse Solo
Peterson Tuners has introduced the BodyBeat Pulse Solo, a clip-on device that allows players to feel the beat from a metronome through vibration. The Pulse Solo uses the output of any metronome that has a standard 3.5mm headphone output jack, including metronome apps on mobile devices. It also works with Peterson’s own BodyBeat Metronome App for iOS to deliver three...
Mike Frost Band and FSO: Astral Dance
Mike Frost stepped things up this year with a stellar collaboration with the Florence Symphony Orchestra. The bassist performed his work “Astral Dance” with his band plus the entire orchestra to create a huge and engrossing musical experience. Starting with the strings, the tune starts almost as a lullaby that Frost puts a melody on. It builds in intensity with...