Archive for 2011 - Page 109

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...

After being diagnosed last year, Y&T bassist Phil Kennemore lost his battle to cancer January 7th. The 57 year old was a founding member of the band in 1974 and continued touring with the band up until his hospitalization. A benefit concert featuring Queensryche, Heaven & Hell, and Testament was held on December 31st to offset Kennemore’s medical expenses. ”Phil...

In this exciting video, the French bassist Florent Ghys combines multi-tracking bass loops and video clips shot in his hometown of Bordeaux, France to create a unique work. It was featured at the June, 2010 Bang on a Can Marathon Concert in New York.

Michael Rylee has just released the Bass Fretboard Addict app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The app is a fretboard trainer game designed to help “improve your visual, mental, and listening bass guitar skills” as well as your ability to read music notation. Using real bass guitar sounds, the app challenges you to find notes on the fretboard by...

A new book chronicling Les Claypool’s career through photos has been published in a limited run through San Francisco based Rock Out Books. To Defy The Laws of Tradition is a collection of over 750 photographs taken by Jay Blakesberg’s 10,000+ image archive of Claypool’s groups including Primus, Holy Mackerel, Sausage, Oysterhead, and the Frog Brigade. Claypool also contributes an...

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...

Here’s the original Return to Forever line up, performing for German TV in early 1974 – without an audience! Guitarist Bill Connors, who was soon replaced by Al Di Meola, is present along with Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Lenny White. Sadly, the camera operators and/or editor decided not to focus on Clarke very much during the first half of...

Meet Leighton Allen, a bassist from the UK and our player in the spotlight for January 5, 2011. Bio: I’m a bass player from the south of England, currently writing/playing with Steve Byrd 80’s session musician and ex-guitarist with Kim Wilde and Ian Gillian, amongst many many others. I have played many of the UK top venues and festivals with...

Q: You covered playing chords on the bass and going beyond the roots. I use chords a lot when I compose/write and when I practice different things. I often find myself short when it comes to rhythms and different strumming patterns over the chords. Do you have some good ideas for strumming patterns? A: The rhythm you use is one...

Russell Jackson joined B.B. King’s band in the late ’70s, staying with the legendary guitarist for seven years. In this early ’80s clip from French TV, the band plays an instrumental, then kicks into “Let the Good Times Roll,” with another segue into “Everyday I Have the Blues.” The whole band swings hard to Russell’s bouncy lines, as he lays...

Unearth have announced that their first show of 2011 will be a benefit for their former bassist, Chris “Rover” Rybicki, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2010. The show will also feature Rybicki’s former bands. “We will be playing alongside another one of Rovers former bands No Choice as well as our friends in Screams of Erida and...

After a brave battle with cancer, former Japan bassist Mick Karn has passed away at the age of 52. The fretless bassist left an indelible mark on the ‘70s and ‘80s low-end scene with his unique style and phrasing. After glam rockers Japan split up, he collaborated with Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy in the group Dalis Car, as well as...