Buzz

Yowee. Hot Tuna: Uncle Sam Blues

Our friend Will sent us this video, from a 1971 Hot Tuna performance including the “devil devil devil of a man”, bassist Jack Casady. Enjoy “Uncle Sam Blues”:

Palms Beach ArtsPaper has a nice feature on the new park honoring the late, great Jaco Pastorius. The park is on Dixie Highway in Oakland Park, Florida, near where Jaco grew up, and covers seven acres. The park opened on what would have been Jaco’s 57th birthday, last December 1st. You can read the entire feature on the Palms Beach...

Blankets are okay, but they can slip and slide. So now there’s something called a Drapester for your axe, aka “the bass cover with sleeves!” According to their press release, Drapesters are essential to protect against dust, sunlight and “curious fingers” (because a towel just won’t do). They come in several sizes, from bass to parlor guitar, and you won’t...

In a recent interview with The Daily Aztec, Primus bassist Les Claypool shares what we can expect to hear from him soon. His latest album, Of Fungi and Foe will be released March 17. Claypool described this venture as “kind of dark and creepy” and “a little more moody than some of the stuff I’ve done in the past.” Should...

Local 518 has just completed recording their second album, “Sense of Urgency”, recorded at Studio 101 in Melbourne, Florida. The album will be released on P-Vine Records in Japan. Local 518 includes David Pastorius on bass, Al Brodeur on guitar, Bjarne Jannik Kjaer on drums, Anthony Darmana on percussion and Dave Hoag on keys. Pastorius was voted “Best Bass Player”...

New York-based EMI Music Publishing inked an administration deal recently to market and represent funkmaster Bootsy Collins worldwide. In case you been livin’ in an un-funki-fied state and didn’t know, baby, Collins is the funkalicious bass player of Parliament/Funkadelic fame. He originally got his start in James Brown’s backup band, and after “P-Funk” went on to form Bootsy’s Rubber Band...

We’re sad to report Kelly Groucutt, the former bassist from the 1970s rock band Electric Light Orchestra, has passed away at the age of 63. Early reports indicate Groucutt died in Worcester, England, after suffering a heart attack. He’s survived by his wife and four children. Groucutt left his former band, Sight and Sound, in 1974 to join the then...

She’s got Pat Metheny, Bill Cosby and Dave Letterman singing her praises. Esperanza Spalding is a string bassist and the youngest teacher at the Berklee School of Music with a very interesting story. Know someone getting started on bass? This book and video just might do the trick. Grammy-winning bassist Chris Kent has been battling Multiple Myeloma for 10 years....

The much-anticipated 16th album from Sonic Youth is on its way. Among the new details are a release date, June 9, 2009, and cover art. Recorded last year at SY’s Echo Canyon West studio, the record features former Pavement/Dustdevils bassist Mark Ibold as the band’s newest studio member, replacing Jim O’Rouke. Ibold has been touring with the band for the...

Wayne Shorter’s performance at the 1996 Montreux Jazz Festival is now available on DVD. Bassist and formerly Shorter’s Weather Report band mate Alphonso Johnson, Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter all make appearances on the DVD, which includes bonus footage from both the 1991 and 1992 Montreux performances. The complete line-up for the 1996 show: Wayne Shorter (saxophones) James Beard (keyboards)...

Since Velvet Revolver split with Scott Weiland last April, finding a replacement has proved more difficult than expected. Bassist Duff McKagan has kept the media up-to-speed on the audition process over the last eight months, and here’s his latest report to “Pulse Of Radio”: “In the last, I would say, about eight weeks, we got three guys in that were...

Wolfgang “Wolfie” Van Halen, son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, has big career plans, but they’re going to have to wait until he graduates high school. The teenage prodigy took a break from 11th grade to join dad’s band (when he was only 15) on their 2007 tour. He proved to be such a great fit, Eddie wanted to rush...