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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...

Duran Duran co-founder and bassist John Taylor’s autobiography entitled In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran will be hitting North American shelves October 16th via Penguin Publishing’s Dutton imprint. The memoir covers Taylor’s whole life and will include over a hundred photos spanning from his childhood through the present. “This book recounts the million tiny seductions that are...

Megadeth is currently on tour in support of TH1RT3EN, their latest album. Bassist David Ellefson shares this nine minute, behind-the-scenes video from their final stop on the Asia tour, in Singapore on August 7th. Among other things, David finds a Starbucks, apparently one of the band’s favorite things to do (and obviously, the fans are in to it too.) Tip...

Almost two years ago, Les Claypool reached out to his fans for help. His two month old nephew was diagnosed with a rare form of infant leukemia and the family needed help defraying the cost of the medical bills. Now two years old, baby Matthew has been fighting the disease and is currently undergoing bone marrow transplant therapy, which is...

Photo by Erich Francois Larry Graham and Graham Central Station are back! The slap bass pioneer and his crew have just announced that Raise Up, their first studio album since 1999’s GCS2000, will be dropping on September 25th. With guest appearances from Prince and Rafael Saadiq, Raise Up will include three new versions of classic Graham Central Station songs and...

Well, it was nice while it lasted. Hot on the heels of the news that Bill Wyman was rehearsing with the Rolling Stones as part of the band’s 50th anniversary comes the news that Wyman won’t be touring with the group as hoped. Following the rehearsals, guitarist Keith Richards said, “We’re playing around with the idea [of a tour] and...

The legend continues. Last week, we reported on the story that PBS’s History Detectives were investigating an amp believed to be owned by Motown legend James Jamerson, in an attempt to determine its authenticity. Well, the folks behind the PBS show deemed the amp as legit (leaving room at the end that the evidence wasn’t conclusive). Jamerson’s son, James Jamerson,...

Aaron Gibson presents an interesting blend of singer/songwriter and solo bassist. Once described as “Jack Johnson playing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers,” the Oregon-based low-ender comps for himself while playing impressive original tunes as well as covers. Aaron scores solo gigs by covering the bass line, harmony, melody, and vocals all on his own. We reached out to find...

Sounds like Phil Lesh is done with studio albums. In a recent interview with Billboard, the 72 year old bassist said Furthur – his current effort with fellow Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir – has no plans to record new albums, citing their focus on continually evolving music. “Nobody’s mentioned it to me, and certainly it’s not anything I’m interested...

Steve Harris and EMI Music have announced the longtime Iron Maiden bassist is releasing his debut solo album next month. Entitled British Lion, the 10-track album is the result of the music he’s written and recorded in between recording and touring with Iron Maiden over the past few years. According to a statement from the label, the album is “decidedly...

Geezer Butler has signed with Hartke, according to a press release from the bass amplifier company. The Black Sabbath bassist will be utilizing the brand’s new Kilo amps, with which he played through for Metal Masters 3 and the 2012 Download Festival on June 10th. “It’s a true honor to welcome Geezer to the Hartke family,” states Director of Marketing...

Job For a Cowboy bassist Nick Schendzielos has announced he will be sitting out part of the band’s upcoming performances on the Summer Slaughter Tour, which runs July through August. The Red Chord guitarist Mike “Gunface” McKenzie will be filling in. “On June 28, immediately after landing in Boston to rehearse for Puerto Rico/Summer Slaughter, my girlfriend was in a...