News - Page 287

A concert on the Japanese leg of Joni Mitchell’s 1983 Refuge World Tour supporting her 1982 album Wild Things Run Fast has been officially released as A Woman in the East. The show, performed at the famed Nippon Budokan Hall, was broadcast live on FM radio and showcased Mitchell and her band, which included bassist Larry Klein (Don Henley, Robbie...

Stalwart metal band W.A.S.P. has released its latest album, Golgotha. “There are times in any band’s career that somehow all things mesh together. Their experiences, influences, and personal timing bring them into a common space,” said frontman Blackie Lawless of the album, which features longtime bassist Mike Duda. “This has happened with this record. Four years in the making has...

Heavy rock band Snail’s latest album, Feral, combines emotionalism, psychedelia and sonic heft. The band returned to music making in 2008 after a short-lived initial career in the early 1990s, when they released one album and one EP. Feral is the band’s fourth 21st century studio album. The record includes two songs contributed all, or in part, by bassist Matt...

Bass legend and Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh has revealed that he is battling bladder cancer. He made the announcement on the Terrapin Crossroads Facebook page while explaining canceled performances later this month. “I was diagnosed with bladder cancer in early October, and have spent the last few weeks at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale doing tests and eventually surgery...

Coheed and Cambria’s latest album, The Color Before the Sun, is something different – it’s not a concept album. According to Rolling Stone, the album was recorded live in the studio with Zach Cooper on bass, and the songs, instead of having a sci-fi concept, reflect bandleader Claudio Sanchez’s impending fatherhood. “This is a new phase in my life. I’m...

Sami Yaffa, onetime bassist for the Finnish band Hanoi Rocks and the New York Dolls, holds down the low end on former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe’s latest solo effort, Blackout States. The album “has all the ingredients of a perfect rock‘n’roll record – strong melodic songs with great meaningful lyrics that defy all clichés, delivered with a punky, ballsy...

Mark your calendars, because the Bass Bash is coming back for 2016! The annual bass-centric event will take place after the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California on January 21st from 6:30pm to 11:00pm and January 22nd from 7pm to midnight. Each night is packed with exhibits, raffles, and performances by some of the world’s best bassists. After nearly a...

Hadrien Feraud has released a teaser of his next album, entitled Born in the 80s. The nearly five-minute preview features clips of several tracks blending jazz fusion, R&B, hip-hop, and soul. While the bassist’s playing will always shine through, the show of diversity and writing styles is core to the album, Feraud says. “This one is not about bass,” he...

The Decemberists have released the five songs that didn’t make it onto its January album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World as the EP, florasongs. Featuring Nate Query (also Black Prairie) on bass, the album’s title references the Portland studio belonging to Tucker Martine, who co-produced What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World with the band. Arguing...

The Small Faces, the 1960s band that evolved from mod to psychedelic in four short years before retooling its lineup and transforming into The Faces, has received the box set treatment for its 1965-67 tenure with Decca Records. Led by bassist/co-songwriter Ronnie Lane and guitarist/co-songwriter Steve Marriott, the British band, in its Decca days, was firmly mod. The five CD...

The Zombies, the British rock band known for 1960s pop hits “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No,” and “Time of the Season” have released the album Still Got That Hunger with a lineup featuring Jim Rodford (Argent, The Kinks) on bass. Rodford’s son’s Steve also handles the drumming duties for the band, which features original members Rod Argent on keyboards...

Bassist, pianist, composer and educator Ariane Cap has decided to make understanding music theory easier to understand for bassists in her book, Music Theory for the Bass Player: A Comprehensive and Hands-on Guide to Playing with More Confidence and Freedom. The theory in the book is designed to be approachable, and can even be used by players who can’t read...