Archive for 2010 - Page 89

Michael Manring is this week’s guest columnist for “What’s Spinning” Thanks so much for your interest in the music I’ve been listening to lately. In addition to having precious little time for casual listening these days, my listening habits are a bit odd. I find that even for pieces of music I’m crazy about, if I listen once every few...

Two masters at work. ‘Nuff said.

UK-based bassist Zander Zon rose to fame on Youtube by posting some videos of his compositions and solo bass performances. To date, his videos have been viewed close to 600,000 times. Zander first began playing the bass in 1999 after a musical upbringing in which he was classically trained on the cello for 10 years. After hearing Jaco Pastorius, Victor...

Korn bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu has announced that he is nearing completion on a new solo album, entitled Bassically, which he plans on releasing later this year. He says the music will be a sharp contrast to the heavy sound he is known for. In an interview with AOL’s Noisecreep, he said, “I’d say it’s like a jazz fusion funk...

How many times have you played a continuous four hour gig? Have you ever had to go from the studio to a gig? Or play two gigs in one day? If you have, you understand the important of having an optimized playing technique. If you have not, and are going to try, you need to prepare yourself to be as...

Here’s an unsung name of pick-playing bassist: Helmut Hattler. Founder of the German krautrock-turned-fusion band, Kraan, Hattler made a name for himself, in Germany especially, playing with a pick. When I think of pick-players, the first name that springs to mind is Chris Squire of the band Yes, the next name is Hattler. Here is Kraan’s tune Vollgas Ahoi (featuring...

The Summer Camp music festival to be held in Chillicothe, Illinois promises to be another groovy, bass-filled weekend, with such acts as Victor Wooten, moe., Gov’t Mule, Railroad Earth, Steel Pulse, and many more. The festival, which is celebrating its 10th year running, is a green event which seeks to “reduce [its] carbon footprint, support local business and reduce, reuse,...

Q: How do you prepare for a gig when you have a short amount of time to learn tunes? A: For me, it is more important that I have the tune internalized and have the vibe inside. The second thing is any hits that I’ll need to be aware of. If I can feel the tune, I can use my...

Jeff Corallini, a bassist from France, is quite an accomplished bass player on fretted, fretless and upright basses, including 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-stringed instruments (if that’s not enough, he also plays guitar and sings). Here’s a nice little tapping/frettless arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Avé Maria. On two 7-string basses :) He has two solo CD’s out and is working...

Metal head James LoMenzo has been keeping busy, despite having just left the ranks of metal legend Megadeth. LoMenzo will be recording on the new Hydrogyn album, sharing bass duties with Jake Wolf. The album is in the process of being recorded, and will be ready for release this summer, along with a tour by the band. LoMenzo’s resume also...

Meet David Baron, a bassit from New York, and our player in the spotlight for the week of February 23, 2010. Bio: A native New Yorker, David has played bass in a variety of original and cover projects, including Tripping Monsters, The NY Ruffians, Huggy Bear & the Sweathogs, The Tremors and The Georgia 5. His most recent original project,...

Let the Games Begin… is one funky record! It sounds like it was fun to play this music and it’s definitely fun to listen to. It’s a playful, funky, groove-driven, mostly instrumental record that reminds me a little of those 70s jazz-funk records that recorded when the session superstars got together to have fun. Derek Frank is an in-demand bassist...