Archive for 2011 - Page 97

New Wave rockers The Cars have reformed to record new material for the first time since their split in 1988, though the group will be missing bassist/vocalist Benjamin Orr, who died of cancer in 2000. Co-founder Ric Ocasek told Rolling Stone that, “This is not a reunion – it’s more like a conjunction. I never thought I’d make another Cars...

Checking out videos featuring bassist Bakithi Kumalo this morning, I ran into this old favorite from Paul Simon’s Graceland concert in South Africa in 1987. Kumalo’s fretless work on this and the rest of the performance is so awesome, even 24 years later.

Daisy Rock has introduced the Rebel Rockit Bass, the newest model in the company’s line of full-scale instruments. The 34” scale bass features a lightweight sycamore body and a rock maple neck with 22 frets, designed to be more comfortable for girls with smaller hands. Seymour Duncan P+J passive pickups are included. In keeping with the manufacturer’s “girl rocker” demographic,...

Christian McBride is one of those rare bassists who switch from upright to electric and back with ease. We more frequently see (and feature) him playing upright, but this one was too fun to pass up. Here’s a fan shot video of McBride taking a solo break to Jaco Pastorius’ “Havona”.

Bassist Bernhard Lackner has released a new instructional book, Plucking Hand Workout For Electric Bass, featuring 200 exercises on 2-finger right hand technique. Written in both standard notation and tablature, the book focuses on developing your plucking hand in order to improve your overall technique, tone and musicianship. The exercises start at the beginning with quarter notes and work up...

Daring Audio made their debut at NAMM this year with the release of a new line of bass effects pedals, including the Particle Beam, Laser Cannon, Edge Activator, and Phat Beam. Built in California, the light energy-inspired pedals all feature true bypass and high headroom 18-volt circuits that run off of either a 9-volt batter or standard 9-volt adapter. The...

Doug Johns’ virtuosity on bass and compositional prowess plants him firmly as one of the top funk players in a genre with a reputation for precise attack and ultra “in the pocket” approach. Johns’ playing and compositions span multiple styles, making him a sought after musician. The bassist has performed alongside artists as diverse as Victor Wooten, Chuck Rainey, Buddy...

Joseph Garcia sent in this video of bassist Wally Voss, a shredding master who spent time in the ’80s touring with Yngwie Malmsteen. Here is a face-melting solo he played with the band Front Runner, before joining Malmsteen. “This is a must-see for fans of Cliff Burton and Billy Sheehan,” Garcia wrote, and we couldn’t agree more!

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Gerald Veasley‘s popular Bass Boot Camp, and the bassist has just announced that Rhonda Smith will be joining the instructor line up. In addition to Veasley and Smith, the 2011 camp instructors include Adam Nitti, Jimmy Haslip, Anthony Wellington, David Dyson, Bryan Beller and Richard Waller. The camp runs from March 25 through...

Cort added a second bass to their Gene Simmons series, the GS-Punisher-2. The bass, more traditionally shaped than the AXE model, was designed in part with the KISS bassist himself and features bolt-on construction. The black-painted Mahogany body is accented with a maple neck and a rosewood fretboard containing white pearl diamond inlays. All of the hardware is chrome, including...

So, I had a night off and decided to go see some music at a local club here in Portland, Oregon. It was early in the night when I was faced with one of my biggest musical pet peeves: noodling on stage before your set. In short: please, don’t do it! This was a friend’s pop band and although they...

We last featured bassist Daniel Ziegler and his Jonas Hellborg-inspired bass arrangement of “Little Wing”. This time, Daniel performs his unique take on Victor Wooten’s “Slow Groove”.