Buzz
New Benjamin Orr Biography Due This Fall
Eighteen years after his passing, The Cars bassist and vocalist Benjamin Orr will be the focus of a new biography. Let’s Go! Benjamin Orr and The Cars by Joe Milliken details the life and times of the rock star. The author spent a decade working on the book. “There is an interesting aspect about Ben Orr’s early life that many...
D’Addario Introduces DIY Solderless Pedalboard Audio Cable Kit
For musicians interested in making their own gear, D’Addario has unveiled a new DIY Solderless Pedalboard Audio Cable Kit with Mini Plugs. The set includes 10 plugs, 10 feet of cable, a mini cable cutter, and a screwdriver. “Featuring solderless plugs that connect to cables in seconds, creating custom lengths has never been easier,” the company writes. “It’s as simple...
Stuart Clayton: “Merciless” Bass Tutorial and Transcription
Stuart Clayton is back with another transcription and tutorial, and it is killer. “This video is a demonstration of Billy Sheehan’s killer bassline on the classic Mr. Big song ‘Merciless,'” Stuart shared. “The line was performed on a Yamaha Attitude Ltd bass, with the volume for each pickup turned up full. The P-bass pickup was recorded through the EBS Billy...
King Crimson Releases “Live In Vienna”
Another recent King Crimson performance has been released as a live album. Live In Vienna, December 1st, 2016 is a three-disc set that has the two set evening spread across discs one and two with the third offering encores and ambience. “Disc three includes a series of soundscapes edited into newly sequenced pieces,” the album’s notes explain. “Drawn from the...
Fighting The Urge To Improvise
Q: I’ve been a bassist for 14 years now, when I started out (much like everyone, I assume) I played what we know as “bass lines”, the notes that the bassist played on the recording to the song. As I developed and learned more about chord construction and harmony I started to understand how these lines were built. I got...
Zander Zon: The Da Vinci Code – Bass Orchestra
Zander Zon is back with another impressive arrangement of a movie theme. This time, he’s taking more of what he describes as a “Bass Orchestra.” “Even though I’ve done three Hans Zimmer arrangements already (Interstellar, Gladiator & Inception), I thought, hey, why not a fourth?!,” Zander shared. “This theme is called ‘Chevaliers de Sangreal’ and it was actually the city...
Arild Andersen Releases “In-House Science”
Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen has released a new live album called In-House Science. The largely improvised jazz album features his trio consisting of Tommy Smith and Paolo Vinaccia from a stellar 2016 performance. “[The trio’s] energies are arguably best captured in a live context, and here the three musicians deliver a characteristically smoking performance at the Villa Rothstein in Bad...
Chapman Guitars Announces MLB1 DH Basses
Chapman Guitars has teamed up with Dave Hollingworth to launch a new signature bass. The MLB1 DH was created with the Dorje and Toska bassist to deliver what he considers the perfect bass. A four-string player, Hollingworth’s model doesn’t have a five-string version. Instead, it comes in either regular or fanned fret versions. “I’ve always been a 4-string player and...
Postmodern Jukebox: Nothing Else Matters
Postmodern Jukebox shared this video with this note: “Here’s how Metallica would have sounded back in the 1960s – featuring amazing 15 year old soul vocalist Caroline Baran.” This is one incredible arrangement and performance, with Adam Kubota on bass. The track is available on the band’s album.
Chicago Looks Back with “VI Decades Live”
Chicago has been steadily rocking the world since the ’60s. Now the band is celebrating with Chicago: VI Decades Live, a 4CD/1DVD set that captures the band across the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s. While the set does not include current bassist Jeff Coffey, it does feature longtime low-enders Peter Cetera and Jason Scheff. The first two discs...
Dug Pinnick Joins MC5 Kick Out The Jams 50th Anniversary Tour
This year marks the 50th anniversary of The MC5’s seminal album Kick Out The Jams, and Wayne Kramer is going to celebrate it in style. The guitarist, who founded the band in 1964, has assembled an incredible band for the MC50th Anniversary tour featuring Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, Zen Guerilla singer Marcus Durant, and King’s X...
Bass of the Week: Amnesia Guitars Leo Bass
Italy’s Amnesia Guitars is a workshop run by luthier Carlo Carbone, whose imagination creates beautiful and functional instruments. This week we’re taking a look at his Leo model. The Leo comes standard as a five-string fretted bass, though options are available. Its contoured ash body is topped by a rich ziricote cap. The bolt-on neck is made from maple and...