Buzz
Darryl Anders and AgapéSoul Release “Conversations”
Bassist Darryl Anders and AgapéSoul have released their long-awaited sophomore album, Conversations. Similar to their first album, the modern soul band dishes out beautiful melodies and lush harmonies held together by Anders’ rich bass tone. This time around they called upon some fantastic guest artists including Tommy Sims, Geoffrey Williams, Eric Gales, Paul Jackson Jr., and members of Snarky Puppy....
The Violent Femmes Unveil Fall Tour Dates
The Violent Femmes have announced a new set of fall tour dates. Starting October 26th at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the trio will visit New York, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, and Michigan during the trek. The band is, of course, driven in part by the unmistakable acoustic bass guitar of Brian Ritchie. Check out this performance of their...
RPS Effects Introduces the Warp Drive and Tremulus Maximus Pedals
RPS Effects has announced the Warp Drive and Tremulus Maximus, a pair of all-analog pedals they describe as “providing options for the more adventurous player.” Each pedal features expression inputs for adjusting parameters on the fly. The Warp Drive is a delay pedal that offers up to 900ms of delay time and a Warp feature that varies the delay time...
Joe Dart and Federico Malaman: Dean Town
Vaughan Gilligan shared this video on our Facebook group, and it is worthy of paying it forward. “Joe Dart came to my town the other day for a masterclass. He signed my bass and let me take a few pics with him! I got a vid of him playing ‘Dean Town’ for those interested,” Vaughan shared. Dart was joined on...
Martin Nevin Releases Debut Solo Album, “Tenderness is Silent”
Composer and double bassist Martin Nevin has worked with some of the top jazz musicians of our times: Albert “Tootie” Heath, Greg Osby, Ethan Iverson, and Ambrose Akinmusire, and more. Now he’s stepping out front with his debut album as a leader, entitled Tenderness is Silent. While Nevin is known for his jazz work, his new release doesn’t fit neatly...
ZVEX Effects Unveils the Germanium Woolly Mammoth Mod Pedal
ZVEX Effects found a batch of rare spam can transistors that they’ve put to use in a new modded version of their flagship pedal. The Germanium Woolly Mammoth Mod is described as “highly uncompressed [and] very dynamic.” “On bass, you can really tell the difference as a result of the larger signal level in the low end,” they note. “It’s...
Jeff Berlin on Jaco Pastorius: Harmonics
In my younger years, Jaco Pastorius and Jeff Berlin were two of the titans of bass I looked up to. So it was super cool to spot this video by Jeff talking about Jaco’s use of harmonics. I remember watching Modern Electric Bass back in the ’80s. Jerry Jemmott asked Jaco how he came to use harmonics in his playing....
Derrick Hodge Anchors R+R=NOW’s Debut Album
R+R=NOW is a new group featuring the monster talents of pianist Robert Glasper, keyboardist Terrace Martin, trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, beatboxer and synth player Taylor McFerrin, drummer Justin Tyson, and bassist Derrick Hodge. The collective gets their name from a Nina Simone quote, with the R+R standing for “Reflect and Respond”. “[It is] an artist’s duty… to reflect the...
Blink-182 Announce Tour Dates, Rescheduled Las Vegas Residency
After canceling a Las Vegas residency earlier this year due to drummer Travis Barker’s health, Blink-182 have rescheduled the shows as well as announced a handful of tour dates for September. The band, anchored by Mark Hoppus, will be focusing on the Midwest in September starting on the 12th in Moorehead, Minnesota. The Las Vegas residency is now set for...
Disappearing Man: An Interview with Byron Isaacs
Over his career, Byron Isaacs has worked with some of the greatest songwriters of our time: Levon Helm, Willie Nelson, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Roseanne Cash, and more. He co-founded the bands Ollabelle and Lost Leaders, plus he’s spent the past few years recording and touring the world with The Lumineers. Suffice it to say, he’s been around...
Vulfpeck: Captain Hook
Vulfpeck has just released a video of a tune from their album, Mr Finish Line, and this one is special. In addition to the groovy bass by the one and only Joe Dart, the track also features Bootsy Collins, Baby Theo, and Mushy Kay on vocals. Dig it.
Covet Returns with “effloresce”
Bay Area instrumental trio Covet has released effloresce, which guitarist Yvette Young describes as “post rock intensity meets more proggy/mathy songwriting.” Young’s captivating two-handed tapping technique drives the melodies while drummer Forrest Rice and bassist David Adamiak support with dream-like grooves. Some of that ethereal vibe comes from exploring new harmonic textures, says Adamiak. “On this recording, we experiment with...