Buzz
Gorillaz Head Out On 2018 World Tour
The Gorillaz are back on the road in preparation for their new album, The Now Now, which drops later this month. The animated band will have a new bassist, the band revealed, as Murdoc Niccals is in jail. In his place will be Ace from the cartoon The Powerpuff Girls. Providing the real bass on tour will, of course, be...
Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in May 2018
We love bass gear. You love bass gear. And each month, we love looking back at the gear stories we’ve covered, and sort them by your responses. Here is the reader favorite top 10 bass gear list for the month of May 2018. Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing! 1. ENKI AMG-2 Electric Bass Guitar Case ENKI has gotten into...
Diluvium: An Interview with Linus Klausenitzer
For some of us bassists, adding a fifth string is a stumbling block. That’s why it’s jaw-dropping to see and hear someone like Linus Klausenitzer, who tackles the insane music in Obscura with a six-string fretless. The German technical death metal band is not the kind of group that rests on their musical laurels, and the bassist wouldn’t have it...
Victor Wooten: Bass Night
MusicForce shared this video of a February 2018 solo bass performance by Victor Wooten. Vic utilizes several layers with his looper to build quite a soundscape and soloing over top of it all while getting the crowd going in response.
Judith Owen Releases “RedisCOVERed” with Leland Sklar
Judith Owen has released RedisCOVERed, and album of reimagined pop and rock songs. While the singer-songwriter has included cover songs in her work before, this is the first time she has dedicated an entire album to it. Songs on RedisCOVERed run the gamut of musical styles with versions of Drake’s “Hotline Bling”, Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”, Soundgarden’s “Black...
The Lightbulb Moment: Three’s Accompany
When it comes to accompanying a singer or soloist, there’s nothing like the power of three. The rock trio. The jazz trio. The trio of cheeses provided in the green room. It’s the perfect way to get the bases covered (no pun intended). While there are various forms of trio instrumentation (keys, bass, drums; guitar, bass, drums; guitar, fiddle, and...
Lake Street Dive: Hang On (Live)
I’m digging Lake Street Dive’s new album, Free Yourself Up. I’m also digging the videos they’re putting out there in support of it. Here’s the band – with the always excellent Bridget Kearney on bass – performing a live version of “Hang On.”
Breaking Benjamin Releases “Ember”
Breaking Benjamin has returned with their sixth studio album, Ember, and it’s their heaviest yet. The effort is the band’s second since being completely reformed by frontman Benjamin Burnley in 2014 and as such the second to feature Aaron Bruch holding down the low end. The bassist’s thick tone fills the album out, especially on the choruses. Check out his...
Concentrating on the Gig
Q: I have a question about… mindset, I guess. I feel like I make a lot of unnecessary mistakes during gigs. I mean that it’s not a technical deficiency, and it’s not that I don’t know what needs to happen but I just seem to goof it up. Kind of a lot. Any advice? A: This reminds me of a...
Scary Pockets: Rocky Raccoon
We’re big fans of Scary Pockets and how they remake tunes in their own funky style. Here’s the band with vocalist George Krikes performing The Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon.” Bassist Nick Campbell really lays it down on this one.
Michael Manring Japan Tour Blu-Ray Available For Preorder
Japan’s Pudding Broadcast is working to release a new live Michael Manring video on Blu-ray, and they need our help. Manring toured Japan back in 2016 when Pudding, a film, and audio production company, recorded his performances. “In October 2016, we invited Michael Manring for his first solo live tour in Japan,” they write. “Thanks to many individuals and companies,...
Yuno: Why For
WFUV once again delivers on some musical discovery (for me, at least) with a new video. Yuno, a Jacksonville, Florida native, is a self-taught musician, producer, and engineer, as well as a talented visual artist. Here’s his song, “Why For,” which he recorded live in Studio A earlier this month. The song is available on Bandcamp and will soon be...