News - Page 292

The self-titled debut album from British band Nothing But Thieves has been released in the United States. The group, with Philip Blake on bass, draws inspiration from bands like Muse and Arcade Fire. According to Musical Merchandise Review, Blake uses Rotosound’s classic Swing Bass 66 strings in 45, 65, 80 and 110 gauges. The band also has almost 2 million...

Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, especially if you’re new to playing bass. Hal Leonard Corp.’s First 50 Songs You Should Play On Bass aims to help. The book features easy arrangements (tab) of songs bassists often want to play. Check out the song list: American Girl Billie Jean Black Dog Blister In The Sun Blitzkrieg Bop Born...

Jazz bassist Janek Gwizdala released his latest solo bass album, American Elm, less than a month after recording it. Gwizdala, featured on the latest Peter Erskine release Dr. Um, recorded American Elm in one day – Dec. 27, 2015 – at Los Feliz Sound in Los Angeles, California. He uses his Fodera Signature 5-string bass, Aguilar SL-212’s and a single...

Peter Hook and the Light will be returning to North America for an extensive tour this fall. Continuing his series of retrospective performances, Hook and crew will be performing Joy Division’s and New Order’s respective Substance albums. The compilation albums collected all of each band’s singles up until that point. “Widely considered New Order’s strongest album, ‘their most popular, well...

Ever since its debut in 2012, the Mack Avenue SuperBand has become a staple of the Detroit Jazz Festival. Now the jazz supergroup is taking it on the road in support of their latest release, . Both the album and the tour are anchored by bass master and musical director Christian McBride. His bandmates for the tour include pianist Christian...

Looking for a little extra help in learning songs you’ve always loved? Hal Leonard Corp. has released its Bass Tab Method – Book Two. The second book helps you learn more notes up the fretboard, scales, and beginner slap bass technique. The book also comes with online audio featuring demos of the riffs/songs covered in the book, which include classics...

German metal band Primal Fear has released its 11th studio album, Rulebreaker. The album was produced by the band’s bassist, Mat Sinner, who says on Blabbermouth that the album’s opening track, “Angels of Mercy,” “represents the entire album in a great way.” Here’s what he’s talking about: Rulebreaker is available on and as a digital download ( and ). Rulebreaker...

The Tedeschi Trucks Band’s third studio album, Let Me Get By, is also the group’s first with bassist Tim Lefebvre, known for his work in jazz and funk circles and on David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar. Let Me Get By is the first featuring all band-penned songs, and the first album for co-bandleader Derek Trucks, since the Allman Brothers Band...

Dream Theater’s latest album, The Astonishing, is a double-CD prog-metal extravaganza. As always, band co-founder John Myung handles bass duties on the album, which also employs the talents of prolific choral/orchestral arranger and conductor David Campbell, who is also known as the father of rock artist Beck. With a cast of characters, map and complete storyline, the album’s trailer offers...

2016 is turning out to have some incredible tours for bassists. The Who will be continuing their “The Who Hits 50!” tour with a new North American leg, and they’ve tapped Australian bass phenom Tal Wilkenfeld to open the shows. Between Pino Palladino in the The Who and Wilkenfeld’s band, these shows are going to be bumping. Wilkenfeld shared her...

Post-punk band Savages, with Ay?e Hassan on bass, has released its sophomore effort, Adore Life. Adore Life is a bit of a different animal from the band’s 2013 debut, Silence Yourself. “This record came out of us being on the road together and learning how to be with each other over the last three years and responding to the attention...

Fans of the band Lush have reason to celebrate in 2016. The band is reuniting for its first live shows since 1996 – two in May in London, one in April in Manchester, and one in September in New York City – and it has released a five-disc retrospective box set. The set, called Chorus, includes the band’s three studio...