In Memoriam: Cel Revuelta
Former Black Flag bassist Cel Revuelta has passed away after fighting brain cancer. The news was shared on a GoFundMe page that was set up to assist with his medical bills. “Today we lost a wonderful person, our hearts are broken Cel passed away this morning Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017,” Adriana Martinez shared. “He was surrounded by his immediate family....
In Memoriam: Kevin Garcia
Kevin Garcia, who laid down the low end for indie rock outfit Grandaddy, has passed away after suffering a stroke. He was 41 years old. The news was announced by the band on their Facebook page. “There are no accurate words to express what we need to,” the band wrote. “We are absolutely shattered to say that we lost our...
Steve Lawson and Andy Edwards: Over Time
Bassists and drummers always share a special bond, but Steve Lawson and Andy Edwards have an incredible musical camaraderie. The duo recently performed an entirely improvised set at Tower of Song in Birmingham and it’s astounding. Here’s an extended clip of “Over Time”, which will be available to Lawson’s Bandcamp subscribers. “Everything here is live – I’m playing bass and...
Hotone Audio Now Shipping B Station Bass Preamp/DI
Hotone Audio is now shipping the B Station, a bass preamp and DI in a pedal format. Designed for studio and stage, the unit packs in a 3-band EQ, a Drive channel, and an optical compressor as well. The Drive is kicked in via a dedicated footswitch, while the compressor has a simple one-knob control. For further connectivity, the B...
Mr. Big: Next Time Around
How can you not love Billy Sheehan? Besides being a phenomenal bass player, he’s the epitome of cool. Here’s a great clip of Sheehan in the video for Mr. Big’s “Next Time Around,” which showcases his supportive playing with some great licks thrown in for good measure. Be sure to check out the fill at the 2:17 mark.
Bass of the Week: Roks Instruments Microtonal Futura
We’ve featured some gorgeous basses from Roks Instruments before, but this one comes with a twist. Luthier Axel Roks collaborated with bassist Sanne Verbogt to create a stunning microtonal bass. “Sanne started to see structure in music at the beginning of her conservatory study, which eventually led to her own music theory method: SV Method,” Roks writes on his website....
Radiohead: Nude, Live at Coachella
Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood always plays the perfect supporting bass lines. One of my favorites is “Nude” from the album In Rainbows. Utilizing octaves in the upper register of the neck provides a gorgeous thick tone that sets the mood for the song. Here’s the band playing it at the Coachella Music Festival this year. Building from a whisper, the band...
Fuzzrocious Pedals Now Shipping Blast Furnace Fuzz Pedal
One of the coolest new pedals we saw at NAMM this year was the Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace, an original gated fuzz circuit with a short-timed delay. The pedal, which is a collaboration with Lehigh Mining & Navigation, is now available. “Blast Furnace expands the sound possibilities by adding a short-timed delay (via the left momentary footswitch),” a press release explains....
Mastodon: Show Yourself
I’m a longtime Mastodon fan, so I can safely say that is one of their best albums. Anchored by Troy Sanders, it’s chock-full of killer riffs and melodies that will stick in your head. Here’s a nice clip of the band performing “Show Yourself” live on Jimmy Kimmel. Sanders delivers his big, fat tone that sits right in the pocket...
TC Electronic Introduces the PolyTune 3
TC Electronic has updated their Polytune stompbox tuner with the Polytune 3. The polyphonic tuner now incorporates their BonaFide buffer for preserving your tone over complex pedal setups. It still retains the true bypass as well, and the company added a switch to toggle between true buffer and true bypass modes to suit all players. Another new feature is an...
Fender Adds Options to Mod Shop Instruments
Fender’s online Mod Shop has expanded their set of options for 2017 with new colors, a new neck profile, and new pickups. Users can pick a model to begin with (Jazz and Precision for bassists), then choose colors, hardware, woods, and more. The instruments are built in Fender’s Corona, California factory and shipped out within 30 days. Starting this spring,...
Victor Bailey’s Basses Up For Auction
The world lost one of its great bass players in November with the passing of the legendary Victor Bailey. His work with artists ranging from Weather Report to Madonna as well as his own solo albums influenced a whole generation of bassists. Now, as part of his wishes, his estate is placing several of his basses and studio other gear...