In Memoriam: Victor Bailey
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that bass legend Victor Bailey has passed away from complications with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. He was 56 years old. Bailey was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania into a musical family. His father, Morris Bailey Jr., was a composer, arranger and saxophonist that wrote songs for R&B artists from the ’60s and ’70s...
Earthquaker Devices Introduces V2 Updates of Dispatch Master, Speaker Cranker, Acapulco Gold, and Afterneath Pedals
Experimental pedal maker Earthquaker Devices has released updated versions of four of their pedals including the Dispatch Master, the Speaker Cranker, Acapulco Gold, and the Afterneath. The pedals, which range in use from delay/reverb to distortion and overdrive, all now feature silent soft-touch relay based switching. This allows for “truly silent and effortless operation with increased long-term durability,” the company...
La Vague: Little Village
Alessandro Corsi sent us the latest video from his band La Vague for the song “Little Village”. The bassist lays down an awesome bass line while simultaneously taking care of accompanying chords. Who needs a guitar, anyway?
Robert Trujillo Talks on Learning Metallica’s “…And Justice For All” Songs
Metallica’s …And Justice For All is one of the band’s most classic albums, but it’s often maligned by bass players due to the almost inaudible bass. Bassist Jason Newsted‘s bass was just about mixed out of the album. Current member Robert Trujillo recently told Rolling Stone Australia that songs from the 1988 album were hardest to learn when he joined...
Ben Allison Trio: Pony Express
Ben Allison has a new album out with saxophonist Ted Nash and guitarist Steve Cardenas called The Quiet Revolution, and it’s sublime. Modeled after the drummerless trios of Jimmy Giuffre and Jim Hall, the band’s configuration allows for freedom while pushing each member to get creative. Here’s a video of the trio performing Giuffre’s “Pony Express” with Allison starting things...
Red Hot Chili Peppers Add More 2017 Tour Dates
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced the second leg of their 2017 North American tour. The outing starts April 12th at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. and will focus on the East Coast with several Canadian dates mixed in. The new dates are in add to their existing Winter tour and will now take the band on tour...
Burnt Belief, Featuring Colin Edwin, Release “Emergent”
Bassist Colin Edwin and guitarist Jon Durant have teamed up once again under the name Burnt Belief to release Emergent, an album they say is inspired by the unspoken and hidden truths behind our daily reality. The experimental duo called upon their prog chops to create an ambient and hypnotically rhythmic experience. “One of the things that makes Burnt Belief...
Bass of the Week: Barton Basses 11-String Fretless Harpbass
Barton Applewhite of Barton Basses sent this in for us to check out and it stopped me in my tracks. This monstrous 11-string fretless Harpbass includes a four regular bass strings plus seven standalone harp strings. “[The bass is] constructed of swamp ash [and] a flame maple neck through with a cocobolo top,” the luthier shares. “It has Bartolini pickups...
Peter Hook Releases “Substance: Inside New Order” Book
New Order fans will get an inside look at the band from the perspective of bassist Peter Hook in his new book entitled Substance: Inside New Order. The 768-page documents the band’s beginnings, which grew from their previous work as Joy Division. “We didn’t really think about it afterwards. It just sort of happened. One day we were Joy Division,...
Iron Ether Electronics Retools FrantaBit for 2016
Iron Ether Electronics has revamped their FrantBit effects pedal for 2016 with upgrades and a new feature. The bit crusher/sample rate reducer now has a built-in expression attenuator knob that allows for dialing in the range of the expression sweep, plus better audio fidelity and improved expression response. “In all modes, the expression value is now added to the on-board...
Aidan Hampson Publishes Best of Coldplay, The Police, and The Eagles Bass Transcription Books
Aidan Hampson has added three new books to his library of bass transcriptions with The Best of Coldplay, The Best of The Police, and The Best of The Eagles. “Both Coldplay and The Police use a combination of electric and synth bass, and I’ve endeavored to detail their use of each in as much detail as possible,” Hampson writes. “The...
Mesa Adds 2×10 Cabinet and DI/Preamp Pedal to Subway Series
In addition to introducing the Subway D-800+ bass amp, Mesa/Boogie has added to the Subway series with a 2×10 Ultra-Lite Cabinet and a Bass DI-Preamp. Both new products are made in Petaluma, California. The Subway Ultra-Lite 2×10 joins the existing 1×12 and 1×15 cabs in the series. It features a pair of 10-inch custom neodymium speakers matched with a high-frequency...