Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 5

Attention metalheads! Fear Factory has announced that they’re looking for a substitute bassist for Tony Campos while he is on tour with his other band, Static X.

Becos Effects launched its flagship pedal, the Stella Pro analog compressor/limiter, five years ago. Now, they’ve updated the unit with the Stella Pro MK2. The update adds and removes several features.

311 has announced the return of their Unity tour for 2024 with a summer itinerary that will take them across the U.S. from July 20th to August 31st.

Pete Griffin has an insane résumé that includes work with Zappa Plays Zappa, Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Dethklok, Dr. John, and many more. We caught up with him to get the scoop on his new EP, “Pete Griffin and His Lab Rats,” and more.

Multi-instrumentalist and musical genius Jacob Collier has completed his Djesse album series with the newly-released “Djesse Vol. 4.” The star-studded record covers an enormous amount of musical ground with jazz, pop, latin, and even some heavy metal.

Sting made his name as the bassist and vocalist for a power trio called The Police, and now he’s getting back to the format. He’s announced a new tour called “STING 3.0” featuring a new trio with longtime guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas of Mumford & Sons fame.

Five years after her solo debut, former Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon has returned with her sophomore album, “The Collective.”

This week we’re checking out a killer Progress Series IV Standard 5-string bass by Overwater Basses. Its swamp ash body has a gorgeous walnut top that’s matched with a walnut headstock cap, walnut fingerboard binding, and walnut block inlays.

T.M. Stevens has died after a long illness. He was 72 years old. Stevens was a unique player that was comfortable and excelled in a wide range of genres. As such, he played with an incredible list of musicians.

Mark Egan has just released “Cross Currents,” a new trio album featuring the talents of drummer. Shawn Pelton and guitarist Shane Theriot. Described as the bassist's most versatile and ambitious album to date, the music covers a lot of ground with styles including funk, ambient, swamp rock, second-line, Cajun, and Indian.

Nordstrand Audio has added a new pickup model called the PolyVox. The multi-coil pickups are described as “the ultimate expression of Carey [Nordstrand’s] lifelong search for the most inspiring and musically evocative bass tone.”

Grez Guitars has expanded their Mendocino series instruments with a Bass VI model. The new semi-hollow axe is built using salvaged old grown redwood top for a “classic aesthetic and voice while delivering modern high-performance hardware and playability.”