Bill Wyman Releases Rhythm Kings Collectors’ Edition Box Set
In the early ‘90s, Bill Wyman left the rock and roll dynasty known as The Rolling Stones to form the Rhythm Kings. Today, a new box set chronicles the band’s entire recorded career. The Rhythm Kings Collectors’ Edition Box Set contains all four of their studio albums released from 1998 to 2001, including the 2-CD Double Bill. The tracks in...
SuperMegaUltraGroovy Updates Capo App for iOS
SupreMegaUltraGroovy has updated their Capo app for iOS with version 1.2. Designed for learning, the music app allows for independently adjusting the speed and pitch of any song in your music library. Capo 1.2 adds several features, including mono re-mixing for isolating the left or right channels, which comes in handy for students working with play-alongs. A 10-band equalizer allows...
Slayer Returns to the Studio
Slayer is once again working on a new album, to be the follow-up to 2009’s World Painted Blood. The news was broken by drummer Dave Lombardo via Twitter. Fronted by bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, the metal giants had begun preliminary work on a new record earlier this year when guitarist Jeff Hanneman suffered from a flesh-eating virus in his arm, reportedly...
Bass of the Week: Bas-Extravaganza Fluffy
While this bass may conjure images of ZZ Top, the idea for the Bas-Extravaganza Fluffy actually came to proprietor Bas Wittenberg on a trip through IKEA. The luthier saw a rug and immediately decided to put it to use as a “finish.” “This is a real party bass,” he writes. “Women love it, and men want to shave.” Measuring at...
Aristides’ New and Unique Arium “050” Bass Now Available
Dutch instrument maker Aristides has released their newest bass, the 050. The 050 is a 5-string bass with a unique design which sets it apart from most: it is made of Arium, a synthetic tone material created for maximum sustain and resonance. The body and neck are all one piece molded from the material. The 34″ scale instrument features a...
Viz Maurogiovanni: Fauré’s Pavane, Op. 50
With the help of an ebow and a looper, Italian bassist Viz Maurogiovanni creates a beautiful solo bass rendition of Gabriel Fauré’s “Pavane,” Op. 50, proving that great music transcends time.
Evan Marien: Soulseek
Here’s an awesome studio performance by Evan Marien with drummer Dana Hawkins on the bassist’s song “Soulseek.” The duo keeps a tight groove which opens up for Marien to let loose with some blazing soloing. Evan offers a live version of the track on his Bandcamp page.
The Wayman Tisdale Story Released
The late Wayman Tisdale, the NBA star-turned-bassist who enjoyed success in both careers, is now the focus of a newly released feature-length documentary. The Wayman Tisdale Story recounts the life of the former basketball player and jazz bassist who lost his battle with bone cancer in 2009. With interviews ranging from Michael Jordan to Dave Koz to Toby Keith, it’s...
Black Sabbath’s Reunion Tour is Coming
The recently reunited original lineup of Black Sabbath has announced their first string of shows for their 2012 wold tour. As per the announcement, the trek will kick off in Europe, beginning May 18th, 2012 in Moscow, Russia at the Olimpiski. The European leg is scheduled to rap up at The Gods of Metal festival in Milan, Italy on June...
Roland Introduces R-26 Field Recorder
Roland has released the R-26 Portable Field Recorder featuring dual built-in stereo microphones, two XLR/TRS inputs, and an input for a stereo plug-in powered mic. The device allows for up to six channels of simultaneous recording and has Roland’s patented IARC circuitry on the inputs to reduce interference. While the R-26 supports 24-bit/96 kHz linear PCM recording, you can also...
Pigtronix Releases the Dual Expression Pedal
Pigtronix has teamed up with Mission Engineering to produce the Dual Expression Pedal, a unit with two outputs to simultaneously control the parameters of two pedals with expression inputs. A polarity switch also allows for controlling effects in opposite directions, for which Pigtronix gives the example of increasing the speed of a phaser while decreasing the delay time on a...
New School: Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas
Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas is not your average bassist. Formerly known as PolyNeon, Thomas’ unique style is a result of his main influences of ‘70s Soul and modern avant-garde music – which come together in some very interesting ways. What makes you new school? Well I never considered myself “new school”, but I guess I do have a some characteristics that...