Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 768

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 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,...

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.

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...

Fuzzrocious Pedals have introduced a new stompbox: the K-A-E-D-E-N Drive, a versatile pedal with three stages to the circuit. Described as “not just a booster” and “not just an overdrive,” the K-A-E-D-E-N has pre-gain, gain, and tone knobs to dial in the right amount of drive. The pedal is built with your choice of tone stack, either a mid-hump, mid-scoop,...

Here’s an awesome clip of Snarky Puppy at The Rex in Toronto. Bassist/founder Michael League builds up an incredible solo on their new and yet-to-be-recorded tune “Young Stuff.” The video was shot with a GoPro HD cam mounted to League’s headstock. The songwriter also proves his versatility at the end of the clip as he switches to synth bass on...

Singer/songwriter Tom Waits has released his seventeenth studio album, Bad As Me, which is also his first compilation of all new material in seven years. The distinctive vocalist recruited a host of talented artists, including bassists Flea, Les Claypool, James Whiton, Larry Taylor, Marcus Shelby and Zack Sumner. Waits’ eclectic style is going strong as ever with his songwriting showing...

After laying a perfect background for guitarist Scott Henderson, bassist Gary Willis rips an amazing solo of his own during this performance in Israel for television. Though the progressive fusion band dissolved after 2000’s Rocket Science, Henderson revealed earlier this year that he and Willis have worked out nearly 30 tunes for a new album.

Here’s a cool video for the title track to Randy Coven’s album NU School. Ironically, the tune is laden with classical elements and some pretty intense technique by the bassist, who has toured with Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai and many more.

Ethan “Ebassman” Farmer, who has worked with artists like Christina Aguilera, Destiny’s Child and P Diddy, has released his own solo album, Wine & Strings. Though he has appeared on countless records and tours, the project is his first of his own work. The tone of the album overall is a heavy funk with gospel and soul thrown in for...

Fodera has introduced a new bass to their Standard series: the Emperor 5 Standard (E5S). As with their Yin Yang Standard, the E5S is a version of their existing model offered at a more competitive price point by offering one configuration with no options. The basses are still made in their Brooklyn, New York workshop alongside their custom instruments. The...

Slovakian bassist Juraj Griglak absolutely kills it in this clip for what appears to be a random passer-by in a Tokyo guitar shop. Check out Griglak’s serious case of bass face at 0:59.