Archive for 2014 - Page 91

“If you want to know the real deal, read Alan Paul,” says Allman Brothers bassist Oteil Burbridge about Paul’s (St. Martin’s Press). The book is billed as the first major biography of the ABB, which marks its 45th anniversary this year. All the surviving members of the band, including former members, are interviewed in this oral history, and founders Butch...

This week’s top 10 is one of the most balanced I’ve ever seen: great bass videos, lessons and how-to’s, news, Ryan’s interview with David Hood, and one killer bass of the week. Here is your top 10 for the week of February 16-22, 2014. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Yolanda Charles: NAMM Bass Bash 2014 One of the...

Fuzzrocious Pedals has unleashed a new pedal called “There is No Dana… Only ZUUL.” Named after a line in the movie Ghostbusters, the pedal is an oscillator that is semi-clean blended and driven into an overdrive. It has three controls: Volume, Blend and Oscillator. Turned to the left, the Blend knob mixes your signal in with the oscillator. Turning it...

“Blackbird” is a song many bassists cover, but Petros Klampanis takes it in his own direction in this video with vocalist Sofia Ribeiro and percussionist Marcelo Woloski. Starting with an intimate bass/voice duet, the song soon kicks into a beautiful groove with Ribeiro’s voice soaring over top. The song is also available on the bassist’s album Contextual.

Italian bassist and songwriter Marco Machera has released his sophomore album, . The effort includes a host of special guests, including fellow bassist Tony Levin on “Out of Blue,” drummer Pat Mastelotto, guitarist Markus Reuter and more. With an interesting cast of characters, Machera offers up a quirky take on pop music. “Dime Novels is a beast. Pretty much like...

Reverend Guitars used the NAMM Show this year as an opportunity to introduce a 4-string version of their Mercalli bass. The bass had previously only been available as a 5-string. The Reverend Mercalli 4 is built with a korina body and a five-piece maple and walnut neck that’s finished in a satin amber. It comes with several options, including a...

The last time we featured a video by Fernando Lamadrid (“Mollete Express“), everyone went crazy. That included Stuart Clayton, who transcribed the tune to challenge us all. Fernando is back with a new video for the tune “Grasa Original” he just recorded in the studio with drummer Rick Arencibia. Man, this is good.

Lake Street Dive is often called a string band with soul, and its latest album lives up to the description, as well as the acclaim the folk band has received in its young career. , out on Signature Sounds Recordings, features an eclectic pop style created by double bassist Bridget Kearney, vocalist Rachael Price, drummer Mike Calabrese and guitarist Mike...

Orange Amplification introduced the new OB-1K bass amplifier at the NAMM Show this year. The 1000-watt solid-state amplifier is inspired by bi-amping and splits the signal into two separate paths. The first side offers a tight, clean bass sound while the second features two stages of controllable gain and is rich in upper harmonics. Each channel can be toggled or...

Miki Santamaria never ceases to amaze us, and it would seem he raises the bar with each new video. Here he is performing his solo bass arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed”, a song he calls one of his favorites. The bass is a Yamaha BB2024X, and he’s using reverb from Garage Band. Amazing.

George Porter, Jr. will be returning to tour the UK for the first time in years. The bassist will be taking his band The Runnin’ Pardners on a four-date run of Brighton, Manchester, Nottingham, and London. Porter is famed for founding the legendary New Orleans band The Meters and can be heard on such classics as “Cissy Strut,” “Just Kissed...

Jon Willis shared a photo of his pride and joy on our Facebook page, and needless to say I was floored by the instrument. But the story behind it is even better. The bass is a near perfect replica of Billy Sheehan’s famous Wife bass, which the Mr. Big bassist used from his very first gig in 1971 until the...