Fender Play App Adds Bass Content
After launching the platform earlier this year, the Fender Play educational app has been expanded to include bass lessons. The app is available for iOS devices, Android devices, and desktops. “Similar to other offerings on Fender Play, players progress through the learning process with simple bite-sized lessons, keeping their journey on track. With Fender Play Bass, players can learn essential...
Metal Allegiance Releases “Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty”
The all-star project Metal Allegiance has just released their second album entitled Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty. The group is comprised of guitarist Alex Skolnick, drummer Mike Portnoy, and two bassists: Mark Menghi and David Ellefson. Even though each member is busy with their own bands, they come together as a unit to write and record with tons of special...
Bass of the Week: Egilegor Basses Biadar 4
Sometimes Facebook is so full of drama that I think about freezing my account. Then I scroll by a beautiful bass like this Biadar from Egilegor Basses, and my faith is restored. Built by luthier Imanol Artola Egilegor in Spain, the model is their double-cut shape with a longer upper horn that helps to balance the weight. This particular bass...
Clutch Releases “Book of Bad Decisions”
Clutch has returned with their twelfth studio album, entitled Book of Bad Decisions. While fans can expect the same heavy grooves the band is known for, they also expanded their sound a bit. Bassist Dan Maines explained that working with producer Vance Powell pushed their musical palette. “He came out on the road with us for about a week right...
Damnation Audio Introduces Ugly Twin Pedal
Damnation Audio has released the Ugly Twin, an all-analog pedal that combines octave, boost, and fuzz effects into one unit. Each section of the pedal has its own footswitch for engaging or disengaging the effects. “The Ugly Twin sounds amazing on guitar and bass and is a killer all-in-one fuzz machine for punk, rock, metal, stoner, doom, indie, blues, grunge,...
In Memoriam: Max Bennett
Sad news to report today: session bass legend Max Bennett, who worked with artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to The Beach Boys to Frank Zappa, has passed away. He was 90 years old. Bennett grew up between Kansas City and Oskaloosa, Iowa. He had his first professional gig with Herbie Fields in 1949, after which he served in the Korean...
Singular Sound Announces BeatBuddy Mini 2 Drum Machine Pedal
Singular Sound has expanded their compact drum machine pedals with the BeatBuddy Mini 2. Building upon its predecessor, the new pedal offers twice as many beats, improved sound quality, a reworked LED layout, and a new ergonomic footswitch. The BeatBuddy Mini 2 comes with 9 drum sets, 24 genres, over 200 styles, and can be set to any time signature....
Led Zeppelin Reissues “The Song Remains The Same” Soundtrack
Fifty years ago, on September 7th, 1968, the quartet of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones performed their first concert together as The New Yardbirds. Of course, we now know they would become the massive rock band, Led Zeppelin. The remaining members of the band are celebrating the anniversary with a remastered reissue of the soundtrack...
RPS Effects Announces the Bit Reactor Pedal
RPS Effects has introduced the Bit Reactor, a bit crusher and downsampler pedal that digitizes your signal and crunches it up. “In the realm of modern electronics there’s plenty enough processing power to create a crystal-clear digital copy of pretty much any analog signal,” RPS writes. “The Bit Reactor, on the other hand, explores what can happen when we take...
Paul McCartney’s “Egypt Station” Now Available
Former Beatle Paul McCartney has returned with Egypt Station, which marks his 18th solo studio album. Recorded between Los Angeles, London, and Sussex, the album gets its name from one of the bassist’s paintings that also serves as the album artwork. It ties thematically ties the record together as the Fab Four did back in the day. “I liked the...
Superette: An Interview with Chris Lightcap
Chris Lightcap has an exquisite new album called Superette that takes his jazz-oriented music in a new direction. The album is named after his new all-electric ensemble featuring Jonathan Goldberger and Curtis Hasselbring on guitars and Dan Rieser on drums. An experiment in sounds, the group is described as exploring “the nexus of of harmolodics, surf, West African music, psychedelia...
Ronnie James Dio Bass Gear To Be Auctioned Sep 14-15
Most of us know the late Ronnie James Dio as the legendary lead vocalist for Dio, Rainbow, and Black Sabbath. Tracks like “Holy Diver” and “Rainbow In The Dark” are part of the fabric that makes heavy metal history. What many don’t realize is that he was also originally a bassist. Dio’s first bands, notably Elf, featured him on the...