Interviews - Page 17

Think about your favorite bass line. Sing it in your head. Picture yourself hearing it on the radio… you’re driving in the car and suddenly you hear this groove pulsating from the speakers. At that moment, you bop your head, tap your fingers, and forget about where you’re going. You don’t worry about the work that’s at the office, the...

When Snarky Puppy snagged the Grammy for Best R&B Performance, it was a victory for independent artists everywhere. Many called the group an underdog but their track “Something,” featuring Lalah Hathaway, is an undeniably phenomenal song. The song’s music video went viral on YouTube with over two million views and has catapulted the band into the limelight. And while a...

San Francisco in the ’60s and ’70s was a hotbed for bassists. With bands like Sly and the Family Stone, The Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane calling the city their home, the Bay area was fertile with exciting new music filled out by a lot of low end thump. It was in this musical landscape that Bobby Vega began his...

Peter Hook is a man who marches to the beat of his own drum, and that beat will lead him on a world tour this year as he and his band The Light present New Order’s Movement and Power, Corruption, & Lies in their entirety. The group will dig deep to play all the singles and B-sides in order as...

Behind every major pop star, there’s usually a cast of talented musicians backing them up. This includes the wildly popular boy band One Direction, who get their groove from bassist Sandy Beales. Since 2011, the London-based low-ender has been touring the world with the “What Makes You Beautiful” singers and playing to sold-out crowds. But his playing doesn’t stop there....

The last time we got to chat with Bryan Beller, it was several months before his freakishly good power trio The Aristocrats released their debut album. With just under two years since the band’s inception, the group has gone from an incredible lineup to a perfect storm of musical minds. Beller and cohorts drummer Marco Minneman and guitarist Guthrie Govan...

Trampled Under Foot is making a big splash with their first major label release, Badlands, a thirteen track collection of soulful and gritty blues tunes that groove like no other. The sibling power trio is fronted by singer/bassist Danielle Schnebelen, who pours her soul out in heartfelt lyrics and low notes. “All I really want to do is inspire goodness...

It’s not easy to fill the shoes of a legend, and Charles Mingus has some huge shoes to fill. The iconic jazz bassist and composer left behind a body of work so massive, so complex, and so uniquely his own that it takes an equally rare musician to convey its spirit. Mingus’ music lives on through the Mingus Big Band,...

Ten years after the band’s split, bassist Rex Brown has completely opened up about his time in the iconic metal outfit Pantera. His new autobiography, Official Truth, 101 Proof: The Inside Story of Pantera, delves into his own youth, the band’s formation, rise and fall, the death of guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, and his struggles and successes since. Describing the...

It’s not easy to fill the shoes of a man regarded as one of the most influential pioneers of the electric bass, but it’s something that comes naturally to James Jamerson, Jr. After all, his father – who subsequently changed the face of popular music – was the one who taught him to play. He practically grew up in the...

Twelve years after leaving the ranks of Metallica, Jason Newsted has again stepped into the spotlight. Late last year he launched his online presence with a brand new website and Facebook page, from which he announced his new band and a brand new EP, Metal. The four-song album, available now through iTunes, is packed with in-your-face riffs and raw thrash...

Last month we shared a bass cam video of Periphery bassist Adam “Nolly” Getgood performing “Make Total Destroy” live at Manchester Academy. The clip was a hit with our readers, who especially took note of Getgood’s ridiculously awesome tone. Getgood got his musical start on piano before turning his attention to guitar, where years of practice paid off in immense...