News - Page 275

Blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa’s 12th album, Blues of Desperation, sees him returning to Nashville, where he composed his previous record, 2014’s Different Shades of Blue. His bassist on the new record is Michael Rhodes, who also handled some of the bass work on Different Shades of Blue. Rhodes is a Nashville stalwart who has played with everyone from Reba McEntire,...

Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth has released its 10th studio effort, Jomsviking, named after a legendary order of viking mercenaries. Ted Lundström handles bass on the album, as he has throughout the band’s recording career. While Jomsviking, which tells a story set in the mercenaries’ world, is the band’s first concept album, it remains in familiar territory for the...

If you love the bass lines the late Boz Burrell played in Bad Company and long to recreate them, you’re in luck. Eric Beaulé has transcribed a dozen Burrell bass lines in the eBook, Boz Burrell, Bad Company Bass Transcriptions. Written in standard notation and TAB, the book covers some of Bad Company’s top songs. Burrell, who often played fretless,...

Metalcore band Asking Alexandria has released its fourth album, The Black. The record, the band’s first with new vocalist Denis Stoff, appeared on the heels of a harrowing accident involving bassist Sam Bettley, who, in March, flipped a van after blowing a tire. Bentley shared photos of the accident on Instagram, saying he was “lucky to be alive.” Check out...

Robin Trower, the guitarist known for his work in Procol Harum, his own power trio, and collaborations with Bryan Ferry and Jack Bruce, has released Where You Are Going To and announced a spring tour of the U.S. East Coast. Trower handles guitar and vocals on the record and shares bass duties with Livingstone Brown (The Climax Blues Band, Tina...

French bass player and composer Olivier Babaz has released his third trio album, Odd Light, with guitarist Francois Jalbert and drummer Mark Nelson. The album, a follow up to Midnight Caffeine (2012) and Virages (2014), explores textures and architectures in a space where jazz, world music, folk and progressive rock intersect. A grant from the Montreal (Canada) Arts Council and...

Note-for-note bass transcriptions of songs by legendary tunesmiths Burt Bacharach & Hal David and the bands Madness and The Jam are now available, courtesy of Guitar Music Publishing. Peter Croppier transcribed downloadable PDF books for each of the artists, and the combined music you can play as the result of his work is something else. Just take a look at...

Primus frontman and bass wizard Les Claypool has teamed up with Sean Lennon to form a new band called The Claypool Lennon Delirium, and they’re taking the show on the road. The duo has announced their album, Monolith of Phobos, will be released on June 3rd with a three month tour to follow. Claypool and Lennon first got together during...

Renowned jazz bassist Brian Bromberg is back with Full Circle, his first album since 2012. In the interim between albums, Bromberg suffered an injury that left him with a back broken in two places and requiring rehabilitation to be able to walk. Full Circle is a testament to his recovery. A desire to play music with his late father, a...

The Beathaven service offers a players a unique way to be heard, and get paid. The process is pretty simple: pay $4.99 to access one of the many tracks on Beathaven’s site. Download the track. Add your parts to the track. Upload the track, with your parts. Get feedback from music industry professionals about your work. And, if your tracks...

Bassist and composer Marcos Varela’s new album, San Ygnacio, has already garnered a four-star review from All About Jazz. Varela, who was born in Texas, but has been a New York jazz fixture for more than a decade, explores his heritage on San Ygnacio. “San Ygnacio is a rare mixed bag disc that works exceedingly well,” the All About Jazz...

Norwegian progressive metal outfit Circus Maximus has released its fourth studio effort, Havoc. “Metaphorically, it’s about succumbing to fire and striving to cope with the aftermath of decisions when overshadowed by the love we have for others and ourselves,” according to guitarist and producer Mats Haugen. Havoc is the first release since 2012’s Nine for the band, which features founding...