Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 385

Megadeth’s David Ellefson is gearing up to release his second autobiography and a collection of songs from his career in early July. Now he’s announced a new round of his “Basstory” tour to support his works.

R. Low Vaughn Instruments has introduced a new budget model that’s made in the United States. The Panzer series is made by luthier Rob Vaughn in his Boise, Idaho shop with set features to streamline the process and reduce cost.

Tal Wilkenfeld is gearing up for an East Coast tour followed by some dates in Japan later this summer. The bassist/vocalist will be supporting “Love Remains,” which marks her second solo album and her vocal debut.

Barre Phillips has been playing bass for nearly all of his 84 years, and his 1968 album “Journal Violone” is credited as the first ever solo bass record. 51 years later he’s released what he says is his final solo album, “End to End.”

Iconic UK punk band The Damned announced a tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Machine Gun Etiquette.” Bassist Paul Gray, who played the band during their “Black Album” and “Strawberries” era, will once again be holding down the low end.

Form Factor Audio is expanding their line of bass amps with the Bi1000Di, which builds upon their 1,000-watt flagship Bi1000. The new model retains many of the same features with some key differences in the direct output department.

Former Deep Purple bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes is postponing his upcoming UK tour due to illness. A press release states the cause of the postponement will be treated and he should be touring again next month.

Mattoverse Electronics has once again updated its Drone Tone pedal with the MkIII version. The pedal is a drone synthesizer that delivers “brutal buzzing, blatant beeping, [and] raucous rhythmic pulses.”

After resisting the streaming movement for several years, King Crimson’s entire studio discography is now available on Apple Music and will be available on Spotify in June.

Guitar whiz Jimmy Herring has created a new band called The 5 of 7 that revolves around Atlanta-based musicians who were connected with the late Col. Bruce Hampton. Bassist Kevin Scott is part of the lineup.

This week we have two basses of the week, although they are the mirror reflection of each other. Hayden Lassila of Lassila Guitars calls the model the Antipode. With one right-handed and one left-handed version, the bass lives up to its name.

French bassist Shob has followed up 2017’s “Karma Obscur” with a new album called “Solide.” The diverse album is described as mostly influenced by Afro Beat with funk and fusion elements.