Player News - Page 12

Les Claypool has finally revealed some clues about the new mystery bass he was sporting during Primus’ New Year’s Eve shows. “What I played at those shows was a semi-finished prototype bass that I designed and had built by my old pal Dan Maloney,” he wrote in a Primus update. Maloney is also responsible for building Claypool’s banjo bass, called...

Bassist and Grammy nominee Esperanza Spalding will be co-hosting the Grammy Pre-Telecast Ceremony, as well as performing at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards. Spalding will be sharing hosting duties with singer Bobby McFerrin on the show, which will be streamed on the Grammy website and YouTube channel starting at 1 p.m. PT on February 13. The ceremony is set to...

As we reported a couple of weeks ago, Victor Wooten has launched his own record label, VIX Records. His first release is A Show of Hands-15, a remastered version of his solo debut album from 15 years ago. Vic has just announced his iconic track, “Me & My Bass Guitar” is being offered in its remastered form as a free...

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament revealed the band’s future, including a documentary on their time together, directed by Cameron Crowe. Crowe, whose films include Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire, is a long-time friend of the group. On the film, Ament said, “I just saw a rough cut. It was so weird seeing footage of...

Bassist Mick Quinn of the now defunct rock band Supergrass told the BBC that the group will probably be making a comeback in the future. “I’m still on good terms with the rest of them and I’m confident we would probably reform at some point,” he said in an interview. The British pop rock group, who parted ways in April...

Victor Wooten will be expanding his musical footprint as he launches VIX Records, his self-owned label on which he will release all of his future albums. The new record label will give Vic “complete control of his creations,” as well as help others keep their voice. “We aim to provide, by example, a different standard and model for record labels...

Bootsy Collins will be releasing his first studio album in five years, according to BillBoard.com. The project, entitled Tha Funk Capital of the World, serves as a memorial to his late musical heroes, including James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk, and fellow P-Funk member Garry Shider. “In 2008 we went out and did a tribute to James Brown tour with…...

Bill Wyman has teamed up with his old pals in the Rolling Stones to contribute to a new tribute album from Ben Waters, according to the Stones fan site Iorr.org. Waters pays his respects to late pianist Ian Stewart on the CD entitled Boogie For Stu, which is due in March. Wyman joined the rest of the Stones to record...

Dixie Dregs bassist Dave LaRue is now part of a new unnamed supergroup along with ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, guitarist Steve Morse, Neal Morse, and vocalist Casey McPherson. The group announced that they have just entered the studio to begin work on their debut release. “I think we are almost done with the writing/arranging process of the first song,”...

Punk legend and Minutemen co-founder Mike Watt has announced an extensive North American tour in support of his upcoming CD, “Hyphenated-Man.” The new record, which is already available in Japan, is 30 tracks which Watt describes as thirty parts of one big tune. “My third opera ‘hyphenated-man’ will be released everywhere except Japan on March 1, 2011 through my new...

Bassist Nikolai Fraiture has confirmed that the new Strokes album is almost complete and is set for a March release. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Fraiture explained the group’s fourth album hearkens back to their “classic sound.” “Sonically, I feel it’s the album which should have been made between Room On Fire and First Impressions Of Earth,” he...

The saga of the bass position in Jane’s Addiction continues as the group revealed that TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek will be contributing on the four-string for their next release, due out this summer. According to Spinner, the producer/multi-instrumentalist will also be writing material with the alternative rockers, but will likely only be a band member as far as...