Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 331

Bob Geldof and The Boomtown Rats have released “Citizens of Boomtown,” which marks their first album in 36 years. Bassist Pete Briquette, who dishes out some dirty tone on the album, also produced the record.

Sonata Marketing has launched a new line of instruments called the Modern Vintage Series, which includes two basses: the MVJ4 and the MVP4.

Musicians everywhere are hurting as the COVID-19 pandemic has put a halt to nearly all gigs. Now, the Recording Academy is asking for everyone to contact Congress to get them to include relief for musicians.

After a devastating bicycle accident in January, Juan Alderete was left in a coma. His old Racer X bandmates have released a never-before-heard studio track from their “Technical Difficulties” sessions in 1999 to help support Juan’s recovery efforts.

Wintergatan is a Swedish band that focuses on engineering and innovation to create their music. One of their main creations is the Marble Machine X. The machine previously had a violin-style bass guitar, but they’ve just upgraded it to what they call the “Cyber Bass.”

After releasing the Stella last year, BecosFX has expanded their lineup of compressor pedals with the CompIQ Twain. The unit is a dual-band/stacked compressor and limiter that the company says forges a new path in the realm of compressors.

Balaguer Guitars has unveiled the Monoceros bass, which they describe as their take on “a modern bass but with vintage vibes.” Central to the bass’s sound is its set of Marracobucker pickups (a new set from Balaguer) and a Darkglass Tone Capsule preamp.

Jazz icons Kenny Barron and Dave Holland have teamed up with Johnathan Blake for a debut trio recording called “Without Deception.” Barron and Holland have worked together for nearly three decades but released their first duo album five years ago.

Ibanez has expanded its Premium line of SR basses with three new models this year: the SR5BPBLTD, the SR1600B, and the SR1340B. The first is a limited edition five-string, while the 1600 comes in four or five-string versions and the 1340 comes in four, five, and six.

Tower of Power celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2018 with “Soul Side of Town.” Though it was a partial victory lap for the band, they’re clearly not done as they’ve just released a new album called “Step Up,” recorded during the same session.

Epifani has revamped its flagship products with the next generation. The UL901 is the more modern version of the already sleek UL501, while the new DIST 2 series updates their line of cabs. Kevin put them both to work.

Body Count has returned with a crushing new album called “Carnivore,” which is described as the band’s “most melodically hardcore and lyrically articulate” album to date.