Archive for 2014 - Page 26

While the quote “It’s Only Rock and Roll But I Like It” has become a bit trite, there’s no denying the fact that it’s true. It requires a certain amount of raw talent, part-driven playing, and soulful swagger to play in one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time. As an integral member of the Rolling Stones...

Last week, we shared the exciting news that Stevie Wonder will be hitting the road next month for his first tour in five years. Bassist Nate Watts will be holding down the low end once again for the R&B legend. The whole thing got my on a Stevie Wonder kick… including this live performance of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” with a...

Toronto electric bassist Rich Brown, known for his widely varied studio work as well as his playing in the group Gamak and the modern jazz band he leads, rinsethealgorithm, has released a solo bass record, . The album, which features solo and multi-tracked bass compositions, includes a wide range of textures from his cover of Little Dragon’s “Twice” to the...

Seattle-based effects company 3Leaf Audio has unveiled their latest offering called the Little Black Box. The pedal is an EQ/clean boost circuit that builder Spencer Doren says is designed to “add sizzle to your tone”. The Little Black Box’s EQ section has bass and treble boost controls with a mini-switch to toggle the affected treble frequency. The switch has two...

Today we celebrate the birthday of Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner (better known as Sting). As many here, I was a big fan of The Police back in the day, so it was cool to hear that Sting was doing a “Back to the Bass” tour in 2011. Here’s Sting on that tour performing “Demolition Man,” a song he wrote and...

Dream Theater experienced a homecoming when it played the Boston Opera House earlier this year and The Berklee College of Music Orchestra and Choir made a guest appearance. The band has a deep association with Berklee. Guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung are Berklee alumni. Drummer Mike Mangini was a professor at the school before joining Dream Theater. The...

Bass gear news in September included a lot of pedals. Several of them were reader favorites, making this month’s top 10 list. But it was a bass – the Ibanez/Korg joint venture SR Kaoss Bass – which really made some noise in September with reader views and shares. As always, these lists come with a warning: may cause G.A.S. Thanks...

Q: Lately I’ve been finding myself in situations where tunes with odd time signatures are called up on gigs. I’m finding it a challenge to switch gears on the fly and be able to come up with a grooving bass line and not lose the one. How do you handle – and prepare – for these types of situations? A:...

Norwegian group Diskord is about to release a mini-LP called Oscillations, and the group has offered a look at the release with a video for their song “Horrid Engine.” The band’s over-the-top heavy sound is anchored by bassist Eyvind Axelsen. “The music can perhaps be described as progressive, slightly weird, death metal with old-school elements and a quite prominent bass,”...

Jazz instrumentalists have the luxury of playing music all over the emotional scale, says superstar jazz bassist Stanley Clarke. That might mean pieces that are way up, way down, or esoteric. You would be right if you guessed that his latest album with The Stanley Clarke Band, , is on the cheerier end of that scale. Why did he go...

Meet bassist Eliot Roby. Eliot is a young bassist hailing from Canada, but he seems wise beyond his years. When asked why he chose to play bass, his answer was priceless. In short, he said he wanted something that gave him “a sense of individuality”, and he didn’t want to be like “those guys” (guitarists). More on this below, along...

Last time, we got down and dirty with a overdrive-charged rock bass groove. This time around, we’re going to get a bit more funky with a modern Gospel-style lick, complete with all the slurs and slides. This groove is based on B minor Aolian, which is a great key and mode for this setting, especially on a 5-string bass, which...