Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 665

Social media has played a major role in the careers of countless musicians and has helped to give a larger voice to independent artists. Music industry veteran Bobby Owsinski has compiled his social media strategies in a new book, Social Media Promotion for Musicians: The Manual for Marketing Yourself, Your Band and Your Music Online. Available in paperback and Kindle...

Jean Baudin has released his first official music video for the song “Dhalsim” from his new album, Mechanisms. This performance of the song, which is based on the Street Fighter 2 character, was recorded live at the 2013 California Extreme Arcade show. Baudin uses his 11-string bass and extensive pedalboard to get some awesome sounds and textures.

Pop star Shaggy has teamed up with the legendary reggae rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare to release Out of Many One Music: Sly & Robbie Present Shaggy, the singer’s first all reggae album. Shaggy, who was born and raised in Jamaica, reached out to Sly and Robbie for their producing talent, but also to help promote the...

A few days ago, we shared a video from the archives featuring Alessandro Corsi playing a resophonic bass. That was one popular video, and it reminded me of this week’s bass of the week: the Gold Tone PBB Resophonic. The PBB is built with a mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard, and maple neck. Its aesthetic appeal is rounded out with a...

As bassist for Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and The Doors, Jerry Scheff’s sound epitomized rock bass tone in the ’70s. Thousands of bassists have studied his style while learning The King’s live version of “Suspicious Minds,” the psyche-penetrating bass groove from “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors, and countless other songs from Scheff’s career. That’s why we’re kicking off...

Forty five years ago, the Jimi Hendrix Experience headlined the first major rock festival on the East Coast. Now the band’s appearance has been released as Jimi Hendrix Experience: Miami Pop Festival, an album of previously unreleased material from the concert. The album has eleven tracks: nine from their morning set with two from the afternoon set. Alongside the classics...

Ish has shared details on a new disposable strap lock they’ve developed named Strap-On. The simple design is made to work with nearly every strap and strap button combination for both bass and guitar. The Strap-On itself is a hard plastic washer that’s placed over top of your strap when it’s on your bass. They can be mounted and unmounted...

Now here’s a sweet gig. Gabriel Roth, aka Bosco Mann, lays down a big soulful bass line for Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings in this clip from the 2010 SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. Does it get any cooler than this?

The virtuosic Wooten Brothers have announced an 11-date East Coast tour for December. Kicking off at the Choo Choo Campus in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the band will work their way up from Georgia all the way to New Hampshire over eleven days. The children of military parents, the Wootens started a band at a young age, with bassist Victor Wooten first...

Here’s a great jam between bassist Steve Lawson and drummer Andy Edwards. Steve uses his six-string bass and looping wizardry to get a nice, spacey groove going.

UBass manufacturer Kala Brand Music has introduced a new line of wall hangers in their “Stand Out” series of instrument display accessories. The Stand Outs come in two sizes: one for basses and guitars and one for ukuleles and mandolins. Manufactured and assembled in California, the wall hangers are made with reclaimed wood, making each piece unique to itself. Woods...

Level 42 is giving a nod to their past with a new EP entitled Sirens. The six-song album, mixed and produced by John Morales, is firmly rooted in the retro dance format. “Back in 1980 and 1981 when we started out, we were very much a club band,” bassist Mark King told the audience at a recent gig at Indigo2....