News - Page 235

The Bass Bash is returning to Anaheim, California for its 15th anniversary, and this time they’re pulling out all the stops. The two-night event, which coincides with the Winter NAMM Show, features some of the most talented bassists in the world performing on one stage. The lineup for Thursday, January 25th will include Mohini Dey, Cheikh Ndoye, Reggie Young, Abraham...

The Muscle Shoals sound was the key to some America’s most popular music of the ’60s and ’70s. The secret weapon, of course, was the group of musicians, dubbed The Swampers, who made up the legendary rhythm section for so many hits. They crafted hits for Aretha Franklin, Big Joe Turner, the Staple Singes, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, and more....

Back in June, we reported that Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls (portrayed by actor/bassist Harry Shearer) would be releasing a solo album. Now we have more details and the title track from Smalls Change. The album, which is a contemplation on an aging rocker, is packed with guest artists including Peter Frampton, Donald Fagen, Dweezil Zappa, Rick Wakeman, Richard Thompson,...

Dead & Company are heading back out for an extensive summer tour in 2018. Featuring members of the Grateful Dead and anchored by bassist Oteil Burbridge, the band will kick things off May 30th in Mansfield, Massachusetts before heading down the East Coast, across the Midwest, and to the West Coast. They’ll wrap the trek up with a pair of...

Guitar legend Joe Satriani has just released his sixteenth studio album, What Happens Next, and he lined up a killer trio for it. The record is filled out by Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and former Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes. Though he’s known for his progressive style, Satriani took a more straight-forward approach he described as “pure...

Corrosion of Conformity has returned with No Cross No Crown, their first album to feature guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan since 2005’s In the Arms of God. Keenan reunited with the band in 2016 to return them from a trio to a quartet. “It’s been great, definitely good to have the whole crew in effect and go out there and take it...

The Steep Canyon Rangers have announced a change in the ranks with the addition of bassist Barrett Smith, who will fill the shoes of Charles Humphrey III. Humphrey was the band’s original bassist, but they say Smith is already a great fit. “Our new bass player is Barrett Smith,” Woody Platt stated. “He’s from Columbia, South Carolina, but we met...

Without a doubt, James Jamerson is a huge figure in the history of the electric bass. His work on countless Motown hits inspired scores of bassists while creating the groove that made a generation dance. Now his family wants his burial site to have a headstone to match his legacy. Jamerson’s cousin Anthony McKnight has started a GoFundMe crowd-funding campaign...

Rockabilly fans rejoice: The Stray Cats are reuniting to perform their first North American performance in 10 years. The original trio of Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom, and Lee Rocker will be performing at the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend on Saturday, April 21st. The band, known for hits like “Stray Cat Strut” and “Rock This Town”, got their start...

Each summer the Tedeschi Trucks Band puts on their Wheels of Soul Tour with a killer lineup. This year is no different as the band has tapped Drive-By Truckers and The Marcus King Band to join them on the 19-date trek. “We all draw from some of the same roots,” co-bandleader Derek Trucks explains. “But we also share a different...

Mike Gordon has announced a new string of tour dates in support of his latest album, OGOGO, that will take the bassist and his band through the Northeast. The extra dates which land in March and April, are added to his current 2018 schedule that focuses on the West Coast and South. Gordon’s band consists of guitarist Scott Murawski, keyboardist...

Janek Gwizdala has just published the follow up to 2014’s All The Good Stuff instructional book with a release called All The Better Stuff. Crammed with exercises and lessons for electric bass, the new book is a continuation of the bassist’s dive into his approach to practice. “The entire purpose of this and all of the books I write is...