Jason Newsted Joins Charity Supergroup WhoCares
Former Metallica member Jason Newsted has contributed his bass talents to the supergroup charity project, WhoCares. The band also includes guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan and Jon Lord and drummer Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden. The group has come together for a single track, “Out of My Mind,” to raise money for an Armenian music...
Squarepusher Releases Shobaleader One: d’Demonstrator
Electronica bassist Squarepusher, aka Tom Jenkinson, has released his latest project, Shobaleader One: d’Demonstrator. The album, which is a follow-up to last year’s Solo Electric Bass, is the bassist’s 14th to date. According to Squarepusher, Shobaleader One is his new band, which is a first for the bassist who thus far has only used drum machines and programs. In an...
Gear Watch: Source Audio Soundblox Bass Envelope Filter
Source Audio has released their newest bass pedal, the Soundblox Bass Envelope Filter. The pedal features 21 different filter sounds ranging from “Two Pole Filters, Four Pole Filters, Single Peak Filters, Triple Peak Filters, Peak and Notch Filters, and Phasers.” The filters can then be modulated via positive or negative sweeps, frequency range of the sweeps, and attack/decay speeds. The...
Dixie Dregs with Dave LaRue: Assembly Line
Check out the bass on this one! The Dixie Dregs, featuring bassist Dave LaRue, who joined the band in 1988. The tune is “Assembly Line”.
Vail Johnson Celebrates New Website with Free Music Download
Vail Johnson has just launched a new website, and to celebrate he is giving away a free song download from his latest CD, Come Together. The album consists of Johnson’s versions of classic Beatles songs, including Penny Lane, Eleanor Rigby, and of course, Come Together. To get your free download, visit the music page on Johnson’s new site and enter...
Victor Wooten: The NPR Interview
A recent interview with Victor Wooten on the NPR program “Talk of the Nation” has been posted online. During the segment, Wooten talks about his music philosophy, music education, and gives some basic information on different techniques. The legendary bassist also performs with drummer JD Blair, starting the show off with a duet rendition of “You Can’t Hold No Groove,”...
Infectious Grooves to Play Reunion Show
Funk metal pioneers Infectious Grooves will be reuniting for a one-off performance that will be the group’s first show in over ten years in the U.S. The gig will be at the House of Blues in Hollywood, California on November 23, and is going to be the group’s only appearance in 2010. Infectious Grooves was formed by bassist Robert Trujillo...
Rush Featured in New Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
If you like Rush, and you like video games, then hold on to your seat. The latest release from the incredibly popular series of Guitar Hero video games revolves around the Canadian prog-rockers’ classic album, 2112. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock takes players on a new quest to help the Demi-God of Rock save rock n’ roll, with the Quest...
Faith No More Releases “No PR” Interview with Billy Gould and Roddy Bottum
Faith No More, who took a “no PR” stance during their recent reunion, have released their only formal interview consisting of questions directly from fans, answered mainly by bassist Bill Gould and keyboardist Roddy Bottum. The two bandmates go over a plethora of questions, including the group’s plans for the future, why they didn’t tour more, and why they opted...
Kyle Eastwood Announces Tour Dates
Jazz bassist Kyle Eastwood has announced a tour of select U.S. cities for November, starting at the Blue Note in New York City and finishing up at the Paso Robles Film Festival in Paso Robles, California. Eastwood will be playing a variety of tunes, including songs from his latest release, Metropolitain. Along for the ride will be the rest of...
Mark Hoppus: Blink 182 Return to the Studio
Blink-182 is back in the studio again, according to frontman/bassist Mark Hoppus, via Twitter. “At the studio. Re-commencing the blink-182 album… NOW!” he wrote. Hoppus also gave an update on his blog from the studio, with pictures of the bass he is recording with and his mic’ing technique. This will be Blink-182’s first studio album since their 2003 self-titled album....
Doug Johns Releases “Stank”
Doug Johns has just released his third solo album, Stank, via digital pre-release on CD Baby, with the physical CD will be available on October 22. He will also have it for purchase at his next performance at the Baked Potato in Studio City, California on the 21st. For the project, Johns recruited musicians from his previous work, including Oz...