Dead & Company Announce Summer 2017 Tour
In case you missed them this year, Dead & Company have announced a new tour for 2017. “The Music Never Stops” tour will be a cross-country trek that kicks off May 27th in Las Vegas. The band, which is anchored by bass guru Oteil Burbridge, was formed by Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Bob Weir, and Bill Kreutzmann after the...
Aidan Hampson Releases Steely Dan Transcription Book
Steely Dan fans will want to check out Aidan Hampson’s latest transcription book, which documents the bass lines from the band’s biggest hits. The 13-song collection covers their most prolific period from 1972’s Can’t Buy a Thrill to 1980’s Gaucho. Featuring hits like “Reelin’ In The Years”, “My Old School”, “Peg”, and more, the book includes the bass work of...
Bass of the Week: Scopel P-Board Bass
I love it when luthiers think outside the box with the woods they use for their instruments. A recent trend has been to recycle old skateboards to create instant mojo, and Brazilian bass builder Antonio Cesar Scopel nailed it with his P-Board bass. Inspired by the Fender Precisions from 1951 to 1957, the P-Board’s body is made entirely from used...
America Paz and Eduardo Sitja: Street Jam
We love seeing bass playing buskers, and this video is a good example of why. America Paz and Eduardo Sitja took to the streets of Santiago, Chile to play some bass and melt some faces. The duo trades slap lines back and forth, building on each other’s ideas for a fun jam session.
Emma Electronic Announces New Octave/Fuzz Pedal
Ten years after their last release, Emma Electronic has unveiled the ON-1 Okto-Nøjs. The octave/fuzz pedal features an all-analog circuit that works well on both bass and guitar. It has separate footswitches for the octave and fuzz effects for flexibility. Controls include Dry, Okto, and Tone for the octave section with Gain, Tone, Color, and Nøjs for the fuzz. Level...
Ernie Ball Music Man Teases 30th Anniversary StingRay5 Bass
Ernie Ball Music Man has unveiled their 2017 Spring Collection, including a 30th Anniversary StingRay5 model. The 5-string version of their flagship bass was first introduced in 1986 and the company is celebrating gorgeous limited edition version. The bass is built with an ash body covered in a transparent buttercream finish that’s accented with a red tortoise shell pickguard. The...
The Rolling Stones Release “Blue & Lonesome”
The Rolling Stones are back with their 25th studio album, entitled Blue & Lonesome. Produced by bassist and Blue Note Records president Don Was, the album is the iconic rock band’s first full-length album to feature only cover songs. Blue & Lonesome is described as a tip of the hat to their early years as a blues band when they...
Alain Caron and UZEB Announce Reunion Tour
25 years after they called it quits, jazz/rock fusion pioneers UZEB will be hitting the road a reunion tour. The trio of bassist Alain Caron, guitarist Michel Cusson, and drummer Paul Brochu last performed at a farewell concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1992 to a crowd of 96,000 people. “A few months ago, guitarist Michel Cusson, bassist Alain...
New App Trains Your Ears For EQ’ing
Anyone who has played a concert can tell you that EQ’ing is an important skill. If you’re looking to hone your ear to perfect that skill, you may want to check out a new app called hearEQ. The ear training app helps musicians and sound engineers with custom EQ training exercises that your tracks from your own device. “These exercises...
Snow Owl: Devil Is A Liar
Six-string bass monster Snow Owl (aka Juan Garcia-Herreros) put his own spin on a classic funky track, and it’s epic. Seawind’s “Devil Is A Liar” has an already killer bass line, but the bassist’s energy and extra fills add just that much more fun to the track.
Peter Iwers Quits In Flames
Nearly 20 years after joining the band, longtime In Flames bassist Peter Iwers has announced he’s leaving the Swedish metal outfit to pursue other ventures. He made the announcement on his Facebook page. “Friends, I have decided to leave In Flames to pursue other endeavours. As a result, this current US tour will be my last one with In Flames...
Crazy Tube Circuits Introduces Planet B Overdrive
Crazy Tube Circuits has unleashed a new bass overdrive called the Planet B. The pedal is described as being “voiced after a ’70s high wattage guitar tube amp that was also used on bass guitar in rock, doom, sludge and stoner bands.” The Planet B has straight-ahead controls with a Gain knob, Master Volume knob, Blend knob for mixing clean...