Buzz

The Deftones are hitting the road starting in August, for a US tour in support of their latest album, Diamond Eyes. One dollar from each ticket sold will go to the fund in support of bassist Chi Cheng, who continues remains in a semi-conscious state after a 2008 car accident. The band is fitting in this tour before they again...

Here’s a wonderful and intense tune by the Waking Vision Trio which features John Shannon on guitar, Mitch Cohn on bass and Martin Valihora on drums. This tune is composed by Cohn and is called “We Listen to the Star”.

In addition to announcing the album debut of Floored by Four, Mike Watt has revealed that he is finishing up work on a punk rock opera, entitled “Hyphenated-Man.” You read that right, a punk rock opera. This will in fact be his third punk rock opera, following Contemplating the Engine Room and The Secondman’s Middle Stand. Watt explains that this...

Gear Watch: Better Audio Technologies at Summer NAMM 2010

During our Summer NAMM adventure, we stopped in at the Better Audio Technologies booth to check out their new custom SMB-series of bass cabinets. The cabinets, which are available in a variety of finishes, utilize innovative 6″ long-throw woofers that give a –3dB cutoff frequency of 37Hz for great low-end extension. That’s lower than many manufacturers’ bass cabs, which generally...

There are countless ways to improve our intonation, both at our instrument and away from it. Here’s one strategy, to be done at our instrument, which can help open our ears and stabilize a key center. It involves isolating and spotlighting a single pitch every time it appears. The technique works well with music of any tempo. You can isolate...

Marcelo Mariano: Bass Solo

Here’s Brazilian bassist Marcelo Mariano, taking a solo during a performance with the Eumir Deodato Trio. Check out more from Marcelo on his Myspace page.

1. Player News: Whitesnake Seeking New Bassist 2. Interview: Thomas Risell, the Man Behind MarloweDK 3. Video: Jaco Pastorius Solo (Reading, 1978) 4. Gear: The Vee Strap 5. Gear: Fleabass Street Bass 6. Player News: RIP Pete Quaife 7. Gear: Gold Tone PBB and BB-400+ 8. Gear Review: TC Electronics BG500 9. Ask Damian Erskine: Chord Voicings 10. Video: Fingersmoran:...

Christian Houmann: Béla

The following video is from the diploma concert at The Academy of Music in Denmark of bassist Christian Houmann, who graduated this year. The quartet consists of Rasmus Toystrup on drums, Lasse Enøe on sax, Mikkel Leth-Nissen on piano and Houmann on bass. This piece is a tribute to Béla Fleck.

Will Lee and the Fab Faux to Perform John Lennon’s 70th Birthday Celebration Event

Will Lee, bassist for the Late Show with David Letterman, and his band The Fab Faux have been confirmed for a special event celebrating John Lennon’s 70th birthday. The show, entitled “A Night in the Life- A John Lennon 70th Birthday Celebration,” will include two sets of the songwriter’s greatest music, ranging from The Beatles through his solo career. The...

Marcus Miller Band: Moonlight Sonata Live

During a live performance at a 2004 jazz fest in Seoul, Marcus Miller and his band played their version of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” Marcus explained that his 14-year-old son (at the time) was practicing the piece on his piano and that they “just needed to put a beat to it…”

Gear Watch: Orange Shows Off Terror Bass Amps at Summer NAMM

After recently naming Geddy Lee as an endorsing artist, Orange Amps was proudly showing off their newest bass goodies at Summer NAMM. Orange expanded their Tiny Terror line to the low end, with the Terror Bass 500 and 1000. A compact head weighing in at 5kg (11.02 lbs), the Terror bass is a hybrid amp with a Class D solid-state...

Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus has revealed that the band is working on a new album. From a post on his blog himynameismark.com: “…we’ll be in the studio recording the new blink-182 album. Until it is finished. I cannot be more clear on this: new Blink-182 music is on the way… All of us have ideas from before and after the...