Archive for September 2022

The Charvel Custom Shop just unveiled the most recent additions to their 2022 lineup with three guitars and one bass: the Frank Bello Signature So Cal Bass. Built by Charvel’s principal master builder Pasquale Campolattano, the model is built to order and builds upon the Anthrax bassist’s existing PJ IV model.

Last night I was browsing our huge collection of videos. One that caught my eye (and ears) was Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen’s “When You Get Back.” So I looked for more and found this one of the band performing “Mo Hippa.”

Karina Rykman is hitting the road in December with a handful of winter tour dates. The bassist, who will be joined by guitarist Adam November and drummer Chris Corsico, says the run will be one to remember.

Brittany Frompovich connected with Inez Wyrick on Myspace. Later, she met Inez, also known as “Bass Mom.” Sadly, Inez passed away in late 2021, but today, Brittany is telling Inez’s story for “Wonder Women; Stories from the Women Who Play Bass.”

Leonid & Friends continues to expand their covers, and as always, they nailed it. Leonid Vorobyev and the band take on the Chaka Khan and Rufus tune, “Ain’t Nobody,” in honor of lead vocalist Ksenia Buzina’s birthday.

Railroad Earth has announced that longtime bassist Andrew Altman will be departing the band after their Horn O’Plenty concerts in late November. Altman has been with the group since 2010.

In this new “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora breaks down the use of dead notes and why they’re such an effective method for adding funk to your bass grooves.

Episode #7 of Cory Wong’s Q&A videos just dropped last night, and it is so funky, thanks in large part to Sonny T. Cory titled this video “Can You Play in Odd Time Signatures?” After the jam, the band chats about their favorite tunes and more.

Motörhead’s 1982 release “Iron Fist” has gotten a deluxe 40th anniversary reissue that the band says will correct the record on its importance. The release features a remaster of the album, previously unreleased demos, and a full concert.

Meet Ian Rushbury, a bassist since 1986 who got a very fast start on the instrument. Ian regularly performs, teaches, and writes for PopMatters. Here’s his story...

In this lesson, we’ll cover the topic of phrasing and using swing feel as an expressive tool. We’ll accomplish this by having a clear view of the rhythm feels and how to dial in more or less flexibility in the melodic phrasing.

I’ve been spinning Lari Basilio’s “Your Love” quite a bit lately. Here’s the video for “All To You,” which features Leland Sklar’s tasty bass lines backing up the band that also includes Vinnie Colaiuta and Ester Na.