Bassists - Page 81

Nathan East’s prolific playing has graced so many albums, it would probably be easier to list who he hasn’t work with rather than who he has. The Philadelphia-born, San Diego-raised bassist picked up his first 4-string at 14 after studying cello in school and went on to be one of the world’s most in-demand session players. He’s been called on...

Meet Ben Clarke, a bassist who got his start on clarinet and sax and moved on from there to the most awesome instrument on the planet. Ben is our player in the spotlight for the week of September 11, 2012. Bio: Starting formal musical training on clarinet, then baritone & tenor saxes in Junior High. Picked up the guitar and...

Elton John has chosen Matt Bissonette to play bass in his band following the passing of Bob Birch, who died in August. The bassist is currently rehearsing with the “Candle in the Wind” singer in preparation of an upcoming North American tour that begins September 11th in Jackson, Mississippi. Bissonette, who’s resume includes work with David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani,...

A few months after parting ways with Blue Oyster Cult, Rudy Sarzo has joined the ranks of Queensrÿche, or at least singer Geoff Tate’s version of the band. Tate split from the group earlier this year and announced the new lineup on the group’s website. Joining Tate and Sarzo ar Bobby Blotzer, Glen Drover, Kelly Gray and Randy Gane. Sarzo...

Trip Wamsley has been pushing the convention of bass playing for years by experimenting with extended range basses, piccolo tuning, and out-of-this world technique. He’s one of those guys who can seemingly play anything with ease. Besides his phenomenal playing, his style is creativity knows no bounds. His creativity is found in his supportive bass lines as well as his...

It is always a thrill to share the story of one of the next generation’s great up-and-coming bassists. Meet Lucy Kiefert, who at the young age of 12 is already on the path to something special. Plus, her grandmother plays bass too. Now that’s our kind of family. Lucy is our player in the spotlight for the week of September...

John Stockfish, the original bassist for Canadian folk artist Gordon Lightfoot, has passed away of natural causes in his hometown of Windsor, Ontario. He was 69. Stockfish trained at the Royal Conservatory of Music, but honed his chops by touring North America and Europe with Tommy Danton and the Echoes. It was in 1965 that he connected with Lightfoot led...

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament has teamed up with singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur and drummer Richard Stuverud to form a new band dubbed RNDM. The trio is set to have a busy fall too, with the release of their debut album, Acts, on October 30, with a tour kicking off a few days later on November 2nd. Ament and Stuverud have...

Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine has been sidelined with a broken wrist and will have to sit out of the band’s current tour. The Go-Go’s are touring in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the hit album Vacation. Valentine, who co-wrote the album, has had surgery to realign the distal radius bone. “The surgery will allow for wrist movement much quicker...

With unbelievable technique and a unique musical voice, Evan Brewer is quickly becoming the face of the new wave of bass heroes. The former Animosity bassist joined the ranks of technical death metal band The Faceless last year in time to help write and record their new album Autotheism, which hit shelves August 14th. The band has just wrapped up...

Meet Kayhan Golkar, a bass player from San Francisco who makes his living playing music (mostly), and performs with a band he says is “equal parts rock, western, surf and world music”. Kayhan is our player in the spotlight for the week of August 28, 2012. Bio: I’m Kayhan Golkar, a Bay Area native. I picked up the bass 10...

Kings of Leon may be taking a break, but that’s not stopping bassist Jared Followill. Followill has launched Smoke & Jackal, a new band with Mona front-man Nick Brown. “Coming together just worked,” Followill said. “I think it’s because we took such an easy approach to it, we didn’t bring any egos to it. We just talked about each other’s...