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Reader Spotlight: Liam “Leroy” Owen
Growing up in what he describes as “the wildest and weirdest parts of West Wales,” Liam “Leroy” Owen lived in a home without a TV signal. “So music was what we did,” he shares. His dad – a guitarist – had plenty of instruments around, and when it came time for Liam to choose one, he chose the bass. Liam...
Phil Jones Bass Announces the Bass Pulse One and Cab 47
Phil Jones Bass is introducing a handful of new products this year including the new Bass Pulse One bass amp and the Cab 47. Debuted at the NAMM Show, both the amp and cab are lightweight and carry on the PJB tradition. The Bass Pulse One pumps out 350 watts at 4 ohms while weighing in at only 2.9 pounds....
Bokanté: O La
Bokanté’s debut album is coming next month, and the band has just shared another video to preview the project. As we said in the last video, Bokanté is a new band and experiment by Snarky Puppy founder and GroundUP Music creator Michael League. For the most part, League plays baritone guitar in this group, but he also doubles on bass....
Bass of the Week: Roscoe Guitars Century Standard Plus 5HL
Something (or maybe everything) about this Century Standard Plus from Roscoe Guitars really caught my attention while sifting through my Facebook feed. Between its slick headless design and dynamic cocobolo top, it stopped me dead in my tracks. The five-string was also built with an alder body and pau ferro fingerboard with 24 frets. I really dig the off-kilter Bartolini...
Talking Technique: Speed Permutations
Up for part 2 of our challenge? In part 1 we explored pivot permutations and using the mirror image of permutations. As if that wasn’t tough enough, we are going for speed in this episode! You know I love the power of slow and recommend practicing slowly with your attention rotating (my PORA technique), but in this episode it is...
Chris Robinson Brotherhood: It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
In August 2016, Chris Robinson Brotherhood stopped by the SiriusXM studios and performed their cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” Laying down the low end is Jeff Hill, who took over after founding bassist Mark “Muddy” Dutton left the band earlier that year. What a great cover.
Thundercat Unveils Extensive World Tour Dates
Just a month after wrapping a three-month world tour, bass phenom Thundercat is gearing up to do it all over again. The bassist will be flying between North America, Europe, and Japan starting at the end of May and going through November. Many of the summer performances will be festival appearances, though he will start a headlining tour on August...
Jesús Rico Pérez: Hindsight
If you’ve been here a while, you’ve seen videos we’ve shared by Jesús Rico Pérez. Some of his viewers asked if he could do a video without the Xtender keys, so he wrote this song a couple of days ago. Jesús said it isn’t ready yet, but as far as we’re concerned, it sure sounds like it is.
10th Annual Rocky Mountain Bass Slam Set for June 4th
The Rocky Mountain Bass Slam is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in style. Dubbed “A Decade of Bass Celebration,” the annual event will take place June 4th in Golden, Colorado with a host of incredible bassists including two legends. “In 2017 the RMBS will be featuring two national bass performers in the Legendary Chuck Rainey and SuperFunk Powerhouse Doug Johns,” their...
Bass Transcription: Ben Shepherd’s Bass Line on Soundgarden’s “Pretty Noose”
The unfortunate passing of Chris Cornell is a devastating loss for music. It is especially poignant for those of us that grew up listening to grunge music in the ’90s and 2000s. “Pretty Noose”, the first track from Soundgarden’s Down On The Upside, is a personal favorite of mine. On this track, Ben Shepherd performs a bass line that consists...
Groove for Thought: Spain
Tim Carey is back with a new video – and a new lineup with him. ‘You might remember last year I did a few videos with the vocalist Amanda Taylor. This is the band we play in together, Groove for Thought,” he shared. “This is our first video featuring the rhythm section.” This is Groove for Thought’s take on the...
James Jamerson Bass Up For Auction
A bass guitar owned and played by Motown legend James Jamerson will be up for auction later this month. It’s not his infamously stolen Funk Machine, but it is a 1961 Fender Precision that he owned from 1962 until 1967 or 1968. It was then that the instrument was bestowed by the bass legend to fellow Detroit bassist Billy Hayes....