Tom Tom Club to Release First New Material in 12 Years
New Wave band Tom Tom Club has announced Downtown Rockers, their first new release in 12 years. Available digitally on September 4th with a vinyl edition coming September 11th, the EP will pay homage to now defunct nightclub CBGB, where the musicians got their start. “It was our incubator,” bassist/vocalist Tina Weymouth told Rolling Stone. “It was very intimidating to...
TC Electronic Unveils BH250 Bass Amplifier for Summer NAMM
With Summer NAMM just around the corner, TC Electronic has unveiled their most compact bass amplifier to date: the BH250. Weighing in at just four pounds, the Class D amplifier boasts 250-watts while packing in the company’s intelligently contoured tone controls and TonePrint among other features. The BH250’s tone controls are tailored specifically for bass. Instead of single frequency bands...
Pi Electro Step and Wojtek Pilichowski: Bass Dance
Wojtek Pilichowski is a bassist that blows me away every time I watch him. Tony Oppenheim sent in this video of the bassist performing the song “Bass Dance” with his group Pi Electro Step at the Thanks Jimi Festival in Wroclaw, Poland. (And we’re now eternally grateful. Thanks Tony!) Once Pilichowski busts out his solo at the three minute mark,...
Steve Bailey Named Chair of Berklee’s Bass Department
After 40 years at the helm, Rich Appleman retired as Chair of the Berklee College of Music’s Bass Department in May of this year. During his tenure, Appleman helped shape the face of the school by growing the bass department by leaps and bounds. Succeeding Appleman this fall will be bassist Steve Bailey, who brings his own incredible credentials to...
Erena Terakubo Releases “New York Attitude”, Featuring Ron Carter
At only 20 years old, Erena Terakubo is off to an amazing start. The Japanese alto saxophonist has made her North American debut with New York Attitude, tapping some legendary jazz musicians for the occasion: bassist Ron Carter, pianist Kenny Barron, drummer Lee Pearson and trumpeter Dominic Farinacci. Carter’s unmistakable swing permeates and pushes each track as Terakubo practically sings...
Birdsong Guitars Introduces Corto2 Bass
In addition to their new Embrace model, Birdsong Guitars is celebrating their 8th anniversary with the introduction of the Corto2. The new bass is a take on their flagship short-scale Cortobass and features rear-routing with a pair of Kent Armstrong soapbar pickups. Other changes include a more refined body with subtle recurving. Though many options are available, the bass comes...
Brad Russell: Zattack
Get ready for some nasty bass distortion. Bassist Brad Russell sent us this video of his song “Zattack” from his album Let’s Hear It!
Sterling By Music Man Unveils S.U.B. Ray4 and Ray5 Basses
Sterling by Music Man has unveiled the new S.U.B. line of basses, which the company says is meant to make Music Man designs available at more affordable pricing. The new line includes the Ray4 and Ray5, which are cousins to the Music Man Stingray 4 and 5 basses. The new basses are built with hardwood bodies and maple necks with...
Gretsch Expands Electromatic Line With Two New Hollow-Body Basses
Gretsch has added several new models to their Electromatic series, including two new hollow body basses: the G5440LS and the G5442BDC. Though they share many features, the G5440LS is a 34? scale bass with a single-cutaway design while the G5442BDC is the little brother of the two, with a short 30.5? scale and double-cutaway body. The new offerings are both...
Norman Lachapelle: L’irlandaise and Improvisation
Luthier Pierre Erizias sent me this video of Norman Lachapelle playing the tune “L’irlandaise”. The song is sheerly musical, and not a note is misplaced. “I think Normand is not getting the props he deserves,” Erizias said. “He is a refined and seasoned musician that could walk easily with the best out there for sure.” I think I have to...
Peter Hook Memoir Coming This Fall
Peter Hook has announced that his memoir is set to hit the shelves October 1 from publishers Simon & Schuster. Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division. will document the bassist’s time in the seminal post-punk band, from helping to form the band to lead singer Ian Curtis’s death. Hook will also delve into his time with New Order, which was formed...
Spector Unveils ReBop MM Basses
Spector has expanded its ReBop family for basses with the ReBop4 MM and ReBop5 MM. While keeping many of the same traits as their predecessors, the new models are equipped with an EMG-HZ MM passive dual coil pickup. They also introduce maple fingerboards with black Spector inlays and a trans blue stain matte body finish. As with the rest of...