Alberto Rigoni: Funky Metal Bass Riff
Alberto Rigoni is gearing up for the release of his upcoming album, Three Wise Monkeys with a few teaser videos. Here’s a clip of a funky metal bass riff from the song “Free Falling”. Rigoni’s group also includes vocalist Jonas Erixon, drummer Mark Cross and guitarist Simone Mularoni. Three Wise Monkeys is releasing in October.
On-Stage Stands Introduces SM7312W Conductor Stand
On-Stage Stands has released the SM7312W conductor stand, featuring an oversized solid wood back plate measuring 13.5 inches by 22 inches. The new music stand is three inches wider than typical designs and has a two-inch return lip, which the company explains accommodates large music books with extra room for accessories like metronomes and pencils. Other features include an angle...
Duran Duran’s John Taylor Autobiography Set For October Release
Duran Duran co-founder and bassist John Taylor’s autobiography entitled In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran will be hitting North American shelves October 16th via Penguin Publishing’s Dutton imprint. The memoir covers Taylor’s whole life and will include over a hundred photos spanning from his childhood through the present. “This book recounts the million tiny seductions that are...
Schecter Unveils Sean Yseult Signature Casket Bass
Sean Yseult now has her own signature casket bass from Schecter Guitars. The new coffin-shaped axe is based on the bass she designed for White Zombie’s AstroCreep tour in 1994, which led up to the release of AstroCreep: 2000. The bass features a mahogany body and 3-piece mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard. Inlays on the fretboard are mother of...
The Faceless Release “Autotheism”, Featuring Evan Brewer
Technical death metal band The Faceless has returned with Autotheism on Sumerian Records. The semi-conceptual album’s lyrics follow the story of a man’s self-discovery and “transformation into the all powerful God of his reality.” The release is their third full length album and the first with their new lineup, which now includes the intense low-end stylings of Evan Brewer. With...
Intellitouch Releases Freedom One Digital Wireless System
Intellitouch has introduced the Freedom One, a digital wireless system for bass and guitar that provides a 24-bit digital wireless link between your axe and your rig. The system is comprised of two components: a wireless transmitter that plugs into your instrument and a pedal tuner that also acts as the receiver. The pedal can be plugged into an amplifier...
Nothing but Bass: Nico Abondolo Plays the Octobass
Now this is a bass. The Octobass is an enormous, three-string instrument that tunes an octave below a standard double bass. It’s so large that the player has to use special keys on its side to change pitches on each string. The Musical Instrument Museum – which now seems to be the coolest museum ever – lent out their Octobass...
Jayme Lewis Releases “When Will Then Be Now”
If you caught the video for the tune Sedagive by Jayme Lewis we shared a few days ago, you’ll know that the Los Angeles bassist has a lot to offer. Luckily, Lewis has a new album called When Will Then Be Now, available on iTunes as well as Bandcamp. The six-track jazz/rock record features some heavy duty bass work by...
Jackson Unveils JS Series Kelly Bird Basses
Back in April, David Ellefson gave us the scoop on a new bass he was working on with Jackson that would combine elements of a classic bass style he sported during Megadeth’s “Countdown to Extinction” tour, and the company’s Kelly guitar model. Jackson has now introduced the resulting Kelly Bird basses as part of their JS Series. Available in Burnt...
Incubus Releases “HQ Live” CD/DVD Set
Last year, Incubus celebrated their 20th anniversary with a set of special performances at an art gallery in downtown Los Angeles. The six-day event provided fans an intimate experience with the band and, thankfully, was completely documented by the band. It’s now available in a package entitled HQ Live , a two-CD/one-DVD set chock-full of audio, behind the scenes footage,...
Bass of the Week: Schecter Stargazer-4
Schecter’s Stargazer-4 is a quirky take on basses of years past. The old school-inspired 4-stringer is built for versatility with EMG’s MMHZ humbucking pickup in the bridge position and the EMG SJHZ single-coil pickup in the neck position. For further tonal adjustments, the bass has an EMG active 2-band EQ in addition to a pickup blend knob. The Stargazer-4 features...
Renaissance Man: An Interview with Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller has been on top of the music industry for over 30 years, and it’s easy to see why. Even with several Grammy awards, numerous film scores, producing credits, and legions of fans, he’s constantly working to grow and understand the world around him – musically and otherwise. Miller was enjoying a rare day off in France when we...