Archive for 2015 - Page 50

Darren Michaels has released Seasons, a 10-song collection that delves into the bassist’s singer/songwriter style. The album, which is his first full-length solo project in seven years, showcases his lyrics and creative bass playing with thought-provoking lyrics, altered tunings, and a chordal approach to the the bass. Michaels utilized an arsenal of three basses to record the whole album, one...

Wampler Pedals has released the Low Blow, an overdrive/distortion pedal designed specifically for bass. The Low Blow features two clipping modes – Smooth and Jagged – for dialing in your dirt as well as a 3-band EQ for further tonal tweaking. Additionally, the pedal has a Notch Filter switch to tighten up “common cabinet ‘woof’ without having to turn down.”...

I’ve been revisiting some of Mike Watt‘s music recently after listening to his incredible interview on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, and this clip floored me. The punk legend toured in 1995 with a superstar band to back him up including Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Foo Fighters members Dave Grohl and Pat Smear. Here’s the group on the Jon Stewart...

After launching the Bunny Brunel Signature Series at the Winter NAMM show, ESP Guitars took to the Summer NAMM show to expand the lineup with a pair of new models: the LTD BB-1005/QM/Black Aqua and the LTD BB-1005 QM/Burnt Orange. Both models are 5-string fretted basses, which fills a gap in the initial Brunel signature offering of a fretless fiver...

Damian Coccio shared his latest video with us of a tune he wrote for solo loop bass, “What the Storm Brought”. He also shared the specifics in how his setup: “Using the Ditto X2 Looper and Strymon Timeline Delay. Using the volume knob on the Ditto X2 Looper for fading during the performance. Tuning is DGDGD. The bass is a...

Legendary funk/soul/R&B/rock band Sly & the Family Stone was energetic and on the rise in 1968, with two albums — Dance to the Music and Life — already behind them. Live At The Fillmore East October 4th & 5th, 1968, captures the sound of a great band with an incomparable electric bassist — Larry Graham, who went on to create...

It’s easy to get wrapped up into a specific genre, but there’s a whole world of music to discover and explore. No one knows that better than bassist Panagiotis Andreou. The Greek-born bassist is a student of all types of music, and that’s not just lip service. He’s been playing bass since he was sixteen and has studied loads of...

Funk bass phenom Alissia Benveniste is back with a new song and music video, and if you’ve been following her, you know this is about to make your day. “On The Go” brings all of the bassist’s thick slap grooves to an upbeat track that will have you tapping your foot. “My vision for my music is to inspire people...

The sound of reggae/rock band Sublime remains alive via its bassist, Eric Wilson, through the band Sublime With Rome. Wilson is the only Sublime member currently in the group, which has released its second album, Sirens. The album is being billed as a return to the band’s roots, with a rawer sound like that of the original band. See if...

Another legendary pedal is getting reissued as Digitech has announced the DOD Meatbox Subharmonic Bass Synthesizer is being put back on the market. The pedal, often championed by Juan Alderete, has been updated with several new features including true bypass, a TRS output, a 9-volt power supply input, and a blue indicator LED. The Meatbox is much more than just...

Q: I want to choose a new rig. I’m quite happy with my basses and my effects I own at the moment, and I am searching now for a way to amplify my signal. I have a very good, portable upper-middle-class halfstack, but I can rarely use it because I often do small gigs and it is a little bit...

Yoni Ha sent me a note about an interesting tune he wrote, “Shreds of Madness”. Yoni uses nothing but bass to create the layers of the tune, which includes some great percussive slapping.