Buzz

Future of the Left has recently posted upcoming European tour dates despite the recent departure of bassist Kelson Matthias. Matthias announced his decision to leave the band through their MySpace blog. The upcoming shows are being handled by bassist Steven Hodson, who is the bassist for Oceansize and Kong. The tour dates are as follows: 3-Jun-10 UK Birmingham rainbow 4-Jun-10...

Rush is certainly keeping busy. The band announced its next studio album, Clockwork Angels will release in 2011, with two tracks releasing next week (June 1st). “Caravan” and “BU2B” will be available as a digital download. Before the band finishes recording the album, they’ll hit the road for the 38-date Time Machine Tour, starting June 29th. This is in addition...

FEA Labs has unveiled the newest pedal in their product line: the Opti-FET Compressor. The pedal uses a combination of optical elements for compression as well as 100% “class A” FET-discrete amplification for the signal path. The Opti-FET has a side-chain control circuit with a 3-band equalizer and a loop to give you tons of control over your compression. The...

Reports are starting to surface alleging that Slipknot bassist Paul Gray died from a drug overdose. TMZ has released a recording of the 911 call from the hotel employee who found Gray’s body, indicating that there was “a hypodermic needle next to the bed,” and pills. A toxicology test is underway, with results expected within six weeks. Slipknot made an...

The Who: My Generation (1967)

Here’s a classic clip of The Who performing on September 15, 1967 on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The Who was getting into the full swing of destroying equipment on stage by that point, but during this show, added just a bit much to the routine. Drummer Keith Moon detonated his kit at the conclusion of the song, while guitarist...

Christian McBride to Interview, Perform with Esperanza Spalding

Christian McBride will be hosting an intimate one-on-one conversation with Esperanza Spalding after she gives a performance in an event presented by Jazz House Kids. The two jazz bass stars will also perform together, marking their debut duet performance. The evening’s proceeds benefit Jazz House Kids, an arts enrichment organization created to inspire and motivate children of all backgrounds by...

Gear Watch: Aguilar AGRO Bass Overdrive Pedal

Aguilar Amplification is announcing a new addition to their new line of effects, the AGRO bass overdrive pedal. The AGRO is based on the saturation channel of Aguilar’s AG 500 bass head to bring warm, tube-like overdrive to full distortion. The pedal consists of a 4-knob layout, allowing control over saturation, contour, presence and output level. Features: Separate Saturation and...

Speaker Impedance: How to Properly Match Your Amp Head with Cabinets

Amplification can be confusing to a newbie coming from a combo amp. If you are new to amps and cabs, this article should be helpful in explaining what speaker impedance is, and how it works with your amp head. You may also want to read my previous article, “Decoding Graphic Equalizers: Get Past ‘Scooping’ Your Tone”, for some more helpful...

Low Notes for Nashville, who formed three weeks ago in response to the floods in Nashville, Tennessee, have announced a benefit concert to continuing the fundraising efforts for area musicians impacted by the flooding. Bassist Steve Bailey will headline the event, which takes place on June 17th at 8:00pm. The show will be hosted by the organization’s co-founders, Sean O’Bryan...

Pat Metheny Group: Jaco

The Pat Metheny Group did a tune on their first album, (1978), named after Jaco Pastorius. This is an early version of the song from 1977 and features Mark Egan on the fretless bass.

Sex Pistols founder Glen Matlock will be filling in on bass for the reunion of classic Brit rock band the Faces. The punk legend will be taking the place of original Faces bass player Ronnie Lane, who passed away in 1997. The rest of the reunited band includes original members Ronnie Wood on guitar, drummer Kenney Jones, and keyboardist Ian...

Last month, we reported that Slipknot bassist Paul Gray would join metal supergroup HAIL! for their upcoming European and Asian tour dates. After Gray’s untimely death on May 24th, HAIL! announced that James LoMenzo would fill in on bass. The group released a statement on the situation: “On Monday we were dealt a devastating blow with Paul’s passing two days...