Buzz
ESP Unveils LTD Orion-5 Bass
Behemoth bassist Orion has got a new signature bass with ESP. The ESP LTD Orion-5 Signature is a five-string model based on their AP series featuring an alder body, maple neck, and ebony fingerboard. Everything is finished in black: the body, the pickguard, the hardware, the neck, and the headstock. Even the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder PJ pickups are matched...
The Lightbulb Moment: Time Games
Game #1: The Record Release Show Round 1—Rehearsal Time There’s something invigorating about working with a new artist, especially when they’re releasing a record and learning how to adapt their songs to a live show. The drummer counts of the first tune and by the end of the chorus, the vocalist stops the band. “Hey guys, it feels a little...
Karl Clews: School Days
Karl Clews just sent us his latest, and it is killer. Karl took Stanley Clarke’s classic “School Days” and turned it into an all-bass arrangement.
Herbie Hancock’s New Album to Feature Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar, and More
Music master Herbie Hancock has a new album in the works that promises to be one of his most groundbreaking. In an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, the pianist revealed he’s recruited Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Snoop Dogg, and bassist Thundercat for the project. “I’m learning a lot from the young people I’m working with,” the jazz legend said....
Bass Transcription: Horace Panter’s Bass Line on “Ghost Town” by The Specials
The Specials were perhaps the defining band of the late 70s British Ska movement, and they had a run of hit singles and albums between 1979 and 1984. Their band leader and principal songwriter Jerry Dammers was also the founder of Two-Tone Records, an independent label that helped to push the genre into the mainstream. The Specials were a multi-racial...
The True Loves: Mary Pop Poppins
I’m a huge fan of the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, which helped me discover The True Loves. And now I’ve spent a lot of time listening to both groups, which share a few members. Here’s their performance of “Mary Pop Poppins,” at KEXP’s studios in October 2017, with Bryant Moore on bass. (The track is available on Bandcamp, as part...
Mai Agan Joins David Crosby For Summer Tour
Folk rock legend David Crosby is hitting the road again this summer in support of his latest album, Sky Trails. He’ll once again be joined by bassist Mai Agan, who has been playing with him for the past couple years. “Hitting the road again in May with the almighty Croz and the Sky Trails Band,” Agan shared on Facebook. “Caaaaaaan’t...
Elrick Bass Guitars Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Limited Edition Bass
Master luthier Rob Elrick is celebrating 25 years of building basses. To commemorate the anniversary, Elrick Bass Guitars has unveiled their first limited edition instrument. The Elrick 25th Anniversary Bass will be restricted to no more than 10 instruments that feature their most popular features and primary wood selections. The e-volution single-cut body is made from swamp ash with a...
Dealing with Feeling Overwhelmed
Q: How do you deal with feeling overwhelmed with everything you want to/feel you should be working on? A: I’ve written a column in the past relating to how to maximize your work flow and time management. I thought that I’d take a bit of a different approach this time, although I would encourage you to read that column as...
Jerzy Six: Sung to Sleep
Jerzy Six took on an ambitious project: transcribing Michael Manring’s “Sung to Sleep” and arranging it as a solo piccolo bass piece. The song was originally recorded as a piano piece for Manring’s 1988 album, A Winter’s Solstice II.
Marco Mendoza Releases Solo Album, “Viva La Rock”
A mainstay of the rock and metal community, Marco Mendoza has been the anchor for artists like Neal Schon, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and currently The Dead Daisies. Now he’s released Viva La Rock, his first solo album in eight years. Described as “big, bad, and beautiful,” the album reflects Mendoza’s personality with a range of styles including rock, blues, funk,...
Dean Unveils the Jon Lawhon Hillsboro Bass
Dean Guitars and Black Stone Cherry bassist Jon Lawhon teamed up this year to release a signature bass. The Jon Lawhon Hillsboro Bass takes one of the company’s existing models and decks it out for the bassist’s wants and needs, including an old-school seafoam green finish. The bass is constructed with a classic configuration of an alder body with a...