News - Page 244

The Who’s return to the Isle of Wight Festival in 2004 was important for several reasons. First, it was the first time playing the festival since their legendary 1970 performance. It had just been restarted in 2002 after a long absence. Secondly, it was the first time the band played in their home country since the untimely passing of bassist...

Former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters is back with his fifth solo album, entitled Is This The Life We Really Want? It’s his first studio album since 1992’s Amused to Death. As one might expect from the songwriter’s past and present stances, the album is politically-charged. Although he regularly expresses his opinions on the current administration, Is This The Life...

2017 marks the ten years since Between the Buried and Me released their seminal album Colors. To celebrate, the band is embarking on an extensive North American tour in which they will play the album in its entirety. “Colors was our statement of rebellion,” the band states. “We were challenging how others identified us in the context of heavy metal,...

Rockabilly supergroup Headcat has been on hiatus since bassist Lemmy Kilmister’s passing in December 2015. Kilmister formed the band with Slim Jim Phantom and Danny B. Harvey back in 1999 and gigged throughout their 15 years. Now Phantom and Harvey have announced the band will continue with a new bassist/vocalist: former Morbid Angel frontman David Vincent. They announced the new...

Billy Sheehan and Mr. Big are gearing up for their ninth album, due to be released on July 7th. Defying Gravity will feature the original lineup of Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Sheehan, and Pat Torpey, although Torpey shares duties with drummer Matt Starr after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The album will also see the return of their original producer....

Just a month after wrapping a three-month world tour, bass phenom Thundercat is gearing up to do it all over again. The bassist will be flying between North America, Europe, and Japan starting at the end of May and going through November. Many of the summer performances will be festival appearances, though he will start a headlining tour on August...

The Rocky Mountain Bass Slam is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in style. Dubbed “A Decade of Bass Celebration,” the annual event will take place June 4th in Golden, Colorado with a host of incredible bassists including two legends. “In 2017 the RMBS will be featuring two national bass performers in the Legendary Chuck Rainey and SuperFunk Powerhouse Doug Johns,” their...

A bass guitar owned and played by Motown legend James Jamerson will be up for auction later this month. It’s not his infamously stolen Funk Machine, but it is a 1961 Fender Precision that he owned from 1962 until 1967 or 1968. It was then that the instrument was bestowed by the bass legend to fellow Detroit bassist Billy Hayes....

Last week, we reported on funk legend Bootsy Collins being forced to cancel his upcoming tour dates due to a medical emergency. Collins has now had surgery to remove a tumor that was in his ear and took to Facebook to update his fans. “Ahh, Funkateers! We made it out of surgery by the Grace of the “One,'” he wrote....

Calling all solo bass players! Phil Jones Bass, La Bella Strings, MTD Basses, and Tsunami Cables are teaming up for a solo bass competition to be held June 3rd in Brooklyn, New York. The day-long event will also include a Bass Expo showing off all the best gear from the sponsors. “In the previous competition, we had multiple competitors from...

In what may be one of the best things to happen all year, Primus and Clutch are teaming up for a summer tour that will span the entire United States. The trek starts July 18th in Charlotte, North Carolina and will tackle the Northeast and Midwest before ending on the West Coast at the Greek Amphitheater in Berkeley, California. Clutch,...

Funk bass legend Bootsy Collins has canceled all of his current tour dates after being diagnosed with a tumor behind his ear. The bassist will undergo surgery very soon with the doctor recommending canceling his performances. Collins announced the news on his Facebook page with a positive attitude. “Yep Funkateers! I found out last week that I had to get...