News - Page 239

In 2015, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan teamed up with Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin for a new group called the Levee Walkers. Based in Seattle, the band recently recruited local singer-songwriter Ayron Jones to release the songs “All Things Fade Away” and “Madness” on a two-song EP. The downtempo, introspective “All Things...

Double bass guru Adam Ben Ezra is coming to North America this month for his Pin Drop Tour. The Israeli bassist, who mixes percussion in with his melody and harmony lines, made the announcement on his website. “That’s it! Signed, Sealed and now Delivered to you guys… The first dates of my North American tour have been confirmed! Me and...

The double bass meets the electric bass in a new album from John Davis and Janek Gwizdala, aptly entitled Bass Duo. The six-song album features the bassists in an inspired state that was captured in a rush. “Recorded live to tape (yes real tape) in under an hour, this album brings together two long-time bass playing friends and collaborators in...

Earlier this year, Tim Lefebvre and his rhythm section mates from the Tedeschi Trucks Band blew us away with an inspired free improv performance live in Washington, D.C. Whose Hat Is This?, which is filled out by saxophonist Kebbi Williams (Outkast), and drummers JJ Johnson (John Mayer) and Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell (Col. Bruce Hampton), went on to release an equally...

Fans of blues and rock will want to check out Jeff Beck’s latest DVD, Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Recorded in the summer of 2016, the live concert featured songs from the guitar god’s entire career, as far back as The Yardbirds right up to his latest release, Loud Hailer. It also features a plethora of special guest artists including...

The new Weezer album was supposed to be a darker, moodier counterpoint to their last self-titled record referred to as The White Album. However, when the band got together a different mood presented itself. Pacific Daydream is their 11th album and shows a new tonal character for the group. “I’m going to say [it sounds] somewhere between The Beach Boys...

King Crimson’s latest formation is captured in a new official bootleg from this summer. Official Bootleg: Live In Chicago, June 28th, 2017 is a two-CD live release featuring the low-end stylings of Tony Levin, who describes the concert as “One of our best.” The rest of the band includes Mel Collins (Saxes & flute), Robert Fripp (Guitar & keyboards), Gavin...

After parting ways with longtime bassist Timothy Gaines earlier this year, Stryper has finally announced their newest member to be Perry Richardson. He is the third bassist in the band’s 34-year career. A founding member of Firehouse, Richardson has been friends with the band for years. “The first time I met the guys in Stryper was in 1985, when my...

Funk master Bootsy Collins has returned with World Wide Funk, a star-studded album with guest artists ranging from Chuck D. to Dennis Chambers to Buckethead. It’s the former James Brown bassist’s first album in six years. Like any good funk album, World Wide Funk has some killer bass thanks to Collins himself as well as guests Victor Wooten, Stanley Clarke,...

Much of John Entwistle’s best bass work is showcased in a new collection from The Who. Maximum A’s and B’s compiles the band’s complete singles discography into a five-disc box set. The collection has 86 tracks from their time with four labels: Brunswick, Reaction, Track, and Polydor. It begins with songs they released as The High Numbers (“Zoot Suit” and...

2018 is shaping up to be a great year for Judas Priest. The band is among the year’s nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and now they’ve announced a new album and accompanying North American tour. Anchored by bassist Ian Hill, (who has played on every album), Firepower will also coincidentally be their 18th studio album. The...

The legendary David Crosby is continuing a prolific period in his solo career with the release of Sky Trails. Featuring the bass talents of Snarky Puppy’s Michael League, Mai Agan, and Andrew Ford, the album leans towards more jazz vocabulary and has some bass highlights. Among the original songs is a fantastic take on Joni Mitchell’s “Amelia,” which originally featured...