Archive for 2018 - Page 37

The last time we featured a video by Jeff Berlin, he focused on the use of harmonics by Jaco Pastorius. This time around, he focuses on the 16th note dead note groove in the style of the ultimate groove master, Rocco Prestia.

Vulfpeck collaborator Cory Wong has released his sophomore album, The Optimist. As the title suggests, the album is an upbeat and funky collection of songs. “I wanted to share the part of my personality that keeps a positive and optimistic outlook on circumstances and life in general,” Wong told JamBase.com. “I felt like this collection of songs really captures that...

Ernie Ball Music Man has unveiled the Ball Family Reserve series for August. The lineup for this month includes two guitars plus one bass: the Bongo 6HH in Grabber Green. “The Ernie Ball Music Man Ball Family Reserve series is a celebration of our heritage in instrument craftsmanship,” the company writes. “These rare pieces are offered in limited production runs...

Victor Wooten visited the KNKX Public Radio studio recently, along with saxophonist Bob Franceschini. While they were missing the third part of the trio, drummer Dennis Chambers, the two put on quite a show. Here’s the duo performing “Funky D.”

Anthrax’s Frank Bello promises their next album will be their heaviest yet. In an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune, he revealed that the veteran metalheads will begin writing sessions for their twelfth studio album in January 2019. “We’re gonna go heavy — heavier than ever, I think,” he said. “That’s just the vibe. There’s an inner anger, which I...

Gov’t Mule is getting back on the road this fall with a new set of tour dates that will cover the Southeast and Midwest United States. Starting October 18th in Knoxville, Tennessee, the outing will include a special Halloween show on October 27th in Atlanta, Georgia that will apparently be Black Sabbath-themed. They posted a photo of the Paranoid album...

Zander Zon is back with a new video, and this time he’s bringing something quite new. “I’m playing my new 16 String Harp Bass! It has 4 bass strings and 12 harp strings and is the first of its kind,” Zander shared. The instrument is made by Barton Basses. The main melody of this arrangement is “Sound of Silence” by...

Kneebody bassist Kaveh Rastegar has released his debut album, Light of Love, and it’s stacked with talented musicians. That’s no wonder considering the Grammy-nominated bassist has also spent his last 20 years working with some incredible talent including John Legend, Beck, Sia, Sabrina Claudio, Bruno Mars, Meshell Ndegeocello, De La Soul, and many more. “Rastegar refers to Light of Love...

Bass and drum duo Death From Above will be celebrating the re-release of their debut EP, Heads Up, with a U.S. tour. The “Heads Up! Is Now” tour will include the band performing the 2002 album in its entirety each night alongside other fan favorites. Vocalist/drummer Sebastien Grainger and bassist/keyboardist Jesse F. Keeler are currently wrapping up a European tour...

Now that Geddy Lee has some more free time, he’s certainly using it wisely. After announcing a new book for this year, he’s also teaming up with his Rush bandmate Alex Lifeson again for “Grapes Under Pressure lV: Geddy and Alex’s Excellent Harvest Adventure.” The event is a wine tour hosted by Grapes for Humanity to raise funds to benefit...

Ten days ago, NPR tested the limits of their Tiny Desk concert space with a visit from Tower of Power. The band treated the audience to three tunes: “On the Soul Side of Town,” “So Very Hard to Go,” and “What Is Hip?” Marc van Wageningen had some big shoes to fill too, taking over for Rocco Prestia while he...

If you’re looking for a new book to bone up on your music theory, Hal Leonard has published a new book on the subject dedicated to bassists. Music Theory for Bass Players is a 160-page book aimed at helping you get the most out of your playing. Written by Steve Gorenberg, it has chapters starting with the musical alphabet and...