Stories Behind the Songs: Kenny Passarelli
Kenny Passarelli’s place in music history was cemented when he co-wrote Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way,” but that just scratches the surface of his career. He also worked with Elton John, Hall and Oates, Stephen Stills, Tommy Bolin, Dan Fogelberg, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and more. Naturally, he has more than a few stories to tell. The bassist grew up...
Snarky Puppy Announces 2018 Tour, GroundUp Music Festival
Michael League and Snarky Puppy have announced a U.S. tour for 2018 with support from fellow GroundUP artists Forq, Alina Engibaryan, Sirintip, and Banda Magda. The Grammy-winning band will begin their trek in Atlanta, Georgia on February 14th before heading north to Maryland then west. It is currently slated to wrap up March 4th after a four-night residency at SF...
S.I.T. Strings Introduces the Foundations Bass Strings
S.I.T. Strings unveiled a new set of bass strings called the Foundations line at Bass Player Live this year. The new strings are built with a “state-of-the-art core material” that the company says makes them extremely responsive. “Designed to be the brightest and most flexible bass string available, The Foundations are sure to become the building blocks of your sound,”...
Metallica’s Remastered “Master of Puppets” Box Set Features Cliff Burton Interviews, Jason Newsted Auditions
31 years after its release, Metallica is paying tribute to their iconic Master of Puppets with an incredible reissue box set. The band’s third album has been remastered for sound quality in CD, vinyl, and digital formats. An expansive deluxe box set includes the album in several formats and much more with three vinyl records (with a MP3 Download Card),...
In Memoriam: Chad Hanks
American Head Charge bassist Chad Hanks has died after fighting a terminal disease. He was 46 years old. Hanks co-founded the Minneapolis-based band in 1997 and, along with frontman Cameron Heacock, was one of only two consistent members throughout the group’s history. He’s featured on the band’s self-released debut, Trepanation, as well as The War of Art, The Feeding, and...
Blasko To Join Ozzy Osbourne on Farewell World Tour
Just months after playing his final concert with Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne has announced his own Farewell World Tour that’s slated to last into 2020. The metal pioneer may be finishing up his time on the road, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be done with music altogether. “People keep asking me when I’m retiring,” he says. “This will be my...
Bass of the Week: Frederiek de Vette Five-String Bolt-On Bass
Back in May we shared an incredible bass by Frederiek de Vette. Shockingly, it was her first ever build. Now she’s followed up with her second bass that looks just as stunning. We’ll let her tell you the story: “For this build, my second, I decided on a five string fretted bass with a bolt-on neck,” de Vette explains. “While...
Levy’s Leathers Introduces the Onyx Strap
Levy’s Leathers has expanded their line of guitar straps with the Onyx, a model they say offers deep, rich colors and comfort thanks to a special process. “The Onyx utilizes a unique process transforming firm veg-tan leather into a thick supple leather that needs no breaking in period – it’s super comfortable from day one,” they write. The strap comes...
OnkartGromt Introduces the Grompressor Pedal
Norway’s OnkartGromt has released a new compressor called the Grompressor, which the company describes as an advanced compressor that is very useful for bassists. “With options to control Input Level, Threshold, Attack, Release, Ratio, and Output Gain it is almost like a plugin in a DAW,” says pedal builder Øyvind Mjanger. “You can also save 3 presets for your favorites...
Oteil Burbridge’s “Water In The Desert” Now Available
Oteil Burbridge’s unique blend of funk, rock, jazz and more is crystallized in his new solo album, Water in the Desert. The album, which was 10 years in the making, revolves around the theme of love that is summed up in the title track. “[The song, “Water in the Desert”] is the central theme of the album. Obviously, it’s a...
Bag End Introduces Nebula S15-N Bass Cabinet
Bag End has announced the Nebula S15-N bass cabinet. Created to be compact, the model features a rear vented design with a single 15-inch driver for up to 600 watts of power. It weighs 46 pounds and measures at 18″x18″x15″. The cab is constructed with 15mm thick birch plywood covered in their Nebula finish, which Bag End says makes the...
Mission Engineering Introduces the 529 USB Pedal Power Supply
Mission Engineering has introduced an innovative new pedal board power converter called the Mission 529. Instead of utilizing a 9-volt power supply, the unit uses USB power. “Since USB is so popular and pervasive, there is a huge choice of different wall chargers, batteries, and other USB power ports, with a wide range of features and price points,” Mission points...