Skunk Anansie Returns With “Anarchytecture”
British rockers Skunk Anansie have released their sixth studio album, Anarchytecture. The band features founding member Richard “Cass” Lewis on bass, and its camp is calling the record “a collection of hard-hitting alternative rock anthems, brimming with punchy riffs and the sort of fire that can only burn from the heart and soul of vocal powerhouse, Skin.” This is the...
Aidan Hampson Transcribes Funk, Bowie, Cover Tunes and Michael Jackson
Transcriptionist Aidan Hampson has returned with a new set of transcription books: 70’s Funk, Essential Cover Band Songs Vol. 2, and poignantly, with the the Jan. 10 death of David Bowie, Best of Bowie. He has also released his transcriptions from Michael Jackson’s 1979 album, Off the Wall. The books, available as PDF downloads, are feature bass transcriptions of great...
TTB Bassist on Bowie’s Last Album
Tedeschi Trucks Band bassist Tim Lefebvre is the holder of a very particular and heartbreaking musical honor. He was the bassist on David Bowie’s final studio recording, Blackstar. Blackstar was released on Bowie’s 69th birthday on January 8, just two days before the rock legend’s Jan. 10 death following a previously publicly unknown 18-month battle with cancer. The album’s producer,...
Peter Erskine’s Latest Features Janek Gwizdala on Bass
Drummer Peter Erskine, known for his work with a variety of artists and his days in the great fusion band Weather Report, has released a new album, Dr. Um, that takes him back to the kind of drumming he did as a fusion player. Erskine calls it, “the kind of record that I’ve wanted to make for years, the kind...
ShowOne App Aims to Simplify Using Backing Tracks On Stage
An iOS app can now meet the needs of musicians who use backing tracks during live performances. ShowOne (formerly called SideStage) has a variety of features, including automatic click tracks; the ability to edit tempo, pitch, and voice counts from within the app; compatibility with Apogee Duet and Native Instruments Traktor Audio 2; fast import of audio via cloud services...
Beatles Bass Transcriptions Series Available
Longtime bass transcriptionist Peter Croppier has created the mother lode of bass transcriptions for The Beatles, in his “The Beatles — The Definitive Bass Collection” series. The series covers all Paul McCartney’s famed bass lines with the band, as found on both studio and compilation albums, with a book available for each record through Guitar Music Publishing’s store. All the...
Lesson on Classic Compressors Available Online
Want to know more about classic compressors and need to learn with a quick course? AudioSchoolOnline is offering an 82-minute course covering 11 classic compressors and five compression types, with examples given on bass, drums and vocals. The course was created by Audio School Online’s Ken Lewis, a producer/songwriter/engineer/musician who owns his own analog SSL Mix Studio and regularly works...
Jeff Hughell Feels the Heat on New Album
Jeff Hughell, known for his seven-string bass work in the technical metal scene, has released his third solo record, Trinidad Scorpion Hallucinations. The album’s title references a super-hot variety of pepper and the music, from Hughell, who also plays with the band Six Feet Under, is described as being similarly searing. While Hughell is the primary bassist on the album,...
Pearl Jam has 2016 North American Tour in the Offing
Pearl Jam’s bassist Jeff Ament and band manager Kelly Curtis earlier this month confirmed that the group plans on mounting a North American tour in 2016 in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The pair made the confirmation via a Twitter chat, and while Curtis said no dates would be announced until the beginning of the year, he did note stops...
“Advanced Rock Bass” Features Video, Audio and Print Instruction
Mark Michell, bassist for the progressive band Scale the Summit, has created an instructional book, with a video component, called Advanced Rock Bass: for 4-, 5- and 6-String Basses. “This is a complete guide to my approach when composing basslines. I focus on every single aspect imaginable: chord analysis, fretboard mapping, composing lines with harmonics and tapping, voicing chords, mixing...
Dream Theater Bass Play-Along Book Released
Fans of the progressive metal band Dream Theater interested in learning John Myung’s bass lines have a little extra help via a new book, Dream Theater: Bass Play-Along Volume 47. The book, published by Hal Leonard Corp., includes the tab for 10 songs, as well as a CD featuring the bass lines and separate backing tracks. The book also includes...
Roberto Badoglio Forms New Band, Releases Album
Italian jazz bassist Roberto Badoglio has formed a new band, called Beyond Turbines, which has released its self-titled debut album. The band, which also features featuring German guitarist Bjossi Klütsch and American keyboardist Steve Hunt, describes the album as “high-energy progressive fusion. . . intricately arranged yet laced with free-flowing extended improvisations…” “After working with Steve on my first solo...