News - Page 258

Former Police drummer Stewart Copeland has put together a new group called Gizmodrome, and he picked some heavy hitters to join him. The band is rounded out by Italian keyboardist Vittorio Cosma, guitarist Adrian Belew, and Level 42 bassist Mark King. The project will release their self-titled debut album on September 15th, 2017. Gizmodrome started with Copeland and Cosma, expanding...

If you’ve been online recently, you’ll know the most talked about story in the bass community in the last month has been the auction for a bass previously owned by James Jamerson. Owned by the Motown genius from 1962 until approximately 1968, the 1961 Fender Precision was reportedly given to fellow Detroit bassist Billy Hayes around that time. Hayes used...

Legendary punk band Rancid has returned with their ninth album, Trouble Maker. Anchored by bass freak Matt Freeman, the 19-song collection runs from blistering riffs to ska-infused jams. Freeman’s lines continue to be rooted in driving the song while bringing a melodic element to the grooves. For proof, check out the band playing the album (in the video below). Trouble...

In 2012, Paul Simon reunited with his Graceland musicians to perform special concert at the Hard Rock Calling Festival in London. Held at Hyde Park, the concert also featured special appearances by Hugh Masekela, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Jimmy Cliff. The whole cast was anchored by the unshakeable bass grooves of Bakithi Kumalo. Luckily, it’s been released on DVD. Kumalo,...

Founding members Michael Angelo Batio and frontman Jim Gillette announced last year that they’d be reforming their ’80s glam metal band Nitro for a new album. They also announced that Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler would be filling the group out, though the question of who would play bass on the record has been a mystery until now. “Nitro...

Peter Dominguez has released Groove Dreams, an intimate and jaw-droppingly beautiful new solo double bass album. While the 10-song collection varies in content from jazz standards to new compositions to pop ballads, there is one common thread throughout: the late, great jazz legend Milt Hinton. Dominguez, who is a professor of jazz studies and double bass at Oberlin Conservatory, first...

Bassist Simon Sammut has released his sophomore solo album called Crossing. Following up on 2011’s Bassic Attitude, the effort is an evolution of his sound, which he describes as “fluid in texture and inspiration.” “The musical score and complimentary paintings are based on a common theme of ‘crossing,'” he writes. “Essentially it is about crossing barriers or boundaries whether they...

Grateful Dead fans are ecstatic about Long Strange Trip, the new four-hour documentary that tells the legendary band’s tale. It is showing in select theaters and now streaming on Amazon Prime. As in-depth as the film is, bassist Phil Lesh says it doesn’t cover the whole story. “It’s only telling part of the story,” he told Rolling Stone. “The Grateful...

Thirty-three years after the mockumentary that put Spinal Tap on the map, Derek Smalls is making a solo album. The “Big Bottom” bassist, a character played by Harry Shearer, is reportedly in the process of recording his solo debut, tentatively entitled Smalls Change. Shearer talked about the project with GQ, saying it will “shed light on the travails of partying...

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,...