Player Watch: Santi Debriano
Santi Debriano is a bassist that should be on everyone’s list to check out. The 54-year-old native of Colon, Panama currently lives on Staten Island and can be seen at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in New York for his upcoming gig on Monday October 19th. The performance is for the album release party for guitarist Roni Ben-Hur’s new release, Fortuna, and...
Charnett Moffett bass solo
Bassist Charnett Moffett shows off his versatility as a player in this video from a 2002 Vienna performance. He solos using the bow as a percussive stick against the strings and runs his upright bass through different effects. This combined with his finger plucking give one unique solo! In this video he’s playing with the Mccoy Tyner 4tet. Moffett has...
Jared Followill on Kings of Leon royalties and fame
There has been increased tension in The Kings of Leon, and the controversy is over royalties. The problem, in part, centers around the song writing credits for their upcoming fifth album. The band has taken to serious composition after their return from touring, but when bassist Jared Followill got the call from his brother Caleb that “I’m sitting here writing...
Chuck Garric donates bass to home town Hard Rock Cafe
Chuck Garric, best know as the bassist for Alice Cooper, will be donating his bass to the Hard Rock Cafe Lake Tahoe, California tomorrow, October 16th, 2009. The donation will coincide with a concert by Alice Cooper. Garric commented, “It makes me proud to be from Lake Tahoe. I want to bring something to the city of South Lake Tahoe....
Lesson: Fingering strategies for the upright bass
The upright bass is a physically challenging instrument. I’m not trying to say we’re tougher than our treble-ended friends, but when was the last time you saw a violinist shift three feet at a time? The size of the upright bass means we have to be very efficient in how we approach playing music, especially if you are going to...
RIP Dickie Peterson
Dickie Peterson, bassist of the legendary rock group Blue Cheer, passed away on October 12th, 2009 in Germany at the age of 63. Peterson had been fighting prostate and liver cancer and developed a fatal infection after a surgical procedure. Peterson’s relationship to music was intense. “I’ve been married twice, I’ve had numerous girlfriends, and they’ll all tell you that...
Expando: the new album by The Eagles’ Timothy Schmit
Eagles’ bassist Timothy Schmit is releasing his fifth solo album, Expando, on October 20th 2009. Expando will feature guest artists Graham Nash, Dwight Yoakam and Kid Rock on background vocals, blues guitarists Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Keb’ Mo’, Van Dyke Parks on accordion, Gary Burton on vibes and keyboardists Garth Hudson of the Band and Benmont Tench of the Heartbreakers....
The Strokes bassist announces NY Marathon run for charity
The Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture is gearing up to run in the New York Marathon this November. Fraiture will be running to help out New York Road Runners Foundation’s Team For Kids charity. “I will be helping raise the funds needed to support youth fitness, goal-setting and nutrition programs throughout America and Africa while fulfilling, as a New Yorker, a...
Gear Watch: Lava Cable Retro Coil
You can have the best bass out there and an awesome amp, but a poor cable connecting the two will still affect your tone. To help get the best sound possible, Lava Cables is releasing a new version of their popular Retro Coil cable. One major change in the new Retro Coil is the cable length. Coiled cables use a...
Gear Watch: Fender Bassman TV
Fender has brought out a blast from the past with a new spin in the Bassman TV series of combo amps and cabinets. The design is reminiscent of the original 1950’s style Bassman amplifiers but with new technology to help you create the best tone. The Bassman TV has a tube preamp and as well as two instrument inputs providing...
NAMM announces School Jam USA
This year, there will be the ultimate battle-of-the-bands: School Jam USA 2009. School Jam USA is sponsored by NAMM, the not-for-profit association of the international music products industry, and its promotional partners MENC: the National Association for Music Education, Music For All, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus and InTune Monthly magazine. Anyone with a band ages 13-18 can enter....
Steve Lawson and Michael Manring: Improvised Duet
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about solo bassist Steve Lawson playing a gig with bassist Michael Manring. For those of you who did not get the chance to see it, Lawson has uploaded multiple videos of the October 6th gig at the Round Midnight Jazz & Blues Bar. We’re featuring one of those videos, a beautiful, improvised duet....