Archive for 2012 - Page 103
On Soloing: Think Pocket, Melody, Theme, Interplay and Form
Q: During a recent performance with my band, I was given a spot to solo in a fast, up-tempo (120 bpm) funk tune. I basically have as much time as I need to “do my thing” with only the drummer accompanying me. My question: during my solo spot, should I stay in the pocket (the song’s in E) and just...
Joe Zinkan: Four Leaf Clover (Old School Slap Bass)
Thomas Bizzle shared this great video of Joe Zinkan playing some mean upright slap bass on the tune “Four Leaf Clover.” Though Zinkan became a regular band member on the Grand ‘Ol Opry, the clip comes from a 1965 episode of the “Bobby Lord Show”. Old school slap. We love it.
Mike Watt to Reunite With fIREHOSE; Releases Album with Spielgusher
2012 is shaping up to be a busy year for punk rock icon Mike Watt, with the and the announcement that fIREHOSE will be reuniting in April. The group, which was formed by Watt and fellow Minutemen member George Hurley after frontman D. Boon’s death, hasn’t played together since 1994. The band has revealed two weeks of dates, including a...
Reader Spotlight: Kaitie Sly
Meet Kaitie Sly, a bassist from Victoria who plays both electric and double bass. Kaitie is our player in the spotlight for February 7, 2012. Bio: I am an electric and upright bassist. I have been playing music since I was eight years old. I started playing music on the piano, taking private lessons, and when I was a teenager,...
Old School: 1963 Fender Shoreline Gold Precision Bass
Mark Anderson picked up this 1963 Fender Shoreline Gold Precision Bass in the ’70’s for $300.00. The bass is completely stock, making it even more GAS-inducing. Of course, this is a pre-CBS bass, as Leo Fender hadn’t yet sold his company. That happened two years later. Mark gave us the lowdown on this vintage Fender P, including a remarkable experience...
Esperanza Spalding: “Black Gold” Official Music Video
Grammy award winning bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding has released the official video for “Black Gold,” the first single off her upcoming album Radio Music Society. The song and video are a beautiful homage to African American heritage. “This song is singing to our African American heritage before slavery,” Spalding writes. “Over the decades, so much of the strength in the African...
Van Halen Releases “A Different Kind of Truth”
About 27 years ago, one of rock’s greatest bands lost its frontman, ending the group’s original lineup. Now David Lee Roth has rejoined the ranks of Van Halen to release A Different Kind of Truth, the first original studio album to feature his vocals since 1984. The 13-track collection is available in regular and deluxe editions. The deluxe edition includes...
Warwick Unveils Jack Bruce Survivor and Jimmy Earl Signature Basses
Warwick introduced a pair of Signature basses at NAMM this year for former Cream bassist Jack Bruce and jazz bassist Jimmy Earl. The new instruments are hand-crafted in Germany and each come with individually issued certificates of authenticity. Based on their previous CRB model, the new Jack Bruce Survivor bass features neck-through construction with a mahogany body and neck. The...
Circle Theory: A Look at the Circle of Fifths Reference App for iOS
Spending time exploring the circle of fifths is a useful exercise for seeing the relationships between notes and key signatures. Circle Theory, by Artsiness, is a great iOS app for referencing and visualizing the circle of fifths. The app’s interface has the primary circle displaying the current Tonic note/key signature. The additional information options are shown in the inner circle,...
Vulfpeck: It Gets Funkier
We first featured Vulfpeck last June and became instant fans of the band and bassist Joe Dart. Check out this video of the band recording their score for a short film by Baltasar Vilhjálmsdóttir entitled, “Cold Cold Wet”. Joe really gets down on this, especially around the 3 minute mark. This tune is available on Vulfpeck’s EP, Mit Peck. Hey...
Top 10: Popular Bass Gear from NAMM, a New Take on “The Chicken”, The Yellowjackets Bass Switch and More
We’ve been back from NAMM for about two weeks now, and we’re still working on the new gear stories. Good thing too… they keep dominating each week’s top 10 lists, and last week was no exception. From our exclusive video of Ned Steinberger showing off his all-new headless bass to the new amps from Markbass and Ampeg to the new...
B.C. Rich Unveils Two New Basses for 2012
B.C. Rich rolled out a pair of new basses for NAMM 2012: the Widow 4 Bass and the Greg Weeks Signature Bass. The 2012 Widow 4 bass is a 4-string version of their existing WMD Widow. With a radical body shape and red pinstripes, the bass is designed to resemble the killer Black Widow spider. It features neck-through construction with...