Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 530

Sixteen years after their last release, At The Drive-In announced they have an album of all new material coming out. Even more exciting is the fact that they will be taking their show on the road. The band, fronted by Omar Rodríguez-López and anchored by bassist Paul Hinojos, will perform a handful of dates focusing on the East Coast as...

Back in October, Julie Slick’s playthrough of the Adrian Belew Power Trio’s “B3” blew us away. Now she’s posted an even crazier video for the song “e”. Slick plays seemingly impossible lines with ease while her friend Ben paints his room (and her). Prepare to have your face melted. Video by Ben Hallman.

Bob Marley’s historic Live! album has been reissued in a three-LP set with never-before-released music. The original album, released in December 1975, was compiled from the second of two performances at the Lyceum Theatre in London on July 17 and 18, 1975. Driven by the genius bass lines of Aston “Family Man” Barrett, the band’s period captured on the recordings...

This week we’re checking out a cool one-off that Yamaha built for bass shredder Billy Sheehan. Based on his signature Attitude LTD3 model, the bass brings together some interesting elements tied around Sheehan’s band The Winery Dogs. “Before The Winery Dogs’ touring cycle in support of their second album Hot Streak, Billy asked us to build him an Attitude LTD3...

If you missed the Guns N’ Roses reunion, you’ll have another shot to see the band in action in the coming year. Duff McKagan and crew have announced 2017 dates for their “Not in This Lifetime” Tour. The trek will take them across the U.S. and Canada with a special stop in St. Louis, Missouri. The band hasn’t played the...

Nordstrand Pickups has introduced the BigRig, a new hum-cancelling bass pickup that grew from a conversation with bassist Alberto Rigoni. “A dual 51 P-style pickup, one pole per string, was the initial concept,” Nordstrand explains, “but offset pole pieces are iconic for Nordstrand. What developed is a hum canceling pickup where the coils sense different parts of the string movement,...

Funk legend George Porter, Jr. is celebrating his 69th birthday in style on December 26th with a concert at the Maple Leaf in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. The party/concert will feature Porter’s trio including keyboardist Michael Lemmler and drummer Terrence Houston. Porter will also be celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Ara. Porter was an integral...

Kiesel Guitars has introduced two new multi-scale versions of their Vanquish bass. The VM49K and VM59K are four- and five-string basses, respectively, that are the Kiesel custom shop’s first multiscale bass instruments. The design includes fanned frets and offers some technical improvements. “The advantage of a multiscale bass over a traditional instrument is that the lower strings have a greater...

Forty years ago, Rush released one of the most epic albums of all time. Now Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are celebrating with a special 40th Anniversary Edition of 2112 that features extensive liner notes, outtakes, and previously unreleased live tracks. “Although [2112] was the band’s fourth album, it’s generally considered to be the one on which the...

The octave pedal specialists at Cog Effects have unleashed a new octave/fuzz called the Rogue One. The flexible pedal combines two of the company’s Grand Tarkin bass fuzz channels with a third parallel sub-octave channel found in their T-70 for a huge sound. “Each fuzz channel is supplemented with additional controls to further refine the sound as well as how...

Joe Dart and Vulfpeck have announced a spring tour that will take the band around North America in May and June. The trek kicks off on May 1st at First Ave in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will include a pair of dates in the city as well as Chicago and Toronto before heading back out west. It will wrap up June...

Gigs tend to dry up for bassists during the winter months (besides holiday work), making it the perfect time to start composing new music for the spring. Whether you’re a seasoned composer or just starting out on the bass, writing music will help you grow as a player and musician. We compiled some advice from the world’s top bass players...