Buzz

Paul McCartney recently performed at the White House East Room, opening up with the same Höfner bass he used in 1964 with The Beatles. The ceremony was his acceptance of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He is the third winner of the Gershwin Prize, and the first who is not American. With first lady Michelle Obama...

Tal Wilkenfeld has announced she will be featured on three upcoming albums. The Australian bass phenom has been busy working in the studio with Herbie Hancock, Macy Gray, and Lee Ritenour on their latest projects. Herbie Hancock’s The Imagine Project sees Wilkenfeld collaborating on the songs “A Change is Gonna Come” (featuring James Morrison), and “Don’t Give Up” (featuring John...

Q: Any tips on becoming a more melodic player? I think there are a bunch of guys like me: “Average Joe’s” playing in a cover band setting where the chord changes are basic and we hit a brick wall after our triad or major scale/pentonic patterns run out. A: If your playing opportunities don’t allow for much exploration of your...

This guy who goes by the alias of “Golfybass” seems to be only wearing a pair of boxers in the following video of him performing his song Moving Average on a piccolo-strung bass. I apologize for that, but I promise that the video will be worth it!

Bassist Matt Rubano, the former bassist of Taking Back Sunday, recently confirmed that he is working with Patrick Stump in the development of his new solo album. Stump is the frontman for Fall Out Boy. Rubano said on Friends Or Enemies Radio that “We’ve been talking about helping to put the band together to go on tour for his record.”...

Reader Spotlight: Gerald del Campo

Meet Gerald del Campo, our bass player in the spotlight for June 1, 2010. Bio: I was born in Argentina. I have been playing bass since I was 13 years old. I started with the classical guitar when I was 6 years old, but when I was introduced to rock music I had to make the switch. I wanted to...

Five on One, the new album by Contact, is the sound of five guys on one wavelength. There is some delightful music here rewarding an active listener with its subtle inventions and interactions. The atmosphere is mostly fairly restrained: no “passionate” show-boating, few extremes of mood, just inventive and beautiful music. You might not have heard of Contact but you...

Jon Reshard: She’s Always a Woman Solo Bass

Jon Reshard, who is the current bassist for Greg Howe, first caught my attention on the Gospelchops Bass DVD, where he did a cool medley of a few songs he had arranged for bass. In the medley was parts of Billy Joel’s “She’s Always A Woman”:

Former Gov’t Mule bassist Andy Hess will be hitting the road this summer with The Rhythm Devils, featuring Grateful Dead drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. The band will also showcase Sikiru Adepoju, Davy Knowles, and guitarists Keller Williams and Tim Bluhm, who will trade duties throughout the tour. According to the Rhythm Devils website, the group will “take music...

Robert Trujillo Helps Pastorius Family Reclaim Jaco’s “Bass of Doom”

After a long and frustrating legal battle, Jaco Pastorius’ family have finally regained ownership of his legendary “Bass of Doom”, thanks to Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. The news comes via a statement on Metallica.com. The bass, which was stolen from a Manhattan park bench in 1986, resurfaced in early 2006 in a New York guitar shop. The owner reportedly refused...

Solo Bass and the Art of Metaphor

METAPHOR: something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol. Music is art. It is a most powerful medium capable of describing in detail the world around us, emotions, abstract concepts and shades of meaning. Bass is beauty. It is deep and foundational and at the same time melodic and rich, capable of the deepest melancholy...

Here’s Richard Bona, performing his tune, “Te Misea (A Scream To Save The Planet)” live on France 3 TV. The performance took place in March 2008. “Te Misea” is from Bona’s 2001 release, Reverence.