Geddy Lee Auctions Signature Bass For Children’s Charity
Geddy Lee has donated one of his Signature Fender Jazz Basses to the children’s charity Lonny’s Smile for an upcoming auction to benefit Camp Oki, a free weeklong camp for children from Quebec and Ontario who suffer from heart defects. The Rush bassist’s axe has been set up to Lee’s performance settings by his bass tech, Skully, and is also...
Yes Announce Yestival
Yes fans, mark your calendars: the iconic progressive rock band has announced their first ever festival, called “Yestival.” Set for Saturday, August 3rd at Camden, New Jersey’s Susquehanna Bank Center, the day long event will include performances by the band as well as The Musical Box, Renaissance featuring Anne Haslam, Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy and other acts to be announced....
G&L Introduces Limited Edition Savannah Collection ASAT Bass
G&L’s new limited edition Savannah Collection includes a version of the ASAT Bass. As part of the series, it sports a two-piece semi-hollow Okoume body with a Korina top, which the company says complement each other to create an “airy, three-dimensional” tone. Other features on the bass include an Old School Tobacco Sunburst body finish, a Pau Ferro fretboard, a...
Kühntett: Teen Town
Who says you can’t play “Teen Town” on upright? Axel Kühn arranged the tune for his sextet, called Kühntett, and decided to rock it out on his double bass. Not only does he nail the melody, he takes a tasty solo starting at 5:26. Bravo!
In Memoriam: Ben Tucker
Jazz bassist Ben Tucker was killed on June 4th after his golf cart was struck by a speeding car. The veteran musician was 82 years old. Born December 30th, 1930 in Tennessee, Tucker began his career in Nashville before heading to California and New York City where he played with artists ranging from Art Pepper to Dexter Gordon to Quincy...
Bass Orchestra: All Bass Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg Medley
Bass Orchestra, AKA Ran Mussman, put together this awesome all bass mashup of the Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg songs “Still D.R.E.” and “The Next Episode.” All of the sounds he plays are made on his bass, with a little help from his DAW. Mussman also takes a crack at replicating the video with cars and girls. Well done, sir.
In Memoriam: Mick Morris
Former Eighteen Visions bassist Mick Morris, aka MickDeth, has died at the age of 35 from a pre-existing heart condition. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Morris started his musical career on guitar in the straight edge hardcore outfit Clear before joining Eighteen Visions on bass in 2000. He went on to record five albums with the group...
Bass of the Week: Bajos Colmenares #22
Bajos Colmenares of Venezuela has some pretty beautiful designs, including their model #22. The 5-string bass features neck-through construction with a slender body of cedar and apamate. The fingerboard and headstock cap are ebony. The #22 is fitted with a Nordstrand NJ5 pickup in the neck position and a MM5.2 pickup in the bridge position. Each pickup has separate volume...
Queens of the Stone Age Return with “…Like Clockwork”
Queens of the Stone Age has released …Like Clockwork, their first album in six years. The album’s title comes from the hard-fought process, an effort that began as far back as 2008 but was met with numerous obstacles. “We’d have these great victories and then something would go south for a bit,” leader Josh Homme told Rolling Stone, “and we’d...
Les Claypool’s Duo De Twang: Jerry Was a Racecar Driver
This is “Jerry Was a Racecar Driver” like you’ve never heard it. Filmed at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in October 2012, Les Claypool and guitarist Marc “Mirv” Haggard tackle the Primus song in a bluegrass fashion, but that doesn’t stop the bassist from unleashing his signature style. Claypool shouts, “Look at me, Mirv, I’m jamming it up!” before breaking...
Billy Cox and The Band of Gypsys Experience Announce Tour Dates
Billy Cox will be paying tribute to Jimi Hendrix on a week-long tour of the northeastern U.S. in mid-June with his group The Band of Gypsys Experience. Cox, who anchored the original Band of Gyspys with Hendrix in the ’60s, will be performing the legendary guitarist’s classics including “Machine Gun” and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” as well blues and roots...
Nine Inch Nails Announce Tour Dates, New Album
Weeks after Eric Avery announced his departure, Nine Inch Nails has announced that they’ll be touring starting this summer. Bandleader Trent Reznor has recruited longtime NIN collaborator and guitarist Robin Finck to fill out the ensemble for the trek, which consists of festivals across the world. Things kick off July 26th at Japan’s Fuji Rocks Festival before the group heads...