Rotosound announces guest appearances at NAMM Show
String manufacturer Rotosound has announced a line-up of bassists who will be making appearances at their booth at NAMM 2010 on Saturday, the 16th of January. Five guests are scheduled for that day, including Duff McKagan of Guns & Roses/Velvet Revolver, James Lomenzo of Megadeth, Eva Gardener, who has been touring with Pink, Robbie Crane from Ratt, and the formidable...
Phil Lesh “Furthurs” his career
Phil Lesh has teamed up once again with former Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir to create a new band, Furthur. The band also features members of their other projects. The group came together earlier this year, and debuted in September at the Fox Theatre in Oakland, California, and now they have announced a nationwide tour. Here are the upcoming dates:...
The Bazantar
What do you get when you mix an upright bass with a sitar? The Bazantar, of course. Here, Mark Deutsch plays his instrument and explains the creation of it.
WaTunes announces online trending reports for iTunes sales
Social music service company WaTunes has introduced a new service to allow artists to see how their music is selling on iTunes, and provide projections on future sales. “Traditionally, artists would have to pay a fee to receive this kind of information per report. As apart of the VIP service, we wanted to incorporate a system to where artists will...
Ex-Deep Purple bassist announces autobiography
Former Deep Purple bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes has announced he is releasing a new autobiography in 2010, which is yet to be titled. The book will be co-written by Joe McIver, and an introduction is to be written by Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. “My autobiography is going to be a literary event,” says Hughes. “ I’ve been working on...
Fall Out Boy, Everytime I Die and Anthrax members form new band
A new super-group has formed, featuring members of the bands Fall Out Boy, Anthrax, and Every Time I Die. The band, the Damned Things, includes Anthrax’s Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano, Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley for vocals, and guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy. The group will not be featuring Fall Out Boy’s...
Jazz bass well represented at 2010 Grammys
The bass community will be well represented in the 2010 Grammy category of “Best Jazz Instrumental Album.” Among the nominees are the John Patitucci Trio, for his newest album Remembrance, and the Clayton Brothers (featuring the legendary John Clayton) for their Brother to Brother album. Also in the running is Live by the Five Peace Band, led by Chick Corea...
Esperanza Spalding to join McCoy Tyner for New Year’s performance
Esperanza Spalding will be joining legendary jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, along with Ravi Coltrane and Francisco Mela for a run of six nights, including New Years Eve, at Yoshi’s in Oakland. Tyner rose to fame as a member of John Coltrane’s quartet and has been a staple of the jazz community ever since. Spalding, who is the youngest professor ever...
Bootsy Collins gives back for Thanksgiving
Funk legend Bootsy Collins celebrated Thanksgiving this year by giving back to his community of Walnut Hills in Cincinnati, Ohio. He spent Wednesday afternoon at a local Kroger supermarket signing autographs and hosting a free raffle for gift baskets of food and turkeys. “We wanted to give back to the community in which I grew up in,” Bootsy explained. “I...
Mark Hoppus could produce your band’s next track
Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 is donating eight hours of studio time and his producing skills to the highest bidder at his auction sponsored on Charitybuzz.com. The winner of the auction gets to be produced by Hoppus and Chris Holmes in Hoppus’ California based studio Opera Music, which has been used recently by artists such as Blink 182, Eminem, New...
Nickelback confirms 2010 Dark Horse tour dates
The Grammy-nominated rockers of Nickelback have confirmed tour dates for the North American leg of their 2010 tour in support of their latest album, Dark Horse. The band will be touring with guests Breaking Benjamin and Shinedown as well. Nickelback’s bassist, Mike Kroeger, the brother of lead singer and guitarist Chad Kroeger, is the one who came up with the...
The Strokes planning new studio album
Bassist Nikolai Fraiture has announced that the Strokes are heading back into the studio. The news came via his Nickel Eye Twitter account: “While the guys are in L.A., I went to scout some studios in NYC with [Strokes manager] Ryan [Gentles] today for what looks like Jan. recording.” This will be the first new Strokes album in three years,...