News - Page 349

Legendary British metal group Judas Priest has announced the U.S. tour dates on their Epitaph tour, which they say will be their final world tour. The 20-date excursion includes four shows in Canada, with most dates spread across the U.S. Though most of the concerts are planned for the West Coast, more dates are expected to be announced. Bassist Ian...

Melvin Lee Davis has released Genre: Music, an album that stands to defy singular musical styles. The bassist, who also produced the record, enlisted the help of many of his friends, including drummer Ron Bruner, Jr., Lakin, Oscar Seaton, Jesse Milliner, Jeff Babko and more. As the title suggests, the 14 tracks are a unique blend of styles that the...

Bassist Alberto Rigoni has released his second solo album, Rebirth, on Nightmare Records. The 9-track set sees Rigoni flexing his compositional muscles with compelling tunes that range from ambient grooves to full-on prog-rock jams. Rigoni, who is also a member of Twinspirits and Lady & The Bass, enlisted the help of fellow bassists Michael Manring and Yves Carbonne on a...

Freekbass has released his fifth full length album, Concentrate. The bassist, who funk legend Bootsy Collins took under his wing, used the project to mix his two passions – electronica and funk bass – to create hard grooving and heavy soundscapes. The ten tracks are full of special guests, including DJ Spooky, Adam Deitch, Steve Molitz, Tobotius, and Bootsy himself....

Bryan Beller has released Thanks In Advance: The Official Bass Transcription Book, with completely accurate details of the bass lines, fingerings, and techniques he used on his second solo album. Beller employed the work of Stevie Glasgow for the actual transcription work, then worked with him to edit it to be 100% accurate. He also included notes about each song,...

Bassist Steve Lawson has released his first solo studio album in 6 years, entitled 11 Reasons Why 3 Is Greater Than Everything. Recorded between October 2010 and April 2011, “11 Reasons” is full of ambient as well as melodic music that the bassist describes as a “film in 11 discreet acts.” Lawson once again puts his looping expertise to good...

Hal Leonard has released Rock Bass Songs for Dummies, a transcription book featuring 38 classic rock tunes. The book includes transcriptions for all 38 songs, presented in both music notation and tab, along with performance notes. The guide presents additional details on bass techniques such as hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides. For music trivia enthusiasts, background information on each song and...

Return to Forever has announced the their US dates to their World Tour, which will span August and September. Bass giant Stanley Clarke, who turns 60 in June, will be joining returning members Chick Corea and Lenny White as well as new members Frank Gambale and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty for the trek with the band, dubbed “Return to Forever IV”....

The Foo Fighters, anchored by bassist Nate Mendel, has announced a U.S. tour spanning September in support of their latest effort, Wasting Light. The album is is their first in four years, following 2007’s Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. Mendel says the new record has the group getting back to basics. “The last couple of albums in particular, we were...

David Hughes has released his fourth solo album, entitled Hopeful Romantic. The album features ten of the bassist’s original tunes, revolving around jazz, funk, and jazz/rock fusion. While the bass gets a lot of time to shine on melodies and solos, the album’s tone centers more around the ensemble playing and the compositions. Hughes pulled out his arsenal of basses...

Bassist Alex Bershadsky has released his latest solo effort, Anonymous. The 8-track album is full of Bershadsky’s fusion compositions, with heavy influences from jazz, funk, and R&B. The final two tracks are his arrangements of the traditional song “Ma’oz Tzur,” on which he plays solo bass, and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The band on the album proves its versatility...

As we reported back in March, the original members of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones have reunited to record Rocket Science, released today. Pianist/harmonica player Howard Levy returned to the group for the first time since 1991, with bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist/drummer Roy “Futureman” Wooten and banjoist and leader Bela Fleck. The group wanted to avoid doing the “reunion thing”,...