Buzz
Adam Nitti: “Fritter Boy” Bass Solo
Here’s bassist Adam Nitti performing the solo from “Fritter Boy” in studio. The tune is from his album, Balance.
Tommy Stinson Helps Raise Money for Haiti Schools
Current Guns N’ Roses and former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson recently made a trip to Haiti, and USA Today’s Pop Candy blog covered the trip with pictures. Stinson is there to help raise money and awareness for Haiti schools, including Timkatec. Stinson attended a graduation ceremony for the Port-au-Prince school, who educates students in mechanics, electricity, sewing and other forms...
Johnny Christ on Avenged Sevenfold’s Number 1 Debut
Avenged Sevenfold recently released “Nightmare” (July 27th) and have since topped the Billboard charts. In an interview with MTV, bassist Johnny Christ shared his reaction. “I got the call from my manager last night. Unfortunately, Matt [Sanders, better known as M. Shadows] and Zack [a.k.a. Zacky Vengeance] were doing press in L.A., but me and Brian [a.k.a. Synyster Gates] went...
Primus Releases Free EP, Starts Tour Blog
Prawn Song’s latest newsletter announced a plethora of Primus updates, including the free release of a four-track EP featuring takes of the band’s songs from a June 2010 rehearsal. The EP can be downloaded from the Primus website or by completing this form: The band also added a new tour blog to their website, which they will be updating every...
Chris Squire: “The Fish” Solo, 1991
Here is a cool, spacey, and dramatic solo from Yes’ Chris Squire, from their 1991 Union Tour. The tune is “The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus)”.
The 1970s: Bass Play-Along Volume 31
Hal Leonard’s Bass Play-Along series gets a new entry this month, with The 1970s: Bass Play-Along Volume 31. The book/CD combo includes the bass notation/tab, lyrics and vocal melody notation. The audio CD is playable in any standard player and enhanced for PC or Mac users, allowing players to adjust tempo without changing the pitch of the tune. The 1970s:...
Gear Watch: Bergantino AE212 Cabinet
Bass cab company Bergantino has just added a new enclosure to their AE series, the AE212. Weighing in at 55 pounds, the cab is an offshoot of the company’s AE112, but features 2- 12 inch neodymium woofers and a tweeter. It handles 600 watts rms, with a frequency response of 40Hz to 15kHz. Bergantino AE Series Cabinet Specs: 2 x...
Lesson: Slap Bass 101
By popular demand, I’ve been working on a new lesson series for beginning slap bass. This week, we’ll break down the basics. Part 1: Slap Bass Introduction This lesson covers basic thumb slapping, ghosted notes, muting, hammer-ons and plucking/popping: Next: we’ll build on these concepts with Part 2 – Building on the Basics.
Adam Ben Ezra: At The Saloona
Here’s a short but very entertaining video from bassist Adam Ben Ezra who performs on electric, upright and melodica in this piece he calls “At the Saloona”.
Dropkick Murphys Add U.S. Tour Dates
The Dropkick Murphys, led by bassist/vocalist Ken Casey, will be coming to the U.S. after a small break from their worldwide tour. The group will be have dates in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada and then join the Vans Warped Tour for about a week. The group is continuing to tour in support of their latest releases, Live on Lansdowne,...
Mike Watt on the Late Derf Scratch
Derf Scratch, founding member and the original bassist for the L.A. punk band Fear, passed away late last week after a long battle with an unspecified illness. Scratch, born Frederick Milner, founded the band with vocalist Lee Ving in 1977 and was with the group when they performed on an infamous episode of Saturday Night Live that allegedly cost NBC...
Preparing for a Tour with a New Band
Q: How do you prepare for a tour with a new band? A: There is much that goes into properly preparing for a tour. First, the nuts and bolts: Packing Do you have days off for doing laundry? Always try and pack as light as possible. If you can get by on four days worth of clothes (including gig wear)...