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Christian McBride Trio: Cherokee
My buddy Andrew shared this on Facebook with the caption “Sweet Sassy Molassy,” and I couldn’t put it better myself. Here’s bass master Christian McBride with pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens ripping through the jazz standard “Cherokee”. The recording starts on the bridge, which the trio drops into a cool waltz feel as opposed to the burning straight...
Clutch Releases 10th Studio Album, “Earth Rocker”
Clutch’s long awaited 10th studio album, Earth Rocker, is now available on the band’s own Weathermaker label. The latest effort continues the band’s eclectic southern rock-inspired mix, and pushes the envelope with higher tempos and more aggressive grooves. Bassist Dan Maines explains Clutch’s approach was to not overthink and to just keep writing hard rocking songs. In a new preview...
Bass of the Week: Amfisound “Hellbass”
Our friend Greg B. emailed me with a few shots of his bass, and I couldn’t wait to share it. Greg’s axe was built by Finnish luthier Sampo Leppävuori of Amfisound, who based it after their Kuru model. The six-stringer – dubbed the “Hellbass” – has two personalities. The first is a gorgeous, bright red 4-string bass with a 32?...
101 Proof: An Interview with Rex Brown
Ten years after the band’s split, bassist Rex Brown has completely opened up about his time in the iconic metal outfit Pantera. His new autobiography, Official Truth, 101 Proof: The Inside Story of Pantera, delves into his own youth, the band’s formation, rise and fall, the death of guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, and his struggles and successes since. Describing the...
Stefano Francazio: Lungo il Sentiero
Our Facebook friend Laura Palumbo sent this video to us, featuring Stefano Francazio performing a solo bass piece he wrote named “Lungo il Sentiero”. Love the tone, and the tune.
In Memoriam: Philip Kubicki
Philip Kubicki, creator of the Factor Bass, has passed away after a battle with cancer. The renowned luthier spent nine years at Fender in their R&D department before creating his own brand. Kubicki first realized his fascination with instruments at his grandparents’ house. “When I was young – perhaps 12 or 13 years old – I found an old, handmade...
GFS Pickups Introduces REDactive Bass Pickups
GFS Pickups has announced new REDactive series of pickups, including Jazz and P Bass styles. The pickups are low impedance, noiseless models with internal preamplifiers. Each pickup is vintage voiced and “position calibrated” by their coils and the internal preamplifier. Beyond standard configurations, each pickup can be matched with REDactive components including pots, jacks, caps, and switches to personalize your...
Micha? Grott: Preludio
This video features Polish bassist Micha? Grott, first in a band situation and then performing a piece for solo bass called “Preludio”. Nice harmonic work and the tapping is pretty cool too.
Decibel Magazine Announces 2013 Tour Featuring Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Immolation
Decibel Magazine is kicking off their second annual tour on May 10th in Houston, Texas. The monthly heavy metal magazine has “doubled down on veteran star power” for the outing by tapping Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death and Immolation as the tour’s co-headliners. The tour also includes Beyond Creation, Cretin and Magrudergrind. Featuring bassists Alex Webster, Shane Embury, Ross Dolan, Dominic...
Reader Spotlight: Taylor Lee
Meet bassist Taylor Lee, who has a lot of great stories to tell, including how he got his gig, who gave him his main bass and how he switched from guitar to bass as soon as he heard Jaco’s debut. Taylor is the player in the spotlight for the week of March 18, 2013. Bio: In 2008 Taylor received a...
Warwick Introduces RockBass Vampyre Dark Lord
Warwick has added to their RockBass series with the Vampyre Dark Lord, a 35? scale bass built for extra low tuning. From lowest strings to highest, the Dark Lord is tuned F#, B, E, A, which the company says gives it a “diabolic sound character.” The bass’s body is crafted from alder while neck is maple with ekanga veneer stripes....
Lucas Pimentel: 6/8
Here’s Brazilian bassist Lucas Pimentel playing a looped chordal groove in 6/8 – simply entitled “6/8” – and soloing over it in style. You may hear a seasonal twist to the main theme.