Archive for June 2019 - Page 2

Prophets of Rage has released a new single called “Made With Hate,” which is their first new music since last year’s “Heart Afire.” The track is of course anchored by a massive bass line provided by Tim Commerford.

A reader sent Damian a note this week saying he's just starting to learn modes on the bass but is struggling with the finger patterns. He asked for help, and Damian decided to make this week’s column a video demonstration on the topic.

Bernard Edwards was the king of making danceable bass lines. Case in point: “Everybody Dance” by Chic. This clip of the band performing on a 1977 broadcast of TopPop, and starts off with a look at the bassist's unique right-hand technique to kick off the song.

Over a decade after their last album, The Raconteurs have returned to release “Help Us Stranger.” The band consists of Jack White, Brendan Benson, Patrick Keeler, and bassist Jack Lawrence, although it started as a collaboration between White and Benson.

Boss has expanded their WL series of wireless systems with the WL-60, which they say makes it “easier than ever for musicians to go wireless.” It features a compact receiver that’s been tailored for pedalboards and has a large visual display.

Kevin “KJ” Jacoby shared another great video with his band, The Oddysy. In this clip, the band throws down at Soundcheck / New Sounds with John Schaefer. Check out KJ’s bass solo, starting around the 3:17 mark.

On his sixth solo release, bass monster Doug Johns throws down the gauntlet. “Doug’s Party Mix” is a hard-hitting collection of grooves that will give you a serious case of bass face.

PRS has announced a new line of affordable instrument, patch, and speaker cables with the PRS Guitars Classic Series Cable lineup. The new series, which is offered alongside their British-built Signature Cable line, features tuned capacitance designed for signal clarity.

BASS OF THE WEEK: The Duke Ellington School of Arts in Washington, D.C. has produced numerous famous alumni. The high school got a major renovation in 2016 and now, with the help of another alumnus, a piece of the school will always be in the hands of a bassist.

WATCH: Vulfpeck has released another video featuring a tune from their album, “Hill Climber.” My favorite comment on this video is “Joe Dart taking that bass for a walk and he ain’t ever comin’ back.” This is also one of the coolest uses of Animoji’s I’ve ever seen.

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real have returned with “Turn Off the News (Build a Garden),” their second full-length release. That’s not to say the band isn’t seasoned. They’ve spent years backing Neil Young as well as the frontman’s father, Willie Nelson.

It’s been a decade since Caparison Guitars introduced a new bass model, but now they’ve fixed that with the Dellinger Bass. The company says the Dellinger is “instantly familiar but at the same time much improved.”