Esperanza Spalding Announces New Album
Seven seems to be a lucky number for Esperanza Spalding. In a new 77-second video, the bassist announced her new project, entitled Exposure, which will be written and recorded during a 77-hour Facebook Live stream in September. The finished product will be limited to 7,777 CDs. Spalding announced the innovative new album in this video: “Once the cameras start rolling,...
Serek Updates the Midwestern Bass
Serek Basses announced a new model at the Summer NAMM Show this year. The Midwestern 2 is a new version of the company’s flagship model with a few new refinements. It still retains many of the same features – a light-weight mahogany body, short scale, vintage profiled neck, and Hipshot hardware – but has a new body shape for playability....
Violent Femmes Release “Two Mics & The Truth: Unplugged & Unhinged In America”
After releasing a long-awaited studio album last year, Violent Femmes have returned with a follow-up live album. Two Mics & The Truth: Unplugged & Unhinged In America captures the band over the past year at sessions for radio stations across the country. Anchored by bassist Brian Ritchie, the album is filled with songs from their entire catalog, including past hits...
Dunlop Unveils Geezer Butler Cry Baby Wah
Black Sabbath may have played their final tour this year, but Geezer Butler‘s tone will continue to inspire generations of bassists. Now Dunlop has introduced the Geezer Butler Cry Baby Wah, which is the company’s first ever signature Cry Baby Bass Wah. The pedal is designed to complement the legend’s tone with “massive low end power with a midrange that...
Behold the Seer: An Interview with Jeff Hill
Jeff Hill may be the newest member of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, but he’s no novice. The skilled bassist cut his teeth on rock and jazz in Chicago and New York City for years before becoming a go-to player for artists like Rufus Wainwright, Shooter Jennings, Linda Thompson, and more. Now his fantastic groove and tone are featured in the...
Hartke Unveils Enhanced HyDrive Bass Cabinets
Ten years ago, Hartke unveiled a new series of bass cabinets featuring their HyDrive speakers. Now they’re celebrating the 10th anniversary with four new models in the HyDrive HD Series Bass Cabinets. It consists of four new models: the HD112, the HD115, the HD210, and the HD410. Each is fitted with HyDrive speakers, which are a hybrid design combining paper...
Benefit CD for Marc VW Now Available
The music world was shocked in January when Tower of Power bassist Marc Van Wageningen and drummer David Garibaldi were struck by a train on their way to a gig at Yoshi’s Night Club in Oakland, California. Thankfully, they both survived, though Van Wageningen (aka Marc VW) was put in the hospital in serious condition. One week after the accident,...
NS Design Announces the NS WAV Omni Bass
NS Design’s WAV series got a little bigger this year with the addition of the NS WAV Omni bass, which debuted at the 2017 Summer NAMM show. The new model brings the Omni design, which has an upright bass design with the 34-inch scale of an electric bass, to the company’s most affordable WAV series. Available in four and five-string...
Gaudi Features Levin, Laswell, Edwin and More on New Album
London-based music producer Gaudi has tapped a wealth of bassists for his latest album, entitled Magnetic. Drawing inspiration from the RareNoise Records catalog, the composer blends electronica, rock, jazz, and ambient music for a tapestry of sounds. “It is not a departure from the Gaudi we know and love,” a press release states, “however, Magnetic is a celebration of bass...
Bass of the Week: Guild Starfire II
This week we’re checking out the Starfire II from Guild. The iconic semi-hollow bass first debuted in 1967 where it was used by artists like Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady and the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh. It was reintroduced in 2015 to the delight of many a bass player. Central to the Starfire II’s design is a pair of Guild BS-1...
King Crimson Announces U.S. Fall Tour
If you missed King Crimson’s mighty “double quartet formation” earlier this year, you’re in luck. The iconic prog-rock band has unveiled tour dates for the fall that will cover the East Coast and Midwest with a special Texas concert in the mix. “The new dates see the group performing in some states and cities that have not been visited in...
Ibanez Adds More BTB Bass Models for 2017
Ibanez has further expanded their BTB model range with several incarnations. This summer they expanded the BTB700 series with four and seven-string models, plus their BTB Premium line will now have options for figured maple tops. The BTB is typically a five or six-string bass, but the BTB740 and BTB747 take things one step further as a four-string and a...