Archive for March 2015 - Page 6

Viaceslav Svedov amazes me and cracks me up whenever he gets the ContraBass Balalaika out and plays. Here’s a video where he’s decided to add distortion to the mix and rock out to Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”. Oh yeah.

Danielle Nicole has soul. And you can hear that soul in her vocals, bass playing and songs on her rootsy, bluesy, new self-titled EP, recorded in New Orleans and Kansas City. The New Orleans tracks are produced by guitarist Anders Osborne and the remaining two songs on the set were recorded live at KTBG-The Bridge 90.9 FM in Kansas City....

DR Strings has introduced a new set of bass strings called Pure Blues. The strings utilize a Quantum-Nickel wrap, which the company describes as combining the best characteristics of steel with a nickel feel. “Pure Blues bass strings combine a fat, warm punch with an edge especially designed for the modern bassist,” DR writes. “Pure Blues strings provide more output,...

Here’s another great metal playthrough by Scale the Summit’s Mark Michell. The bassist tears through “The Dark Horse” from the band’s album The Migration at EMG Pickups TV studios. The song’s creative rhythmic variations tied with Michell’s tone make for a great bass part. Be sure to check out the bass break at the 3:48 mark.

Argentine bassist Marcelo Yakko has released his fourth solo album, Loop Life. Musically, the 15-track album reveals a musician who incorporates a wide range of his influences, from jazz fusion, to progressive rock, to more traditional Latin sounds. Conceptually, Yakko told us that the “message tries to capture the diverse moments and stages faced by the human being.” Loop Life,...

As we become more connected, a deeper mixing of culture and ideas is creating some innovative music. One example is Consider the Source, and a style they call “Sci-Fi Middle Eastern Fusion”. Check out our interview with bassist John Ferrara, who talks about that and more

I’m not sure how I got onto this band, but I’m glad I did. Monster Truck is a gritty rock band informed by classic ’70s metal riffage. While the group is based out of Ontario, there’s a certain southern rock groove to it, too. The band is fronted by bassist Jon Harvey, who unleashes some solid grooves while handling lead...

Eden has announced the World Tour Pro Series, consisting of the WTP900, the WTP600, and the WTPPRE. Eden calls the series their new flagship line and steps things up from their existing World Tour amps. Each of the models is loaded with the same features but differ in the power sections. The WTP900 is rated at 900 watts with stereo...

Here is a video that will freak you out musically and visually. Josh Cohen created a beautiful, funky arrangement of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon,” and decided to do something a little different for the video. The bassist is clad in an all white suit and moves erratically to emphasize parts of the song. While the visual dynamic may be bizarre, the...

The 30th anniversary edition of Judas Priest’s “Defenders of the Faith” is made for lovers of mid-1980s metal. And it is out now. Check it out, including a video with references to Spinal Tap, among other things

Fusion bassist Bunny Brunel teamed up with ESP Guitars to unveil a new signature line at the 2015 Winter NAMM Show. The basses comes in two models: the BB-1004/QM, which is a four-string with a See-Thru Black Sunburst, and the BB-1005FL/QM, a fretless five-string with a Burnt Orange finish. Both editions carry many of the same features, including an alder...

Q: I’m looking for the brightest sounding flatwound strings I can find. I play a highly modded ’66 Jazz 5-string with Barto pickups and have used round wound strings consistently since 1972… yes, that long. The sizes I always use are 45 65 85 105, and 125. I want to experiment with the two-handed chordal technique used by Roscoe Beck...