Extreme Metal Bassist: An Interview with Alex Webster
The evolution of heavy metal has presented a plethora of extreme subgenres: thrash metal, death metal, tech metal… the list goes on and on. But while the term extreme metal covers lots of territory, you can’t talk about extreme metal bass playing without talking about Alex Webster. As a founding member of the iconic band Cannibal Corpse, Webster has spent...
Roger Waters Announces 2012 Tour Dates for “The Wall”
Roger Waters has announced North American tour dates for his production of “The Wall” for 2012. The 36-stop tour begins May 1st, 2012 in Houston, Texas and will include several outdoor stadium concerts at venues including Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Toronto’s Rogers Centre. Waters, who revived the show in 2010 and has performed it over 120 times since then, says...
Joel Moncorvo: Rockin’ The Bass
Here’s a ripping bass performance by Brazilian bassist Joel Moncorvo. Moncorvo, who is a well rounded player with styles ranging from jazz to extreme metal, displays some awesome technique including a three-finger style and some incredible tapping.
Bruno Tauzin Releases Indian Bass: 72 Ragas Instructional eBook
Bruno Tauzin has released Indian Bass: 72 Ragas, an instructional ebook that delves into the Melakarta Ragas which are the Indian equivalent of scales and modes from traditional Western Harmony. The 47-page book includes a total of 72 Ragas in the key of C, written in both musical notation and tab. In addition to the Ragas, Indian Bass has an...
Fender Introduces New Gig Stand
Fender has introduced a new instrument stand designed to end the bulkiness of traditional instrument stands. The compact stand was created to be as unobtrusive as possible by folding up in two steps and weighing just a little more than the average instrument cable. The stand’s slim design fits most basses and guitars, while rubber contact points provide a strong...
Robert Trujillo: New Metallica Album Under Way
With a collaborative album with Lou Reed due out this week, bassist Robert Trujillo has revealed that the next full-fledged Metallica album is under way with producer Rick Rubin’s help. “We’ve been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we’re going to be recording during the most of next year,” Trujillo told Gulf News....
NOFX Announces West Coast Tour Dates
Punk band NOFX will be ringing in the new year with a West Coast tour. Anchored by founder/bassist/vocalist Fat Mike, the group will kick things off with the New Year’s Heave! party in Las Vegas, Nevada before several two-day residencies throughout California, Arizona, Oregon and Washington. The tour comes in support of a recently released self-titled EP. Referred to as...
AC Guitars Introduces Tefano SS Short Scale Bass
AC Guitars has introduced the ACG Tefano SS, a new short scale bass with a single-cut design. The new model has a 31.5” scale with features modified to suit to the smaller size. As with other models in the ACG line, the bass is handcrafted by Scottish luthier Alan Cringean with a variety of options including woods and electronics. The...
Frank Russell Releases “Circle Without End”
Bassist Frank Russell’s second solo album, Circle Without End, is now available for download. For his follow-up to 2005’s Covering All Basses, the Chicago native recruited a cast of high caliber musicians including bassists Daryl Jones (Rolling Stones) and Richard Patterson (Miles Davis, David Sanborn), renowned trumpeter Wallace Roney, pianist Robert Irving III and others. The idea for the album...
Barefaced Ltd Introduces Big Twin Bass Cab
Barefaced Ltd has released the Big Twin, a 1500-watt bass cabinet containing two 12″ woofers, a high-output midrange driver, and huge ports for maximum low end while keeping an “unusually” flat frequency response. The cab also boasts a full 2-way crossover with steep slopes, similar to that found in studio monitors, resulting in higher efficiency. Weighing in at 55 pounds,...
Olivier Babaz: Midnight Caffeine
Talk about multi-tasking! French bassist Olivier Babaz shared this video with us in which he plays a reduced version of his piece “Midnight Caffeine” on his bass while simultaneously playing chords on his kalimba. The two instruments create a really cool texture while a prerecorded egg shaker keeps time.
Bass of the Week: Ritter Royal Flora Aurum
Based out of Deidesheim, Germany, Jens Ritter is an electric bass luthier known for his artistic flair and luxurious basses. In addition to his exceptional line of basses is the Ritter Royal collection, which are set apart due to a “unique feature or an exceptional design history aspect of Jens Ritter’s career as a luthier.” In 2006 he outdid himself...