Buzz
Foo Fighters’ Bassist Releases Solo Album Under “Lieutenant” Moniker
The first record by Lieutenant — If I Kill This Thing We’re All Going to Eat for a Week — marks the solo debut of Foo Fighters’ bassist Nate Mendel. Lieutenant is really a side project for Mendel, also known for his past tenure in Sunny Day Real Estate. The album has a decidedly pop/college rock sound, as you can...
Bass of the Week: Rikkers Guitars Hollowline
Based on the the company’s Powerline model, the Rikkers Guitars Hollowline is distinguished by a chambered body that makes all the difference. “Not only do [the chambers] reduce weight significantly, they also make for a remarkably resonant and transparent tonal character,” Rikkers shares on their website. Each bass is custom built to order with a plethora of options. Rikkers prefers...
The Importance of Cooling Down After Playing
Most musicians are aware of the importance of warming up. Warming up properly helps to prevent injuries, and increases our ease of play. It can even help solidify our technique and ensure we play at our best that day. Fewer musicians, however, seem aware of the benefits of cooling down. Playing the bass for hours on end can be physically...
Umphrey’s McGee: I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
Umphrey’s McGee has a new album coming out in April. The London Session was recorded in one day in Studio 2 at Abbey Road. So it was fitting that they covered “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”, which appeared on the Beatles’ album Abbey Road. Ryan Stasik lays down some nice bass on the track too.
Vanilla Fudge Revisits 1967 on New Album
Vanilla Fudge’s late 1960s heyday comes alive in the band’s latest album, Spirit of ’67. Featuring bassist Pete Bremy, who has played with both Vanilla Fudge and its offshoot Cactus at varying times since the early 2000s, the album includes covers of iconic 1960’s tunes like “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” “For What It’s Worth,” “Ruby Tuesday,” and “A...
Weekly Top 10: Leland Sklar Podcast, New Bass Gear, Groovy Bass Videos and Bass of the Week
This week’s top 10 starts off with something important – our podcast conversation with the one and only Leland Sklar. If this guy isn’t exhibit A for what a bass player (and human) should be, I don’t know who is. The rest of the top 10 list is pretty stellar too… and that’s what makes it a top 10. Thanks...
Nordstrand Introduces Alnico III Series Bass Pickups
Nordstrand Pickups has launched the Alnico III series of bass pickups. After introducing an Alnico III Tele pickup set, the company realized the alloy works well for bass. “[Alnico III] gives it a slightly more mellow sound,” Stewart McKinsey told us at the NAMM show. “It doesn’t have quite as much crunch to it, but it really fills out the...
The Ubass Ambassadors: Mr Z
Magnus Sjöquist sent me a note announcing a new Ubass video as well as the “world premiere of The Ubass Ambassadors aka UBASSadors…” Joining Magnus on this tune is fellow bassist Armin Alic. The two met at Musikmesse in 2013 and quickly became friends. They were playing around with a chord progression over a drum loop in the studio, which...
Randy Rhoads Honored with Tribute Collection, Featuring Rudy Sarzo on Bass
The Immortal Randy Rhoads — The Ultimate Tribute honors the career of Rhoads, whose career as a guitarist ended with his 1982 death as a result of an airplane accident. Rhoads’ contributions to metal were already significant when he died at age 25, having played with Quiet Riot in its early days and then helping to create Ozzy Ozbourne’s solo...
Seymour Duncan Introduces Studio Bass Compressor
Seymour Duncan has added to their lineup of bass products with the introduction of the Studio Bass Compressor, a pedal the company says is designed to provide increased sustain, accentuated picking and evened out single-note runs. The pedal is designed for versatility while keeping things intuitive. I has Level, Attack, and Compression knobs for controlling the tone, while a Blend...
Esperanza Spalding: Smile Like That (Live)
Esperanza Spalding always seems to deliver as close to perfection as it gets in her live performances. Here she is performing “Smile Like That” at Jazz à Vienne in 2012. So so good.
Motorhead’s “England 1978” Reissued
Motorhead’s England 1978 live album is back, in remastered and reissued form. The album, recorded in February 1978 at The Roundhouse in London, reveals the stalwart metal trio, led by bassist Lemmy, in fine form. The remastered CD is in an 8-panel digipak with new liner notes. England 1978 is available on and as a digital download ( and )....