New Release: Wilco (The Album)
Wilco has released their seventh album, Wilco (The Album), on NoneSuch Records. The album came together after the band’s January 2009 involvement in an Oxfam International benefit project in Auckland, New Zealand. Wilco is an alternative rock band out of Chicago IL, including original members Jeff Tweedy (vocals) and John Stirratt (bass), with guitarist Nels Cline, drummer Glenn Kotche, and...
NIN Annouces Tour Extension
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails has announced band will play a final “handful of shows” in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles beginning August 22. June 12 was supposed to mark the end of the NIN US tour with Jane’s Addiction, but Reznor published a post stating: ““the NIN/JA tour felt like we had to rush through sets due...
Gear Watch: Eden WTB1000 Bass Head
Eden Electronics has announced the production of a new World Tour Bass head, the WTB1000. The WTB1000 will deliver 2 X 400/600 RMS @ 4 ? with a peak power of 2400 W and weighs in at 26 pounds. From Eden Electronics: ”…includes the footswitchable Tube control of the Navigator, our famed Enhance control, a semi-parametric EQ, as well as...
Lesson: Master the Fretboard – Part 2
This series has been dedicated to learning the fretboard, the previous lesson covered the major scale. In this lesson we will cover an applying the major scale to a basic chord progression, the II-V-I. There are a multitude of ways to think about music. For this exercise we will focus on thinking laterally and vertically. When we think laterally we...
Ray Brown remembrance
Ray Brown, one of the legendary jazz bassists of our time, has a personal remembrance piece from NPR Jazz. From his work with Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson and many other jazz greats, Brown has always stood out from the crowd with his melodic style and walking bass lines. As the article author remembers Brown’s performance: “For a 75-year-old veteran, let’s...
New Project for Zeppelin Bassist
Former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has started a new rock project with Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters). They are currently in the recording phase of a much anticipated album. In April, Jones had said the following: “I’m working on some other music, which is more rock based, with a couple of...
Panic at the Disco Split
Panic at the Disco has announced they will be splitting in half. The primary song writer Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker will be creating their own project to continue “on a new musical excursion.” Panic at the Disco will continue though, frontman Brandon Urie along with drummer Spencer Smith plan to find replacement members and continue to play their...
Miroslav Vitous: Remembering Weather Report
Czech bassist Miroslav Vitous, an original member of Weather Report, has released his latest album Remembering Weather Report. The album is acoustic and features Vitous’s original compositions with Franco Ambrosetti (trumpet), Gary Campbell (tenor saxophone), Miroslav (double-bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums) and Michel Portal (bass clarinet). Remembering Weather Report manages to keep with the original, free-flowing spirit of Weather Report’s “we...
Kingman Bass SCE: Fender’s new acoustic bass guitar
Fender has announced the release of a new product: the Kingman Bass SCE. The Kingman is a new spin on the acoustic bass guitar, featuring a Fender Jazz Bass neck and headstock (slimmer by design to facilitate faster playing). The Kingman also includes: a single cutaway that allows easy access to the upper frets special “X” bracing, solid spruce top...
New Release: Octahedron by The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta have released their new album Octahedron, the fifth studio album by the band and first with Warner Bros. The Mars Volta features bassist Juan Alderete del la Pena, who compliments the band with a dynamic playing style as they explore new artistic aural spaces. There is a 2500 copy limited edition available of the CD with a...
Les Claypool talks about his music
The California Chronicle has posted a feature piece on bassist Les Claypool. The piece explores Claypool’s dark sense of humor, the formation of Primus, how he chose to play bass, the zen of tractor riding and his new work with Mike Dillon, Paulo Baldi and Sam Bass. The best quote by far is: “Some people do yoga. Some people run....
Nick Harmer on Death Cab for Cutie, time warps and careers
In a recent interview with the Seattle Times, Death Cab for Cutie bassist Nick Harmer reminisces about the band’s humble beginning and the years that have gone by since then. From the band “playing for five bucks” and selling $3.00 tapes at shows way back when to playing the Hollywood Bowl this weekend, Harmer has been through it all. Harmer...