New Benjamin Orr Biography Due This Fall
Eighteen years after his passing, The Cars bassist and vocalist Benjamin Orr will be the focus of a new biography. Let’s Go! Benjamin Orr and The Cars by Joe Milliken details the life and times of the rock star. The author spent a decade working on the book. “There is an interesting aspect about Ben Orr’s early life that many...
D’Addario Introduces DIY Solderless Pedalboard Audio Cable Kit
For musicians interested in making their own gear, D’Addario has unveiled a new DIY Solderless Pedalboard Audio Cable Kit with Mini Plugs. The set includes 10 plugs, 10 feet of cable, a mini cable cutter, and a screwdriver. “Featuring solderless plugs that connect to cables in seconds, creating custom lengths has never been easier,” the company writes. “It’s as simple...
King Crimson Releases “Live In Vienna”
Another recent King Crimson performance has been released as a live album. Live In Vienna, December 1st, 2016 is a three-disc set that has the two set evening spread across discs one and two with the third offering encores and ambience. “Disc three includes a series of soundscapes edited into newly sequenced pieces,” the album’s notes explain. “Drawn from the...
Arild Andersen Releases “In-House Science”
Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen has released a new live album called In-House Science. The largely improvised jazz album features his trio consisting of Tommy Smith and Paolo Vinaccia from a stellar 2016 performance. “[The trio’s] energies are arguably best captured in a live context, and here the three musicians deliver a characteristically smoking performance at the Villa Rothstein in Bad...
Chapman Guitars Announces MLB1 DH Basses
Chapman Guitars has teamed up with Dave Hollingworth to launch a new signature bass. The MLB1 DH was created with the Dorje and Toska bassist to deliver what he considers the perfect bass. A four-string player, Hollingworth’s model doesn’t have a five-string version. Instead, it comes in either regular or fanned fret versions. “I’ve always been a 4-string player and...
Chicago Looks Back with “VI Decades Live”
Chicago has been steadily rocking the world since the ’60s. Now the band is celebrating with Chicago: VI Decades Live, a 4CD/1DVD set that captures the band across the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s. While the set does not include current bassist Jeff Coffey, it does feature longtime low-enders Peter Cetera and Jason Scheff. The first two discs...
Dug Pinnick Joins MC5 Kick Out The Jams 50th Anniversary Tour
This year marks the 50th anniversary of The MC5’s seminal album Kick Out The Jams, and Wayne Kramer is going to celebrate it in style. The guitarist, who founded the band in 1964, has assembled an incredible band for the MC50th Anniversary tour featuring Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, Zen Guerilla singer Marcus Durant, and King’s X...
Bass of the Week: Amnesia Guitars Leo Bass
Italy’s Amnesia Guitars is a workshop run by luthier Carlo Carbone, whose imagination creates beautiful and functional instruments. This week we’re taking a look at his Leo model. The Leo comes standard as a five-string fretted bass, though options are available. Its contoured ash body is topped by a rich ziricote cap. The bolt-on neck is made from maple and...
Marco Mendoza Burns It Down on New Dead Daisies Album
The Dead Daisies have released their fourth studio album, Burn It Down, featuring the bass work of the mighty Marco Mendoza. This time around Mendoza is joined by his newest rhythm section partner, Deen Castronovo, who joined the band last year. The rest of the lineup includes guitarists Doug Aldrich and David Lowy with vocalist John Corabi at the helm....
Trickfish Amplification Releases the TF408 Bass Cabinet
Trickfish Amplification’s new TF408 bass cab is scheduled to ship this month with pre-orders available now. The company’s latest product features four Eminence 8-inch ferrite speakers plus an HF compression driver to offer 1200 watts peak handling and 600 watts RMS. The TF408 is constructed from Baltic birch with dado and rabbet joints. It has a 22 oz. sharkskin vinyl...
Failure Returns With “In The Future” EP
Failure has released the first of a set of new EPs that will culminate in a full-length LP this fall. In The Future is the band’s first new music since their 2015 comeback, The Heart Is A Monster and will set the stage for the 2018 releases, which will focus on the disconnect between technology and humanity. “Living inside a...
Davie504: Quadruple Neck Bass Jam
YouTube bassist Davie504 makes some incredible videos. No matter what or how well he plays, people comment with a challenge for his next video. This time he’s playing a four-string bass, but not like you’re thinking. “[I’m] playing a four strings bass, but every string has its own neck,” he writes. “Here’s a four necks bass / quadruple neck bass!...