Larry Graham and Graham Central Station Return with New Album, “Raise Up”
Photo by Erich Francois Larry Graham and Graham Central Station are back! The slap bass pioneer and his crew have just announced that Raise Up, their first studio album since 1999’s GCS2000, will be dropping on September 25th. With guest appearances from Prince and Rafael Saadiq, Raise Up will include three new versions of classic Graham Central Station songs and...
HAO Introduces Bass Liner Preamp Pedal
Japanese boutique pedal company HAO has unveiled the Bass Liner Preamp pedal. Co-designed with Phil Jones of Phil Jones Bass, the stompbox-sized preamp offers a 5-band EQ, Level control, and an Input Gain control to suit any bass. The 5-band EQ provides 18 dB of cut/boost at 50 Hz, 160 Hz, 630 Hz, 2.5 kHz and 12 kHz, which the...
The Police: Sting’s Isolated Bass on “Next To You”
In 1978, the Police debuted with the release of Outlandos d’Amour, an album dominated by punk influences. The opening track, “Next To You,” is a perfect example of this, especially when you hear the isolated bass line from Sting. The muted notes really act like a train engine, and gives greater impact to the end of the song where he...
Ray Riendeau’s Star Monarchy Releases Debut Album
Ray Riendeau’s new project, “Star Monarchy”, has released their debut album, entitled Volume 1. Written and produced by the bassist himself, the new album covers metal, modern rock, and progressive styles with a plethora of artists from their respected rock genres. Riendeau, whose own resume includes laying down the low end for Rob Halford and Dream Theater singer James Labrie,...
Two Notes Audio Engineering Introduces Torpedo C.A.B.
Two Notes Audio Engineering has introduced the Torpedo C.A.B., a stompbox styled cab simulator designed for bass and guitar. The C.A.B. is placed after all your effects pedals in your signal chain and takes the place of an amp by plugging straight into the mixing board. Among the bass cab simulations are presets based on models from Ampeg, SWR, Mesa/Boogie,...
Esperanza Spalding Issues Tour Update
Esperanza Spalding will be taking a quick break from her Radio Music Society World Tour for a few dates with Us Five, a jazz quintet led by saxophonist Joe Lovano. The group, filled out by James Weidman, Otis Brown III, and Francisco Mela, will be playing at Scullers in Boston and the Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Festival in Columbia,...
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Flea’s Isolated Bass on “Scar Tissue”
Flea can be a crazy funk-rock bassist, but here we get a look into the mellower side of the bassist with his isolated bass track from “Scar Tissue” from the 1999 Red Hot Chili Peppers album Californication. He sets a steady groove with some nice higher melodic content. Interestingly, you can hear the use of some flanger, which isn’t as...
Italia Introduces the Imola Bass Guitar
Italia’s new bass, the Imola, is described as “part 60s and part 21st century.” The bass features a korina body with acoustic chambering, and an f-hole. Finish options include Black and Tobacco Sunburst. The Imola’s hard rock maple neck is topped with a rosewood fingerboard. Pickups on the bass are a pair of Wilkinson WBJs, which are controlled with respective...
Cliff Burton: Metallica’s “Orion” Isolated Bass
“Orion” is a heavy metal masterpiece, mostly due to the incredible bass work by the late Cliff Burton. Released on the groundbreaking 1986 album Master of Puppets, the instrumental track is the band’s most progressive work up to that point. Burton plays “lead bass” throughout, with in-your-face distortion and wicked solos. The interlude changes the feel completely with the bassist...
Agile Partners Introduce AmpKit Version 1.4, with Ashdown Amp Model
AmpKit, the popular amp modeling app for iOS, has been updated with Version 1.4. The new incarnation introduces two new pedals and two new amplifiers including modeling of the Ashdown ABM-900 and its matching 8×10 cabinet. The second in AmpKit’s bass amp series, the Ashdown rig replicates all the features of the real ABM-900. Besides the company’s signature VU meter,...
Bass of the Week: Nordstrand NX5
I’ll admit it – I’m a sucker for boutique top woods. That’s why I had to do a double take when I saw Nordstrand’s first NX5 Bolt-on bass guitar. Its spalted maple top and matching headstock have a gorgeous textural look with striking light and dark contrasts thanks to the spalting, which is naturally created in wood by fungi. Equally...
Arild Andersen Steps Out Front With “Celebration”
For more than four decades, Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen has been a foundation in the sound of ECM Records. His recordings for the label include work with Bill Frisell, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Motian and many others. Now, the bassist has just released Celebration, an album consisting of music from ECM’s catalog. The six track collection features Andersen as the lead...