Charlie Haden and Keith Jarrett Album Announced
Charlie Haden and pianist Keith Jarrett will be featured on a recording together for the first time since the break up of the their American Quartet in 1976. The album, entitled Jasmine, will be released in May. The collaboration began in 2007 when the duo were reunited during the making of the documentary Charlie Haden: Rambling Boy. Not only is...
Gear Watch: Digitech JamMan Delay Looper Pedal
Digitech has introduced yet another looping pedal to their JamMan line called the JamMan Delay Looper. Utilizing an SD expansion card, the pedal is capable of storing up to 16 hours of CD-quality audio loops. It also features 16 seconds of stereo delay time, a tap tempo footswitch, and an expression pedal input for changing each of its eight delay...
Ex-Pantera Bassist Rex Brown to Debut New Band
Down and ex-Pantera bassist Rex Brown will be debuting his new band, Arms of the Sun, in Dallas, Texas on April 17. The performance comes as part of the “Basement Reunion” show, which celebrates the hard-rock club, The Basement, which shut its doors for good in 1995. This will mark Rex’s first performance in Dallas in 10 years. Arms of...
Pablo Aslan Releases “Tango Grill”
Pablo Aslan has released a new album entitled Tango Grill, with Zoho Music. The album was recorded in Buenos Aires with a group a top-notch tango and jazz musicians to produce a unique flavor, which is described more as “musical bilingualism” than a fusion. The personnel includes Aslan on bass, Nestor Marconi on bandoneon, Nicolas Ledesma and Abel Rogantini on...
RIP Sean Stewart
Bassist Sean Stewart of the Australian alt-rock band HTRK died last week according to a recent statement by the band’s label, Blast First Petite Records. Though the details of his death have not been released, it is said to have been suicide. He was 29 years old. HTRK (pronounced ‘hate rock’) formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2003. They released their...
Gear Watch: TC Electronic BG500 Combo Amps
TC Electronic is introducing the new BG500 bass combos at the Frankfurt Musikmesse 2010, which runs from March 24th to the 27th. The 500-watt BG500 is available as a 1×15 or 2×10 combo, each equipped with a 1″ tweeter. The BG500 combos share many of the same features as the company’s RH450, including the SpectraComp multi-band compressor and TubeTone control...
Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon To Release New Book of Art
Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon will be releasing a new book of artwork on March 23rd entitled Performing/Guzzling. Published by Rizzoli, the book is a collection of paintings, watercolors, photographs, and poems that all revolve around the main theme of Gordon’s onstage experiences. Also included are written contributions by artist Jutta Koether and writer Hilton Als. The first 3,000 copies...
Gear Watch: East UK P-Retro Active/Passive Preamp
The new P-Retro from East UK is a P-bass style active/passive preamp equalizer that is be installed without permanently modifying your bass. The P-Retro fits in easily, and uses screw terminals, so no soldering is necessary. Therefore, no physical modifications to your bass are required. The P-Retro features two stacked knobs with pull switches on each. The regular volume control...
Phish Announce Summer Tour and 3D Concert Movie
Hot off the heels of Mike Gordon’s solo project tour, Phish have announced a 2010 summer tour which will be their biggest yet since reuniting last spring. The 29-show outing begins in Chicago during June and finishes up in Wantagh, NY in mid-August. Also look out for Phish 3D, which is a feature-length theatrical concert film that takes the best...
Rush Among Inductees of Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Honored by Les Claypool
Rush will be among the artists inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame this on March 28th. The 6th Annual CSHF Gala will be presented at the George Weston Recital Hall at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. The music of Rush will be celebrated with performances by Les Claypool, Alexisonfire and Jacob Moon. Claypool will be playing the...
Gear Watch: FEA Growler Pedal
FEA Labs has announced the FEA Growler pedal to their product line. The Growler is designed as an enhancement pedal that adds second harmonic warmth to add “growl and punch” to their tone. The pedal generates an analog harmonic octave tone to blend with your bass’s natural tone. The pedal features a dual-channel setup that allows you to switch between...
Andy Fraser’s Bass Added to Rock Hall of Fame
Andy Fraser of the groundbreaking ’60s and ’70s band Free will have one of his basses put on exhibit in Cleveland, Ohio’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fraser, who was a founding member of Free, was also the co-writer of their biggest hit, “All Right Now.” The bass is a “one of a kind” custom made by Z-Guitars of...