Archive for April 2018 - Page 7

This year marks the 50th anniversary of The MC5’s seminal album Kick Out The Jams, and Wayne Kramer is going to celebrate it in style. The guitarist, who founded the band in 1964, has assembled an incredible band for the MC50th Anniversary tour featuring Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, Zen Guerilla singer Marcus Durant, and King’s X...

Italy’s Amnesia Guitars is a workshop run by luthier Carlo Carbone, whose imagination creates beautiful and functional instruments. This week we’re taking a look at his Leo model. The Leo comes standard as a five-string fretted bass, though options are available. Its contoured ash body is topped by a rich ziricote cap. The bolt-on neck is made from maple and...

Ever since we featured The True Loves back in March, I’ve been checking out more videos by the group. Here’s another clip from their visit at KEXP’s studios in October 2017. The tune is “The Dirty,” and it has it all: great guitar, horns, and bass (by Bryant Moore).

The Dead Daisies have released their fourth studio album, Burn It Down, featuring the bass work of the mighty Marco Mendoza. This time around Mendoza is joined by his newest rhythm section partner, Deen Castronovo, who joined the band last year. The rest of the lineup includes guitarists Doug Aldrich and David Lowy with vocalist John Corabi at the helm....

Trickfish Amplification’s new TF408 bass cab is scheduled to ship this month with pre-orders available now. The company’s latest product features four Eminence 8-inch ferrite speakers plus an HF compression driver to offer 1200 watts peak handling and 600 watts RMS. The TF408 is constructed from Baltic birch with dado and rabbet joints. It has a 22 oz. sharkskin vinyl...

It is always great to see a new video by Simon Fitzpatrick pop up. This time around, he’s applying his solo bass skills to the “Green Hill Zone” theme from Sonic the Hedgehog. Enjoy.

Failure has released the first of a set of new EPs that will culminate in a full-length LP this fall. In The Future is the band’s first new music since their 2015 comeback, The Heart Is A Monster and will set the stage for the 2018 releases, which will focus on the disconnect between technology and humanity. “Living inside a...

In true professional musician fashion, I recently received a set list for an upcoming gig and had a mini panic attack when I took a look at the final song. An anthem, that’s for sure, but one that is rarely attempted in a live setting. It’s a song that most people are familiar with, thanks to the fact that Wayne’s...

YouTube bassist Davie504 makes some incredible videos. No matter what or how well he plays, people comment with a challenge for his next video. This time he’s playing a four-string bass, but not like you’re thinking. “[I’m] playing a four strings bass, but every string has its own neck,” he writes. “Here’s a four necks bass / quadruple neck bass!...

Story of the Year has parted ways with longtime member Philip “Moon Valjean” Sneed. Both the band and the bassist announced the news on social media. “Story of the Year is announcing the departure of guitarist/bassist Philip “Moon” Sneed today,” the band wrote on Twitter. “He will be dedicating more time to Greek Fire, Goldfinger, and The Rizzuto Show on...

Xlson Audio has teamed up with jazz bass legend Chuck Israels to release the Chuck Israels Signature Microphone. Developed by Peter Axelsson, the condenser microphone is designed specifically for the upright bass on the stage or in the studio. “Peter Axelsson has developed a mic that rejects enough extraneous sound that it is practical to use in live situations and...

In 2016, Marcus Miller was joined by 16-year-old guitarist Tom Ibarra at the Saint Emilion Jazz Festival. Here’s the band performing the title track from the Miles Davis record, Tutu.