Archive for 2011 - Page 59

When we first covered Ibanez’s Ashula bass, readers went pretty crazy for it. Here’s bassist Franck Hermanny demonstrating this unusual bass with some nifty playing.

Hal Leonard’s latest in the Bass Play-Along series focuses on modern day Christian worship music. Modern Worship: Bass Play-Along Vol. 37 includes 8 songs in both standard notation and tab, and includes the complete chord charts for each song. As with all books in this series, Modern Worship includes an enhanced CD, playable in any audio player, with special features...

Tony Levin will be part of the faculty at the “3 of a Perfect Pair” Music Camp, which will also feature fellow King Crimson allies Adrian Belew and Pat Mastelotto. The camp is open to all musicians (and non-musicians) and provides an opportunity for face-to-face interaction with the musicians including masterclasses, chats, and even bonfires. Levin, Belew, and Mastelotto will...

Based on popular demand, Ernie Ball is offering a limited test run of the SLO Special 5, a Music Man Stingray 5-string bass with 19-mm string spacing. The company says it must receive 125 pre-orders between now and July 12, 2011 to put the instruments into production. If the orders are met, it will become a regular product. The Stingrays...

In advance of their upcoming third album, the Wood Brothers have released a music video for the first single called “Shoofly Pie.” Featuring bassist Chris Wood (of Medeski, Martin, and Wood), the music is a cool southern-rock-tinged groove with a psychedelic twist for the video.

Yes has released their first studio album in 10 years entitled Fly From Here, which is available now through download with physical copies coming July 12. The project started over a conversation between bassist Chris Squire and producer Trevor Horn about a song called “We Can Fly From Here” that the group worked on but didn’t make the cut for...

Deep Purple’s history is examined in Phoenix Rising, a DVD/CD package that includes the film “Gettin’ Tighter,” which tells the band’s story revolving around its Mark IV lineup and eventual demise through in-depth interviews, never told stories and backstage footage. In addition to the 90-minute documentary, 30 minutes of never-before-seen concert footage from their 1975 performance at Tokyo’s Budokan Arena,...

Former Static-X bassist Tony Campos has joined the ranks of the metal outfit Soulfly, replacing Bobby Burns. Burns, who was in the band for seven years, left last July. Though the group had been performing with a fill-in, Campos will be the permanent bassist, with his first Soulfly show will be on July 31 at the Lokerse festival in Lokeren,...

So far in the Custom Shop series, we’ve asked luthiers about building custom bass guitars. This time we got the chance to talk to Ben Verellen to look into a perhaps lesser-known market: custom amplifiers. Based in Seattle, Washington, Ben Verellen of Verellen Amplifiers grew up playing bass and eventually decided to go to school for electrical engineering. Through a...

Here’s another iconic bass line that everyone should know, penned and recorded by Anthony Jackson for the O’Jays. This clip shows bassist Curtis Teel adding his own groove to it to make people shake their money makers for this performance on Soul Train in 1974.

Ben Williams won the Thelonious Monk International Bass Competition in 2009, and with it, a recording contract with Concord Jazz. Over the last two years, Williams has been recording with several artists on the label, and has now released State of Art, his debut album as a leader. This album offers a unique blend of music, with R&B, jazz, hip-hop...

In gearing up for their new album due mid-July, 311 has announced an extensive amphitheater tour about the U.S. The Unity Tour 2011 begins July 6th in Wichita, Kansas and will include support from Sublime with Rome, DJ Soulman, and DJ Trichrome. The schedule also has the band’s first 3-day 311 Pow Wow Fest, which has the group hosting acts...