News - Page 249

Post-bop jazzman Michael Oien has released his debut album, And Now. “This is my most important artistic statement so far, writing my own music and recording it with my own band,” says Oien, a double bassist who has made a name for himself in the New York City jazz scene. The band is a quintet that also includes alto saxophonist...

Top session bassist Mike Visceglia committed the experience of being a pro bassist to print with his book A View From the Side, which is now available in a new paperback edition. Visceglia, well-known for his work with John Cale and Suzanne Vega, has also played/performed with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Phoebe Snow and Bette Midler. The...

Vinyl-loving Queen fans can now get their hands on a 4-LP version of last year’s Queen Forever compilation, which included a “lost” ballad version of late singer Freddie Mercury’s “Love Kills.” Queen Forever focuses on the band’s love songs and includes work from its now-retired bassist John Deacon. Deacon’s work is not only present throughout the album, but it also...

The quirky jam legends of Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit have announced they will be reuniting this summer for a handful of tour dates presented by Relix Magazine. Originally formed in 1988, the band will hit the road with its classic lineup of Hampton, guitarist Jimmy Herring, drummer Jeff Sipe, and bassist Oteil Burbridge. The band will...

Incubus has released the first of two EPs slated for release this year. The rockers’ first EP of the year, Trust Fall (Side A) features four songs, including the title track “Trust Fall,” which bassist Ben Kenney calls “our seven-minute FM-radio opus… It’s our ‘Stairway.’” The last bit of that comment is a little tongue-in-cheek (see the first video, below)....

Death metal band Six Feet Under, originally formed as a side project from Cannibal Corpse by frontman Chris Barnes, has released its 11th album, Crypt of the Devil. The record was recorded bassist/guitarist Phil Hall’s studio in Virginia, which is where Hall tracked its bass and guitar parts. The sound achieved is just what you’d expect. Check out “Open Coffin...

Post-punk trio METZ has released its second effort, II, which the band describes as a “heavier, darker, and sloppier” album than its debut. The band, with Chris Slorach on bass, wrote the record over the course of about six months and recorded II in three different Canadian studios. The trio have created a loud, intense sound. Check it out on...

Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote’s latest album Choose Your Weapon, is a 70-minute monster. Bassist Paul Bender calls it “huge, massive, complex puzzle,” according to The Guardian. The band’s sound has been described as “future soul” and progressive. It’s pretty singular. Check out “Breathing Underwater” from Choose Your Weapon: Choose Your Weapon is , and as a digital download ( and...

Jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington pulled in not one, but two top-notch bassists for his latest, The Epic. Miles Mosley (Jeff Beck, Joni Mitchell, Common) handles acoustic bass on the record and Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner (Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, ex-Suicidal Tendencies) is on electric in the 10-piece-jazz band assembled by Washington. The album lives up to its name, too: the music...

Just about everything you need to know about playing bass with a pick is covered in Stuart Clayton’s Plectrum Techniques for Bass Guitar. The book, with 201 exercises, can be used by every player — from beginner to advanced. The book also includes four study pieces. All are supported by downloadable audio. Chapters cover triplets, as well as rock, metal,...

D’Angelo’s Voodoo was a delight for bass/soul fans, offering up grooves from star session player Pino Palladino. Inspired by old-school soul and R&B, the 2000 record is now considered a classic, and it’s getting the kind of treatment a classic deserves — a reissue on heavyweight white vinyl. The reissue has appeared as D’Angelo prepares to hit the road to...

Paul McCartney has plotted more U.S. Tour Dates as part of his continuing “Out There” trek, including two festival appearances. The former Beatles bassist, who is currently making his way through Japan and South Korea, will be heading back to the States starting June 19th at the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware. He then heads to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before...