Billy Gould Announces Album with Fear and the Nervous System
Faith No More bassist Billy Gould has teamed up with Korn’s James “Munky” Shaffer to form the supergroup side project Fear and the Nervous System. The band, which also includes Repeater vocalist Steve Krolikowski, Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman, guitarist Leopold Ross and keyboardist Zach Baird, has a sound blend of rock and metal styles that they describe as “harkening...
Tips for Purchasing Vintage Ampeg SVT Gear
Esteban St. James of Von Saint Design sent us his third installment of a 4-part series on vintage Ampeg SVT gear. Here, Esteban walks through the things to look for when purchasing the classic equipment, including the tubes, transformers, and tech work performed on it. For info on understanding the vintage SVT sound and dating your gear, check out the...
HeadCat Releases Walk the Walk… Talk the Talk
HeadCat, featuring Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister, Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom and guitarist Danny B. Harvey, has released a new album entitled Walk the Walk… Talk the Talk. The 12-track album includes rockabilly and blues classics that the group explains is “how Rock and Roll is supposed to sound.” The rockabilly supergroup formed after each of the members contributed...
Bootsy Collins’ Funk University Year Two Under Way
Bootsy Collins’ Funk University has begun it’s second year of classes. The online funk school’s faculty for this year includes Ron Carter, Verdine White, Jack Bruce, Hansford Rowe, Stanley Clarke, Larry Graham, Jani Hendrix and more. The program, which costs $29.99 a month, includes access to on-demand video lessons, tutorials and lectures on playing and the music business as a...
In Memoriam: Jess Oliver
Bass amp innovator and former Ampeg Vice President Jess Oliver has passed away at the age of 85. Among his many contributions to the bass world was the Ampeg B-15, a portable flip-top design that revolutionized bass amplification. Born Oliver Jespersen in 1926, Oliver was drafted into World War II in 1944 and played bass in the Army band after...
“3 of a Perfect Pair” Camp to Feature Tony Levin
Tony Levin will be part of the faculty at the “3 of a Perfect Pair” Music Camp, which will also feature fellow King Crimson allies Adrian Belew and Pat Mastelotto. The camp is open to all musicians (and non-musicians) and provides an opportunity for face-to-face interaction with the musicians including masterclasses, chats, and even bonfires. Levin, Belew, and Mastelotto will...
Ernie Ball Offers Test Run of Music Man Stingray 5-String Bass with 19mm Spacing
Based on popular demand, Ernie Ball is offering a limited test run of the SLO Special 5, a Music Man Stingray 5-string bass with 19-mm string spacing. The company says it must receive 125 pre-orders between now and July 12, 2011 to put the instruments into production. If the orders are met, it will become a regular product. The Stingrays...
The Wood Brothers: Shoofly Pie
In advance of their upcoming third album, the Wood Brothers have released a music video for the first single called “Shoofly Pie.” Featuring bassist Chris Wood (of Medeski, Martin, and Wood), the music is a cool southern-rock-tinged groove with a psychedelic twist for the video.
Yes Releases Fly From Here
Yes has released their first studio album in 10 years entitled Fly From Here, which is available now through download with physical copies coming July 12. The project started over a conversation between bassist Chris Squire and producer Trevor Horn about a song called “We Can Fly From Here” that the group worked on but didn’t make the cut for...
Deep Purple “Phoenix Rising” DVD Released
Deep Purple’s history is examined in Phoenix Rising, a DVD/CD package that includes the film “Gettin’ Tighter,” which tells the band’s story revolving around its Mark IV lineup and eventual demise through in-depth interviews, never told stories and backstage footage. In addition to the 90-minute documentary, 30 minutes of never-before-seen concert footage from their 1975 performance at Tokyo’s Budokan Arena,...
Tony Campos Joins Soulfly
Former Static-X bassist Tony Campos has joined the ranks of the metal outfit Soulfly, replacing Bobby Burns. Burns, who was in the band for seven years, left last July. Though the group had been performing with a fill-in, Campos will be the permanent bassist, with his first Soulfly show will be on July 31 at the Lokerse festival in Lokeren,...
Custom Shop: Verellen Amplifiers
So far in the Custom Shop series, we’ve asked luthiers about building custom bass guitars. This time we got the chance to talk to Ben Verellen to look into a perhaps lesser-known market: custom amplifiers. Based in Seattle, Washington, Ben Verellen of Verellen Amplifiers grew up playing bass and eventually decided to go to school for electrical engineering. Through a...