Archive for 2011 - Page 64

Everyone could use a little reggae groove to chill out to. Here’s a clip of Steel Pulse from 1990 playing the songs “Blues Dance Raid” and “Soldiers.” Bassist Alvin Ewen, who was with the group for 22 years, holds down the groove with a nice, big fat tone.

Black Country Communion has released their second album, aptly entitled Black Country Communion 2. The group, which started as a supergroup side project, features bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (ex-Deep Purple/Black Sabbath/Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (Foreigner), guitarist Joe Bonamassa, and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater). The band has grown closer, saying that the sophomore album is a band album, not a side...

Rock bass legend Bob Daisley is working on his autobiography, with plans to release it later this year. The bassist’s storied career includes laying down the low end with Chicken Shack, Mungo Jerry, Rainbow, Dio and others. Maybe most notably, Daisley worked with Ozzy Osbourne throughout his early career, contributing bass and writing lyrics to the iconic albums Blizzard of...

Pete Skjold had been playing bass for several years when he realized that to get what he wanted, he would have to design it himself. Eleven years after his first design, he began building full-time under the moniker Skjold Design Guitars, producing around 35 handmade basses annually. A bass enthusiast to the core, we first caught up with Skjold at...

In closing out their performance at the London Jazz Cafe, Victor Wooten and Anthony Wellington took turns wowing the crowd on hand. Our favorite comment about this video: “The secret Victor Wooten technique … practice”.

Concord Music Group has once again released re-issues of Paul McCartney‘s archive collection with the remastered deluxe versions of the bassist’s first two solo albums, McCartney and McCartney II. Both projects were supervised by Macca himself, which were remastered at Abbey Road by the same team who recently revamped the Beatles’ catalogue. The records are available in multiple formats. McCartney,...

SKB has added to their 3i line with the release of two new watertight bass cases, called the 3i-5014-44 and 3i-5014-OP. Featuring injection molded interiors, the cases are built from a polypropylene copolymer resin and even meet US Military standards for tactical operations. The cases are waterproof, air-tight and submersible while being corrosion resistant. The case interiors are filled with...

First, thanks to all of you who write in with comments about this column. I get a lot of great feedback from you, and I appreciate it very much. Please keep it coming! This column starts with reader questions, and at the moment, I’ve run out. Here’s where you come in! Send me your questions. They can be strictly about...

Fender is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Precision bass, and posted this video as part of the year-long celebration. In the video, Clash bassist Paul Simonon talks about his background and his basses, as well as the story behind the iconic London Calling album cover featuring him smashing one of his Precisions on the stage. (He still owns the...

Mac and iOS software developer Audiofile Engineering, following their acquisition of Quiztones, has released an ear training app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Quiztones uses a series of quizzes to aid in ear training exercises, designed to improve abilities in the areas of mixing, EQ setting, eliminating feedback, prevent noise buildup in mixes and eliminate the need for frequency...

Meet Pat Ormiston, a bassist from Colchester, Vermont who says his playing is “no flash, no wicked fancy playing, just straight groove.” Bio: I grew up in Rochester NY as the third of four children. Music is a strong influence in my family. My mother saw to it that her children all played an instrument, so I started very young...

This week, we’re taking a look back at the top 10 most popular bass videos from May, 2011, based on the number of views by No Treble readers. 1. Victor Wooten & JD Blair: Live at Blue Note Milan Filmed from the audience two days ago, here’s Victor Wooten and JD Blair playing the tune, “U Can’t Hold No Groove…”...