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Leonid & Friends: Saturday In The Park
Here’s another fantastic cover by bassist Leonid Vorobyev and his Leonid & Friends Chicago tribute band. This time around, the band performs “Saturday In The Park.” As always, they nailed it.
Victor Wooten Releases “Trypnotyx”
The wait is over: Victor Wooten’s new album Trypnotyx is now available! Featuring the core trio of Wooten, drummer Dennis Chambers, and saxophonist Bob Franceschini, the record is packed tight with sick grooves and overflowing musicality. From the blazing unison riffs of “Dc10” to the floating melody of “Cruising Altitude” to the gritty title track, the group is firing on...
Bass Transcription: Graham Maby’s Bass Line on Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”
Joe Jackson has had a similar career to that of Elvis Costello, first coming to prominence in the “New Wave” era in the late 1970s, and then diversifying into a broader variety of musical styles as he became more established. The initial success of singles such as “Is She Really Going Out with Him?” (1978) and “Different for Girls” (1979)...
Scott and Evan Varney: Subterranean Homesick Alien
Everyone loves a good Radiohead tune. Here’s a cool version of “Subterranean Homesick Alien” performed by bassist Scott Varney with his son Evan on tenor saxophone. Scott sings and fills out the song with the bass line and harmony while Evan adds melodies from the song. “This version is inspired by David Ryan Harris and Bob Reynolds version,” Scott writes....
Wolfgang Van Halen Gives Sneak Peak of New Solo Album
Wolfgang Van Halen has released a new preview of his upcoming solo album. While the record doesn’t have a projected release date, we do know that he is performing all of the instruments and singing all the vocals. Get a taste of what he’s working on here: The bassist, who also plays for the band Van Halen, is the son...
Vox Amps Announces the VX50 BA Tube Bass Combo Amp
Vox Amps has unveiled the VX50 series of amps including the VX50 BA, a compact vacuum tube bass amp. The 50-watt amp is fitted with a new tube called the NuTube. “By using Nutube, the new vacuum tube, this amp achieves 50W of high output power while being more compact, lightweight, and power-efficient,” Vox writes. “You’ll enjoy the rich overtones...
Groove – Episode #33: Doug Johns
Doug Johns is a beast of a bass player. In fact, it’s hard not to mention his name and have the words “funk master” and “groove beast” follow suit. He is a master musician who composes some of the richest bass lines that you will ever hear. His albums have all become bass classics. From his self-titled debut to Pocket...
Snarky Puppy: Shofukan (Live)
Back in 2014, Snarky Puppy released We Like It Here. Here’s a live performance of one of the songs on that album, entitled “Shofukan,” which as always features band leader Michael League on bass. As we shared when the album was released, the album was recorded live in Kytopia Studios in Utrecht, Holland from Oct. 7-10, 2013, and the record...
In Memoriam: Holger Czukay
Holger Czukay, who co-founded and played bass in the experimental rock band Can, has died from unknown causes. He was 79 years old. Czukay was born in what is now Gda?sk, Poland in 1938. He worked at a radio repair shop where he became interested in electrical engineering and the sound of radio broadcasts. This led to an interest in...
Truetone Announces the 1 Spot Pro CS6 Power Supply
Truetone has expanded their 1 Spot line of power supplies with the 1 Spot Pro CS6. The new unit is billed as the “first low-profile power brick to be able to put out up to 1600mA of pure, silent power.” Its thin profile allows it to be mounted under flat pedalboards like the Pedaltrain Nano or Metro series. It has...
Making Music Your Career
Q: I have a job which a) takes up a lot of my time and b) doesn’t pay very well. I’ve been thinking about something you’ve mentioned before about when you quit your job and made your music career your job. Do you have any advice on how to manifest that? A: I will preface this by saying that it...
Olivier Babaz: On The Sunny Side of the Street
Get ready to chill out. Olivier Babaz offers up a nice relaxing arco version of the jazz standard “On The Sunny Sunny Side Of The Street” in this new video. Besides some nice phrasing, Babaz gets a big, warm tone that matches the song’s chill vibe.