Archive for 2015 - Page 52

Our Facebook friend Tim Grunwald sent us a clip of YouTube bassist Zeroliser playing a solo bass version of Flume’s “Ezra”, and I’m glad he did. Zeroliser uses some looping to flesh out the arrangement, which is lush with harmonics, chords, and percussion. Have a video to share? Send it to [email protected].

If you’re a rock fan, there is no doubt that The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” is one of the greatest singles of all time. It remains a defining song for the still-touring Stones and generations of music lovers. Now, the single is available in a limited, numbered vinyl 12-inch edition to celebrate the 1965 single’s 50th birthday....

Today we’re checking out the Ibanez BTB33. Ibanez has been making great instruments for decades now, and has been a mainstay for musicians in all styles. No news there. This bass is unique for it’s particular purpose, which is for the bassist that likes to solo, comp chords and be on the front line. This bass comes set up as...

Bassist and all-around good guy Or Lubianiker just sent me his latest video. This time around, it is one of Or’s own compositions, which he performed with help from his Project RnL bandmates Eyal Amir (keyboards) and Sharon Petrover (drums). Enjoy “In Orbit”.

As we continue to mourn the loss of Yes bassist Chris Squire, we can also take delight in one of his latter-day performances with the band he founded in the late 1960s. When the legendary progressive rock group played in Mesa, Arizona on Aug. 12, 2014, Squire, — who died June 27, 2015 of acute erythroid leukemia — was the...

After introducing the 5-string Tensor Bass at the Winter NAMM show this year, Tensor Inc. will be unveiling the 4-string version of their bass at the Summer NAMM Show in Nashville, Tennessee. The bass’s design centers around the company’s Force Balance system that replaces a conventional truss rod. “The Force Balance system utilizes the string tension to generate the appropriate...

Every now and then, a song sneaks up and triggers a memory. It’s something buried deep in our vault, hidden behind the various phases of our musical development and our obsessions with radio singles and old records. The song is uniquely nostalgic, reminiscent of our musical coming of age. It transports us to the formative years—to the time when we...

Thrash metal legend Frank Bello’s birthday is today, and we’re celebrating with his band Anthrax’s “Caught In A Mosh”. The clip is taken from The Big 4 concert in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2010. The song, originally heard on 1987’s Among the Living, is a shining example of the bassist’s style. After the intro, Bello sets up the main riff to...

Second-generation rockabilly band The Stray Cats brought some of the best sounds of the 1950s into the early 1980s. And a new CD and DVD offers insight into the experience of hearing the band live in its prime. The Live at Rockpalast audio and video packages, available for the first time, capture the band at two German concerts — one...

Q: I have been playing bass for a while now and when I play covers, I usually create my own lines for the song (unless it is an integral part of the song, like “Another One Bites The Dust”). I tend not to worry about learning the original bass line. Lately, I have been thinking that my approach may be...

King Crimson had plenty of lineups, but this one may be my favorite. The chemistry between Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Bill Bruford, and Tony Levin never disappoints, and creating the double trio with the addition of Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn makes it even better. Here’s a great clip of the band from a DVD of a live concert in...

Michael Connolly has launched a new string company called MJC Ironworks, which the industry veteran describes as a company with “geek-like intensity to detail.” Its first products are a line of strings for bass players. The lineup includes stainless steel and nickel-plated versions in a variety of gauges. Available in 4, 5, 6, and 7-string sets, the strings are shipped...