Jack Bruce Releases “Live at the Milky Way”
Jack Bruce and the Cuicoland Express’s Live at the Milky Way has been released by EMI and is now available worldwide. The 2-disc album comes from a 2001 performance at The Melkweg in Amsterdam. Bruce’s band, the Cuicoland Express, included guitarist Vernon Reid, Bernie Worrell on organ, drummers Robby Ameen and Horacio Hernandez, and Richie Flores on Congas. Hardcore Jack...
Esperanza Spalding and Bobby McFerrin Duet at Grammys
Here’s an electrifying clip of Best New Artist Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding with vocal phenom Bobby McFerrin performing at the Grammy pre-telecast ceremony, which they co-hosted. Esperanza’s playing is a great mix of jazzy and funky, and McFerrin deserves bonus points for picking up the bass line while she takes a solo halfway through.
Dave Pajo Quits Interpol
Less than a year after replacing founder Carlos D, Interpol is once again switching bassists, as Dave Pajo quit the group. The announcement came from a statement on the band’s website. ”I would like to announce that I will no longer be performing live with Interpol on their upcoming campaign,” Pajo stated. “I’ll be taking a break from touring to...
Ashdown Introduces Drophead DP-200 and LB-30 Combo Amps
Ashdown Engineering has introduced a new all tube head, the DP200H, as well as two new tube “flip-top” combos incorporating the new head and the company’s Little Bastard with 15” speakers. The DP-200 Drophead H features the preamp from the company’s 427 Small Block head, utilizing two ECC82 tubes, a ECC99, and two ECC82 tubes, while the power amp includes...
Seether Announces Spring 2011 Tour
South African rockers Seether have announced an extensive spring tour schedule spanning the U.S. East Coast and Midwest. The trek comes in support of their upcoming album, Holding on to Strings Better Left to Fray, available May 24. Bassist Dale Stewart explains the new record mixes it up by featuring writing contributions from the whole group, but still has the...
Janek Gwizdala Releases Limited Time Live Album
Janek Gwizdala has released Live at the 55bar-Special Collector’s Edition, a limited time release of 14 previously unheard tracks from the live performances at 55bar in New York. Other recordings from this show were released on Gwizdala’s 2008 album, Live At the 55bar. Collector’s Edition is available on Gwizdala’s Bandcamp page for only 48 hours, and will be gone Tuesday...
RIP: Mark Tulin
Mark Tulin, bassist for the psychedelic 60s band The Electric Prunes, passed away on February 26th at the age of 62. He was helping out at the Avalon Underwater Clean-Up in Avalon, California when he collapsed. Tulin and The Electric Prunes pioneered the psychedelic sound with hits like “Get Me To The World on Time,” and “I Had Too Much...
B.C. Rich Introduces Mockingbird Masterpiece Bass
B.C. Rich unveiled a few new basses this year, including the Mockingbird Masterpiece. The model is a variation on the brand’s Heritage Classic version, but instead features bolt-on construction, different pickups, and a Rosewood fingerboard. The bass includes a Dragon Blood-finished Mahogany body and Maple neck with 24 jumbo frets and cloud inlays on the fingerboard. The pickups included with...
Victor Wooten Announces Virtual Release Party For Re-Mastered “A Show of Hands 15”
Victor Wooten will be holding a virtual release party on his website to celebrate the remastered re-issue of his debut solo album, A Show of Hands, which will also include bonus tracks. The party will take place March 8 at 8:30PM EST and will include a live performance by Vic and JD Blair, a tour of Vic’s studio, special guests,...
Markbass Announces New TTE 500 Head and Micromark 801 Combo Amp
Markbass is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and in turn has announced a slew of new products, including heads, cabs, and pedals, including the Markbass TTE 500 Head. Markbass TTE 500 Head The Markbass TTE 500 is an amp described as “modern vintage,” as it brings together a tube preamp, tube compressor, and tube color filter with a TTE...
Doug Johns: Continuum/Bass Solo
Here’s a great clip of Doug Johns performing one of his infamous bass solos at the drum set. Doug calls it the “monkey show”. He starts with a rendition of the Jaco Pastorius tune “Continuum” before launching into an all out funk attack. The video was shot at One Mind Studios in 2009.
Phish Announce Summer 2011 Tour Dates
The jam masters in Phish have announced a string of summer tour dates spanning the East Coast, starting in Bethel, New York and snaking down to Georgia before finishing up at Portsmouth, Virginia’s Ntelos Wireless Pavilion. The tour will come hot on the heels of bassist Mike Gordon’s solo tour, which wraps up in late March. The tour is a...