Buzz
Nothing but Bass: Nico Abondolo Plays the Octobass
Now this is a bass. The Octobass is an enormous, three-string instrument that tunes an octave below a standard double bass. It’s so large that the player has to use special keys on its side to change pitches on each string. The Musical Instrument Museum – which now seems to be the coolest museum ever – lent out their Octobass...
Jayme Lewis Releases “When Will Then Be Now”
If you caught the video for the tune Sedagive by Jayme Lewis we shared a few days ago, you’ll know that the Los Angeles bassist has a lot to offer. Luckily, Lewis has a new album called When Will Then Be Now, available on iTunes as well as Bandcamp. The six-track jazz/rock record features some heavy duty bass work by...
Jackson Unveils JS Series Kelly Bird Basses
Back in April, David Ellefson gave us the scoop on a new bass he was working on with Jackson that would combine elements of a classic bass style he sported during Megadeth’s “Countdown to Extinction” tour, and the company’s Kelly guitar model. Jackson has now introduced the resulting Kelly Bird basses as part of their JS Series. Available in Burnt...
Finding the Musical Treasures in Your Own Backyard
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to check out the Summer NAMM show in Nashville. Although it was great to walk around the showroom floor, check out all of the new gear, and run into some friends, the most exciting part of the show was the congregation of truly fantastic players. The NAMM show (or any music industry-related...
Groove Spoon, Featuring Joe Dart: Dance Week (Groove is Right!)
Groove Spoon is a band that clearly knows how to have fun and knows how to get down. And that’s thanks in large part to one of our favorite groove bassists, Joe Dart, who is a member of Vulpeck, along with the drummer in this video, Jack Stratton. (Jack is a total trip on this one!) The band made this...
Incubus Releases “HQ Live” CD/DVD Set
Last year, Incubus celebrated their 20th anniversary with a set of special performances at an art gallery in downtown Los Angeles. The six-day event provided fans an intimate experience with the band and, thankfully, was completely documented by the band. It’s now available in a package entitled HQ Live , a two-CD/one-DVD set chock-full of audio, behind the scenes footage,...
Bass of the Week: Schecter Stargazer-4
Schecter’s Stargazer-4 is a quirky take on basses of years past. The old school-inspired 4-stringer is built for versatility with EMG’s MMHZ humbucking pickup in the bridge position and the EMG SJHZ single-coil pickup in the neck position. For further tonal adjustments, the bass has an EMG active 2-band EQ in addition to a pickup blend knob. The Stargazer-4 features...
Renaissance Man: An Interview with Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller has been on top of the music industry for over 30 years, and it’s easy to see why. Even with several Grammy awards, numerous film scores, producing credits, and legions of fans, he’s constantly working to grow and understand the world around him – musically and otherwise. Miller was enjoying a rare day off in France when we...
Victor Wooten: “The Lesson”, Live
EMG has shared an excellent video by the one and only Victor Wooten, performing his tune, “The Lesson” live in studio. The tune was written as a companion for his book, The Music Lesson, and appeared on the soundtrack released last year. Is there anything Victor can’t do?
In Memoriam: Bob Birch
We’re sad to report the passing of Bob Birch, longtime bassist for Elton John and session musician. Birch, who was 56, reportedly took his own life near his home in Los Angeles. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Birch started out as an alto saxophonist before the sounds of Motown made him switch to bass in middle school. He worked the Detroit...
Megadeth Behind-The-Scenes: David Ellefson’s Singapore Video
Megadeth is currently on tour in support of TH1RT3EN, their latest album. Bassist David Ellefson shares this nine minute, behind-the-scenes video from their final stop on the Asia tour, in Singapore on August 7th. Among other things, David finds a Starbucks, apparently one of the band’s favorite things to do (and obviously, the fans are in to it too.) Tip...
Getting Over Extended Range (and Other Musical) Ruts
Q: I’ve been playing bass for many years, and started playing the 6-string bass only about six years ago. I’m currently stuck in a dormant sludge of un-creativity! Any thoughts on who offers a good 6-string finger exercise, scale patterns, a book or even a good video? I can’t seem to get out of the same old riffs… I’m not...