Archive for 2012 - Page 48

You wouldn’t typically think of bluegrass bass as pushing the limits, but Missy Raines isn’t your typical bluegrass bassist. A seven time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Bass Player of the Year Award, her penchant for musical experimentation took her from a traditional bluegrass background to a more progressive style that draws from jazz, pop, and a little...

Ozzy Osbourne tapped his former Black Sabbath buddy Geezer Butler in 1988 to join him for his “No Rest for the Wicked” World Tour. Along with a young Zakk Wylde on guitar and drummer Randy Castillo, the group tore the roof off of the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia on June 4th, 1989 with the Sabbath classic “Paranoid.”

Mono Cases has unveiled the Vertigo, which they state is the world’s first top-loading instrument case. Available in bass and guitar models, the design unzips from the headstock down on both sides for quicker access to your axe. The company’s Headlock neck suspension system got a redesign for the Vertigo and no longer requires strapping or buckling. It works by...

Q: I’ve found myself in somewhat of a middle-ground with my gigs. Some gigs I have are with much better musicians than me, and I find that I actually play better with these guys. But many more of my gigs are just your everyday bar gigs. I’m noticing that I just can’t play the same way when the musicians around...

We’re big fans of bassist Philip Smith (aka KingOfPain) here at No Treble HQ. Here’s a new video from Philip, described by him as “some freestyle slap stuff behind a House loop on a Pedulla Bass. Fun fun fun on a Saturday night.” Fun indeed. And the commercial break is hilarious.

Late next month, the Brecker Brothers’ entire Arista Records catalog will be released in a new box set format. The Brecker Brothers: The Complete Arista Albums Collection collects the group’s six albums released on Arista between 1975 and 1981. None of the albums have ever been released on CD in the US. During the span of those albums, the Brecker...

Meet bassist Allen Cummins, a musician from California who looks to be having a blast with his music. Allen is our player in the spotlight for the week of July 24, 2012. Bio: I have been a weekend warrior bass player since the age of 19, where I played Top 40 Rock for quite a few years. At 48, I...

In this edition of Old School, bassist Mike Whited shares his classic 1960’s Kustom Model 200 bass amp, an amp Mike has shared a lot of miles with over the years. Kustom introduced the 200 model as an upgrade to their 100 model amp, offering it in black, blue, cascade, gold, red, white and charcoal. The company later introduced emerald...

Jonah Jonathan shared this video with us, with the great Ron Carter performing “Samba De Orfeu” live with Russell Malone at Club Soda at Montreal International Jazz Festival. Nice. Have a video to share? Send it to [email protected].

Sounds like Phil Lesh is done with studio albums. In a recent interview with Billboard, the 72 year old bassist said Furthur – his current effort with fellow Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir – has no plans to record new albums, citing their focus on continually evolving music. “Nobody’s mentioned it to me, and certainly it’s not anything I’m interested...

Mesa Boogie has introduced a new line of bass cabinets called the Traditional Powerhouse Series that offers up 2×10, 4×10, 1×15, 6×10, and 8×10 speaker configurations. Each of the cabs are handbuilt in Petaluma, California with Marine-grade Baltic Birch and are covered with Black Bronco Vinyl with a gray and black weave jute grille. The 2×10, 4×10, and 1×15 models...

I have a confession: I am completely useless when it comes to making beats or using synths and drum machines. While I pride myself on being both musical and tech savvy, for some reason, when I combine the elements, the results are not exactly fantastic. But as they say, there’s an app for that. I’ve had a lot of fun...