Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 785

The Bass Coalition will be holding its second annual Summer Workshop at Shenandoah University-Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia on July 9th and 10th, 2011. Faculty will include Oberlin bass professor Peter Dominguez, renowned bass educator Inez Wyrick, and Shenandoah Professor and No Treble columnist Dr. Donovan Stokes. The two-day event includes clinics covering classical, jazz and alternative styles, including use of...

GoGo Tuners has released the TT-1, a clip-on tuner that features both piezo and microphone tuning methods. The main concept for the tuner is that the backlit LED screen has two colors, displaying red when you are out of tune and green once you are in tune. The side of the tuner also glows red when you’re off pitch, so...

Andy Saxton sent us this video of his tune “Turrican” from his solo album, Evolution of the Thumb. The tune has a cool blend of styles mixed together to keep things interesting. “This song is dedicated to my youth,” Andy said, “and to one of my favorite computer games when I was growing up – on the good old Atari...

After years of anticipation, we now have a confirmed release date for the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album after Flea broke the news via his Twitter account. “It gives me profound pleasure deep in the fiber of my being to announce the August 30 release date of the new red hot chili peppers’s record,” the bassist announced, later tweeting...

Here’s a clip of NOFX rocking out their tune “Stickin’ In My Eye” filmed live in 2009. The song starts with some chill bass riffing by 4-stringer and founding member Fat Mike before the band kicks into tempo.

Mayones has unveiled the S-Cut Caledonius 5 Classic, a single-cut bass featuring neck-thru construction. The company explains that the single-cut design adds stability and sustain while the neck joint provides better access to the highest frets. More unique to the bass is the “Single Cut Handle,” where a portion of the upper horn is cut out. The bass is available...

This has always been one of my personal favorite Iron Maiden songs. This particular clip, taken from their “Live at Rainbow” concert tape, has Steve Harris and the gang in their youthful prime rocking out London. Harris said the song is “one of the best pieces I’ve ever written, and certainly one of the most enjoyable to play.” The build-up...

Reeves Amplification has released a new bass tube amp called the Custom 400. Made in the U.S., the head unit features four 12AX7 preamp tubes and six KT88 power tubes pushing out 400 watts. It also includes one 12AT7 phase inverter tube. The Custom 400 has Bright and Normal inputs, with separate volume controls for each as well as a...

Furthur, featuring former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh and guitarist Bob Weir, have announced a summer tour spanning July 14-31. The group will be starting in West Virginia at the All Good Festival, making their way up and down the East Coast, eventually landing at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia. Besides All Good, Furthur will be playing the...

Bassist/composer/arranger Petros Klampanis has released his debut album, Contextual, on Inner Circle Music. The ten track collection includes a mix of original compositions and covers, including a rousing rendition of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” featuring the vocals by Gretchen Parlato. Klampanis also tackles electric bassist Gary Willis’ “The Necessary Blonde” with a string quartet arrangement. Among the bassist’s original tunes is...

Dean Guitars has unveiled the USA Thousand Series, a new line of U.S.-made instruments. While focused primarily on guitars, Dean is issuing a 1000 version of their new Hillsboro bass with several options to suit, including 4 and 5-string models. The USA Hillsboro 1000 is a double cutaway design featuring an alder top and body that comes in finished in...

Sylvan Bolduc has released Groove 101, an instructional book and audio DVD containing 260 grooves and exercises to teach just about every musical style. Written in musical notation and tabs, the 90-page book aims to also improve your overall groove and “inner clock.” Included with the audio examples are detailed listings of each bass used, including a 1969 Precision, 1969...