Buzz
Robert Trujillo: Polar Music Prize Interview
Metallica has been awarded The Polar Music Prize for 2018 – considered the Nobel Prize for music. This marks the first time a heavy metal band has received the honor. The award includes one million Swedish kronor, (approximately $126,000), which the band said will be donated to its own “All Within My Hands” organization, which aids communities in need with...
The Descendents Announce U.S. Tour Dates
Karl Alvarez and The Descendents have announced a spring tour to continue support for their 2016 album Hypercaffium Spazzinate. The massive tour will take them from April 12th in Tampa, Florida to November 17th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Check out Alvarez’s tasty bass work in the video for “Without Love”: The Descendents 2018 Tour Dates:
Bass of the Week: Majesté Guitars Buckeye 5
This week we’re taking a look at another great bass we saw at the NAMM Show: the Majesté Buckeye 5. Majesté’s Willy Abued showed us the bass, which is named after its stunning buckeye maple top. Its striking body shape is made with debitou for the body wings while the five-piece carbon-reinforced azobe and maple neck runs through the length...
Talking Technique: Thinking Inside the Box – Upper Structure Pentatonics
Today’s episode is all about thinking inside the box. Pentatonic box shapes only on the G and D string are easy to finger and make for quite the pizzazz when you lay them over a variety of chords. Check out the PDF to guide you along the easy shape and what colors you introduce using them with various chords.
Guthrie Govan with Mohini Dey: Wonderful Slippery Thing
Today’s video feature a couple of true virtuosos: guitarist Guthrie Govan and bassist Mohini Dey, who perform Govan’s tune, “Wonderful Slippery Thing.” Mohini is laying it down!
Gibson Guitars In Major Financial Trouble
There’s more troubling news abound for industry giant Gibson Guitars. After announcing plans to sell off their downtown Memphis factory, rumors have been flying that they may be facing bankruptcy in the coming months. In an article for the Nashville Post, Geert De Lombaerde laid out the dire state of affairs. “The situation facing the iconic Nashville-based music instrument maker,...
Hartke Introduces TX300 Bass Amp and HyDrive 112b Bass Cabinet
Hartke launched a pair of new bass amplification products at NAMM this year: the TX300 bass amplifier and the HyDrive 112b cabinet. Both products are lightweight and a good match for each other, with the TX300 weighing in at just five pounds. The TX300 offers 300 watts with Hartke’s 3-band EQ and Shape circuit for tonal flexibility. “The Shape control...
Brady Watt: “Roots Around My Ribcage” Live in Brooklyn with the Lifetronics
Brady Watt shared his new live video on Facebook, and I watched it more than a few times. “A live version of ‘Roots Around My Ribcage’ all music heads will dig this performance! On my Fretless Modulus Quantum 5,” Brady shared. Dig that tone! This one grooves.
The Wood Brothers Release “One Drop of Truth”
The Wood Brothers have returned with their sixth album entitled One Drop of Truth. The 10-song album deviates from their previous efforts by presenting each song as its own masterpiece, diving into a variety of styles and influences. “Often, when you’re making an album in the traditional way, there will be a unifying concept, whether that be in the approach...
Ibanez Unveils SRMS800 Series Basses
Ibanez has expanded their multi-scale bass lineup by adding the SRMS800, SRMS805, and SRMS806 to their Bass Workshop series. Each bass is built with a five-piece jatoba and walnut neck that has fanned frets for consistent tone across open strings, improved intonation, and comfort. The four-string SRMS800, five-string SRMS805, and the six-string SRMS806 all feature a gloss finish over a...
Kevin “KJ” Jacoby & The Oddysy: Incantation
Kevin “KJ” Jacoby shared this video with us, featuring his new project, The Oddyssey. “Last year I started a project with DJ Johnny Juice (Public Enemy, Beastie Boys) called The Oddysy. We recently shot a video for our first single, ‘Incantation’,” he shared. “This is a brand new sound for me. I’m dividing my signal between an Epifani amp and...
Cody Wright Featured on “Toejam and Earl” Soundtrack
Old school gamers got super excited in 2016 when it was announced that the classic Sega Genesis game “Toejam and Earl” was going to get a new chapter called “Back in the Groove.” The game is still being finished up, but the super funky soundtrack performed by Cody Wright is now available. Wright recreates some of the original grooves while...