Archive for June 2018

Four years ago, bassist Meshell Ndegeocello teamed up with Reverend Guitars to unveil a signature instrument called the Fellowship Bass. Now the jet black instrument will be available in a new red, black, and green color scheme. Ndegeocello chose the design in honor of Lumumba, the African leader credited with freeing The Congo from Belgium in 1960. A portion of...

In celebration of Stanley Clarke’s birthday today, we’re sharing this clip of Stanley and his band going back in time with this performance of Chick Corea’s “Beyond the Seventh Galaxy.” Happy birthday, Mr. Clarke!

Sad news to report today: punk rock mainstay Steve Soto has passed away. The Adolescents and Agent Orange bassist was 54 years old. A cause of death has not been announced. Bandmate Tony Reflex shared the news via Twitter. “With heavy heart I share the passing of Steve Soto, my friend and bandmate since 1979,” he wrote. “I don’t know...

Mattoverse Electronics has released the Inflection Point, a modulation pedal designed for guitar, bass, or synths. The stompbox features eight waveforms, onboard tap tempo, clock/sync input, resonant ambience (space) control, and true bypass. It also has a toggle for selecting between tremolo or vibrato modes. A dry/wet blend control allows for retaining your tone and creating a more subtle use...

There was once a young girl named Goldilocks, who frequently went gallivanting around the woods looking for porridge. Most days, she left the house simply to get away from her older brother, who happened to smell profusely and play bass for hours on end. He shook the house with his low and rumbling frequencies, making everyone in his family aware...

Guitarist Cory Wong is well-known to us thanks to his work with Vulfpeck. He has his own album out now, and he’s just released a video for the tune, “Jax.” As you’d expect, the song is super funky, thanks in part to bassist Kevin MacIntire and one stellar horn section. The Optimist is available through Cory’s website.

A new live Pantera album has been released as part of the Dynamo Concerts series. Released just days after the untimely death of drummer Vinnie Paul, Live at Dynamo Open Air 1998 captures the band during their tour cycle behind The Great Southern Trendkill. Rex Brown’s distinct bass holds down the low end as the band tackles fan favorites ranging...

After launching the CLF Research series earlier this year, G&L has expanded the range with the CLF Research L-1000. The new model revives the passive G&L bass from 1980 while updating some aspects. “The new CLF Research L-1000 brings back the best of the iconic passive G&L bass from 1980. Fans of the vintage G&L “wunkay” know,” the company writes....

Milk’n Blues is a band I discovered on Youtube, thanks to this video. In this clip, the band combines three tunes – Pink Floyd’s “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” and “Another Brick in The Wall”, with The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You.” Eduardo Machado handles both the bass and the backing vocals.

Saxophone giant Kamasi Washington has returned with another massive album. Following The Epic and his Harmony of Difference EP, Heaven and Earth pushes the boundaries of jazz with huge soundscapes filled out by an orchestra and choir. Washington made it a double album based on perception. “The Earth side represents the world as I see it outwardly, the world that...

Q: Should I spend my time in the shed practicing scales or arpeggios? Why one over the other? A: Ultimately, you want to be familiar with everything relating to the music you want to play and your instrument, but it’s good to prioritize. When trying to prioritize in the shed, it’s important to understand why you are working on this...

Berklee was rocking with this performance by HAGO. The band’s description says it all: “HAGO is a group from Israel, that plays a unique combination of Jazz Fusion and Progressive Metal, along with Middle Eastern influences, or as they call it – FalafelDjent. In their live set they play original compositions as well as arrangements to ancient Hebrew songs, along...