Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 331

Singer-songwriter Kristo Rodzevski has released The Rabbit and the Fallen Sycamore, which is the third in a trilogy of albums examining his transition from his life in Macedonia to the United States. Each of the albums also utilized a crack team of improvising musicians, including Michael Blanco on the bass. Blanco’s jazz influence comes through even though the songs lean...

Mattoverse Electronics has unveiled the Quadramix, a four-input and two-output mixer in a pedalboard-friendly enclosure. It allows for sending multiple sources into your amplifier or it can be used as a headphone amplifier. “Featuring 2 high-impedance inputs designed for guitar/bass and 2 low-impedance inputs designed for keyboards/synths/drum machines along with enough gain to overdrive either the inputs or outputs, this...

Here’s a killer clip of the Cameron Graves Trio featuring drummer Mike Mitchell and bassist Max Gerl throwing down on “Satania Our Solar System”. Recorded at the TivoliVredenburg in the Netherlands, the trio stretches the groove into outer space. Gerl dishes out some mean bass work to back up Graves before taking an extended and ear-bending solo himself.

Sihasin (pronounced See-ha-sin) is the brother and sister duo of Clayson and Jeneda Benally of Blackfire from the Navajo (Dine’) Nation in Northern Arizona. The band mixes their Native American heritage with rock on their new album, Fight Like A Woman. The band is a bass and drums duo, with Jeneda dishing out a huge bass sound that fills out...

Primus has been pounding the pavement in support of their latest rainbow goblin-themed album, The Desaturating Seven, for the better part of a year, but Les Claypool says a new batch of dates this fall will mark the end of the tour cycle. “This will be the last Primus run for a bit as we will need to cool-out for...

The musical bond between pianist Chano Dominguez and bassist Javier Colina runs deep. After first meeting in 1986, the duo worked together to develop their own mix of flamenco and jazz music over nearly two decades until Dominguez moved to Barcelona in 2002. The move led each player to explore new avenues. Now they’ve reunited to release a live album...

Now we’re going to slow things down a bit. I’ve been on a classic soul and R&B kick lately and this song has been on repeat. Bloodstone’s “Natural High” is one of the smoothest love ballads I’ve ever heard. Although the band appears to be playing along to their own recording in this video, Charles McCormick’s playing on the track...

Former L.T.D. vocalist Jeffrey Osborne has gone back to his roots with Worth It All, a record he describes as an old-school R&B album. “I approached it like things from the past that influenced me then wrote my versions,” he explains. “For example, ‘Let a Brotha Know’ sounds like a song I would have done with my old band L.T.D....

Deltron 3030’s touring behind their album Event 2 can only be described as epic. The hip-hop trio of Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien, and DJ Kid Koala took a full band on the road. No hip-hop would be complete without a fat bass line, and Juan Alderete was on hand to dish it out. Here’s a great clip...

Wayne Secrest, who founded the Southern rock back Confederate Railroad, has passed away. He was 68 years old. The news was shared on the band’s Facebook page. “It is with profound sorrow we announce that Wayne Secrest has passed away after a long illness,” they wrote “Wayne played bass with Confederate Railroad through the Johnny Paycheck and David Allan Coe...

Beetronics has introduced the Royal Jelly, a handmade overdrive and fuzz blender pedal that sits in their Royal series. The unit allows for running two circuits in parallel so you can blend them together or use them like two separate pedals. Two blend presets called the King and Queen give quick access to different sounds. “The presets allow the player...

Xavier Foley’s virtuosity on the double bass is evident as soon as he starts playing. His amazing composition skills are often on display as well. Here’s a spellbinding performance of his original piece “Irish Fantasy” that takes you on a tour of the Emerald Isle and the bass at the same time. Check out his bow hair by the end!