West Coast Get Down: An Interview with Miles Mosley
Miles Mosley is a man that keeps busy. Since we last talked with the Los Angeles native, he’s done extensive touring and been featured on several albums including Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping To Pimp A Butterfly. His most recent work can be heard on bandmate Kamasi Washington’s album The Epic, where Mosley supports a wall of sound in an innovative new...
Will Lee, With the CBS Orchestra: MacArthur Park
Tonight marks the final episode of the Late Show with David Letterman, bringing an end to the legendary career of the longest running late-night talk show host. It also marks the dissolution of the CBS Orchestra, which has stuck with Letterman since his days at NBC when they were known as the World’s Most Dangerous Band. Bass guru Will Lee...
Chris Squire Diagnosed with Leukemia
Bass legend Chris Squire has been diagnosed with an uncommon form of leukemia called Acute Erythroid Leukemia, according to a post on the Yes website. The bassist, who co-founded the influential prog-rock band, will be receiving treatment in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona during the next few months. Squire’s treatment will force him to sit out of the band’s upcoming...
Bass of the Week: o3 Guitars Rhodium Purplehaze
This week we take a look at another eye-catching bass from o3 Custom Guitars called the Rhodium. The Spanish-made bass is also called the Purplehaze due to its gorgeous purple satin finish over its ash body. Its neck is a five-piece laminate comprised of flamed maple and wenge with a pau ferro toneblock. The bass is fitted with a pair...
LedBelli Bass Guitars Introduces Jonah “Thin Wing” Bass
Bass luthier Cleve Johnson has introduced a new model to his lineup from LedBelli Bass Guitars called the Jonah “Thin Wing.” The bass is a variation on LedBelli’s flagship Jonah with extra shaping for a slimmer profile. “The ‘wings’ of the bass are heavily contoured and thin, thus the ‘thin-wing’ designation,” Johnson explains. “The thickest section of the body is...
MK Introduces Passive Jazz Electric Upright Bass
Electric upright bass company MK has announced a new passive jazz model of their flagship bass. The Jazz-P features piezo transducer pickups and passive electronics, which MK says solves tonal problems of the bass including noise at high levels of amplification. It’s built with a single piece of horse chestnut for the body and neck with an ebony-stained pear wood...
Aquarium Rescue Unit, Featuring Oteil Burbridge, Announces 2015 Reunion Tour
The quirky jam legends of Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit have announced they will be reuniting this summer for a handful of tour dates presented by Relix Magazine. Originally formed in 1988, the band will hit the road with its classic lineup of Hampton, guitarist Jimmy Herring, drummer Jeff Sipe, and bassist Oteil Burbridge. The band will...
B.B. King, Featuring Reggie Richard: Let The Good Times Roll, Live 2009
The King is gone, but he’ll never be forgotten. We’re remembering the legacy of B.B. King today with a clip of “Let the Good Times Roll” from his performance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2009. The song’s lyrics talk about living life to its fullest, and we can all agree that’s something the guitar legend did. King always...
EBS Introduces Magni 500 Bass Combo Series
EBS has taken their Reidmar amp design and built it into a new series of combo amps. The Magni 500 bass combo series features 210 and 115 models that incorporate an all-analog preamp with a lightweight power amp section. Both the 210 and 115 configurations include a tweeter to fill out their range. Similar to the Reidmar head unit, the...
Elixir Revamps Bass Strings
After getting feedback from over a thousand bass players, Elixir Strings has announced they’ve revamped their Nanoweb coated bass strings. “We recently decided to broaden our range in both Nickel Plated and Stainless Steel Strings,” says application engineer Justin Fogelman. “New and refined gauges and single strings give bassists a tool to find what really works well for them.” The...
Boxwave ft. Moses Barrymore: Ain’t No Stopping Me
John Mustachio sent us the latest video from his band, and it’s another great example of how much music you can make with just three people. Boxwave is a funk/rock/go-go influenced bass and cajon group that’s rounded out by percussionist Brad Ellsworth. Their latest track, “Ain’t No Stopping Me,” features hip hop artist Moses Barrymore rapping overtop of the duo’s...
Bass of the Week: MBJ Guitars Nutsy Bass
Joe Kruse has spent the past eight years working with Carl Thompson and two more years in Roger Sadowsky’s shop. Now he’s striking out on his own with MBJ Guitars, which focuses on unique short-scale designs and killer wood combinations. The luthier gave us the rundown on his Nutsy bass, which is our bass of the week. “I used mahogany...