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Theo Katzman with Joe Dart: Crappy Love Song
A little over a year ago, I caught Theo Katzman’s concert at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA. What I didn’t know (until the band walked on stage), was that his Vulfpeck bandmate Joe Dart was joining him on the tour. Last month, the band recorded this concert for Audiotree Live in Chicago, IL. Here’s a clip of them performing “Crappy...
Sting and Shaggy Release “44/876”
In a somewhat unlikely pairing, Sting and Shaggy have teamed up to release 44/876. The album’s title is taken from the area codes for the U.K. and Jamacia, respectively, to represent each musician’s background. “I think on paper it’s pretty unlikely. We have very different vocal styles,” the former Police bassist admits. “Yet when we actually do sing together, it’s...
Bass Transcription: Mikey Craig’s Bass Line on “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” by Culture Club
Culture Club is a very successful British band that had immense popularity around the world, selling over fifty million records. They were formed in 1981 and were led by vocalist Boy George (George O’Dowd) whose flamboyant androgynous style and sharp tongue attracted huge media interest. The band was considered to be part of the British “New Romantic” movement of the...
Nathan Navarro: 10 Classic Synth Riffs on Bass Guitar
You can always count on Nathan Navarro to put together some creative bass videos. In this one, Nathan takes on 10 songs and 14 riffs (bass and lead) using his bass and a few effects pedals (Future Impact Bass Synth, Nemesis Delay, and Ventris Reverb). He’s even made the transcriptions and backing tracks available on his Patreon page.
IK Multimedia Now Shipping the iRig Stomp I/O USB Pedalboard Controller
IK Multimedia’s iRig lineup has gotten a little bigger with the iRig Stomp I/O. The USB pedalboard controller is designed for live and studio use with a built-in audio interface featuring 24-bit audio and up to 96kHz sampling rate. It also has a combo input jack for use with line, instrument, or mic input with phantom power. The controller connects...
WristGrips Now Available
Playing a lot of bass can lead to some serious issues with your hands and wrists. Ryan Sollee and Gabe Castro are combatting those issues with WristGrips, a one-size-fits-all compression wrap that aims at preventing health problems. “WristGrips help prevent and heal tendonitis, arthritis, and carpal tunnel issues, by compressing and supporting the wrist, increasing oxygen and blood flow to...
Nolabass: An Interview with James Singleton
New Orleans is a city steeped in tradition, but a big part of their culture is constant evolution. That may be why James Singleton is one of the busiest bassists in town. He’s been a mainstay of the scene for over four decades by playing a myriad of styles with tons of music legends: John Scofield, Ellis Marsalis, Stanton Moore,...
Evan Marien x Dana Hawkins: Glacier
We love it when these two get together to record a new video. Here’s bassist Evan Marien and drummer Dana Hawkins doing their thing at Man Made Music Studios in New York. The tune is “Glacier.” If you’re in Europe, you’re in luck. The duo is going on tour in May. Evan has the dates on his website.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Announce 30th Anniversary Tour Dates
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are celebrating 30 years of music this summer with a handful of North American tour dates. The band will feature the original lineup of Fleck, Roy “Future Man” Wooten, Howard Levy, and Victor Wooten. The outing revolves mostly around festivals in late June, kicking off with the Rochester Jazz Festival on June 26th followed by...
Vovox Releases Sonorus XL Cables
Vovox has announced the Sonorous XL series of cables, which they describe as a “top-of-the-line cable series is designed for both musicians and studios.” The Swiss cable company explains their new line is set apart from their Sonorous line by a crystalline structure of the large, solid-core copper conductors. “As a consequence of their exceptional construction, the ‘sonorus XL’ cables...
Learning Tunes: A Checklist for Bass Players
Q: I’ve started learning jazz bass about 7 years ago, coming from over 20 years of violin (classical) training. The first thing I did to move from classical music to jazz was to get all Aebersold play-a-longs, and every transcription I could get on Earth, and dig them. I now feel that this is holding me back quite a bit,...
Elton John: Madman Across the Water (Live)
I spin Elton John’s 17-11-70 album regularly, mostly just to hear the remarkable bass lines of Dee Murray. It never gets old. There’s simply not enough footage of this incredible bassist (or Elton John’s trio) out there, but here’s a great clip of them performing the title track to Madman Across the Water, live in 1971.