Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 208

The duo of Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens have returned with the third installment of their “In Common” project, with a new lineup. That includes the masterful rhythm section of drummer Terri Lynne Carrington and bassist Dave Holland.

The bass guitar’s growth as an individual instrument has skyrocketed in the last decade. John Ferrara has honed his two-handed tapping abilities to a profound level and – more importantly – used them to create spellbinding compositions. We caught up with him to get the scoop on his new album, his approach to composing, and more.

KISS has released the second installment of their live album series with “Off The Soundboard: Live in Virginia Beach”. The twenty-song collection was captured on July 25, 2004, during their “Rock The Nation” Tour.

Last year, Christian McBride teamed up with the hi-res streaming service Qobuz to release “The Q Sessions”. Now, the EP has been released to all digital platforms to be more widely available.

The Fender Custom Shop has unveiled their Annual Collection for 2022, including two basses, as well as the launch of the Prestige Collection which has a one-of-a-kind masterbuilt bass.

ZZ Top has announced a new album, “RAW”, that will be released on July 22nd. It features the group’s classic lineup of Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Dusty Hill. The current lineup, with Elwood Francis on bass, has also announced a new tour.

Luthier Marek Dabek of Stradi Basses has been wowing us for years, and this week we’ve got another jaw-dropper. David Sutkin shared his new Stradi Apollo Symphony Bass that is an evolution of the standard Stradi model.

Bass builder Marco Cortes of Marco Bass Guitars has been creating amazing instruments for years, and now he needs our help. His shop was destroyed in a fire this week and a fundraiser has been started to help him rebuild.

Catalinbread has launched a new pedal in their lineup with the Many Worlds, a phaser that has tons of flexibility. It’s an eight-stage phaser with eight selectable phase control parameters, six LFOs, and two envelope-dependent phase shift modes.

Seattle-based seven-piece band The Dip has honed a style that pays homage to classic R&B vibes. Now that sound has crystallized on their third full-length album, “Sticking With It”.

Discover Double Bass has released a brand new course that adds a new dimension to its offerings. “Slap That Bass!” is taught by Nashville hot shot Slick Joe Fick and covers everything you need to get started slapping on the upright.

The sludge metal pioneers in Crowbar have just released their 12th studio album, “Zero and Below”. This is the first to feature bassist Shane Wesley, and they still have all the same heavy doom and punk attitude.