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Reader Spotlight: Bill Bois
Meet bassist Bill Bois, a well-traveled musician who has played as many styles of music as the places he’s lived and visited. Maybe more. Bill is our player in the spotlight for February 28, 2012. Bio: I’m a bass player and songwriter. Over the years, I’ve played jazz and rock in Maine; rock and blues in upstate New York; punk...
Top 10 Cover Tune Videos Arranged for Bass – 2nd Edition
We love all-bass arrangements of cover tunes, and we love even more the fact that the bass is versatile enough to pull it off. We published our first list of the top 10 all-bass covers back in December, 2010. We’ve also featured a variation, with ten Jimi Hendrix-inspired bass videos. And of course, our Bass Cover Week, where we asked...
Victor Wooten and The Roots: Live Jam
Wow, when we first reported the news that Victor Wooten would be joining The Roots on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show, we were really excited about that line up coming together. And these guys did not disappoint. Here’s a clip from the show, where Vic and company perform a variation of the tune “Flex”, from his 2008 release,...
Stefan Lessard Announces 2012 Dave Matthews Band North American Tour; Band Announces New Album is Coming
Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard recently tweeted that the band is gearing up for its 2012 North American tour, and the band followed with an official announcement. The tour kicks off May 18th in Woodlands, Texas and will include two-night shows in many cities, following a hiatus in 2011. The tour will also include the band’s first headline appearance...
Ashdown Unveils ABM-1000 and ABM-2000 Amps at NAMM
Ashdown has expanded their ABM line of amps with introduction of the ABM-1000 and ABM-2000. The pair couples the company’s ABM Evo III preamp with Class D amplifiers to pump out 1000 and 2000 watts, respectively. Ashdown ABM-1000 bass amp head Both amps carry a unique EQ that combines rotary knobs with a pair of dual sliders. The knobs cut...
In the Studio: Part 1 – Preparation
Recently I’ve had the good fortune to take several trips into the recording studio, each situation was entirely different from the last. Each session, or group of sessions, highlighted in my mind different features necessary for an efficient, pleasant and successful session. Unless you are doing both the performing and the engineering, (something I advise against if you can avoid...
Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters: Spank-A-Lee, Live with Paul Jackson (1974)
Of all the rhythm sections in the history of the world, the combo of bassist Paul Jackson and drummer Mike Clark has to rank near the top. Here’s the duo laying it down behind Herbie Hancock & the Headhunters in a performance of “Spank-A-Lee”. This was originally broadcast on the German television show Musikladen in November 1974. So funky. So...
Top 10: Michael Pedulla Interview, More New Bass Gear from NAMM, Bass of the Week, Plus the Week’s Top Bass Videos
If you can believe it, we’re still posting articles about gear announced at NAMM. And it is obviously worth doing (and we’re not complaining, either). Half of last week’s Top 10 focused on new bass gear announced during the show, from Boulder Creek’s entry into the solid body electric space, to new signature basses from Jackson (Dave Ellefson), Ibanez (Gerald...
Epifani Introduces AL Series Aluminum Combos and Cabinets at NAMM
Epifani has announced the AL combo and speaker line, utilizing hybrid aluminum enclosures. The new models have a pure aluminum shell paired with wood front and rear baffles, with the combos containing the company’s Piccolo 600 amplifier and DIST speaker technology. DIST allows for the combos to run at 4 ohms on their own and switch to 8 ohms when...
Percy Jones and BangTower Announce Plans for 2012 Tour
Progressive rock/fusion group BangTower is gearing up for a tour with the release of several new music videos over the coming weeks. Bassist Percy Jones anchors the trio, which also features guitarist Neil Citron and drummer Walter Garces for the coming tour. The video releases will include tracks from the band’s most recent release, Casting Shadows, as well as footage...
Marcus Miller: “Was It Ever Really Love”, Live from the Japan Tsunami Relief Concert
Marcus Miller recently shared this video from last year’s concert to raise money for the Japanese tsunami relief fund. “That’s Raul Midon doing a still unreleased song called ‘Was It Ever Really Love’, with Robert Glasper (keys), Spaceman Patterson (guitar), Louis Cato (drums), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), and me,” Marcus said. “It’s always great to work with Raul. Let’s not forget…...
AC/DC: Bass Play-Along Volume 40
Hal Leonard’s Bass Play-Along series reaches number 40 with the release of AC/DC: Bass Play-Along. The new book features bass transcriptions for eight AC/DC hits from over the years, as originally recorded with bassists Cliff Williams and Mark Evans. The 64 page book includes TAB as well as the melody and lyrics for each tune. Like all the other releases...