News - Page 382

Jack Bruce and His Big Blues Band will be hitting the road for a UK tour this month. The trek will be kicking off with a three day residency at Ronnie Scott’s in London before taking over the rest of the country. In addition to the tour, the group will be part of the lineup for the Perth Festival of...

Grindcore band Napalm Death have released Utilitarian, their 14th studio album of original material. Anchored by bassist Shane Embury, the 16-track collection continues their tradition of extreme music with in-your-face riffs and aggressive vocals. “After some deliberation, we decided on ‘Utilitarian’ as the album title,” vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway said. “We generally try to avoid generic titles, and this seemed...

Black Country Communion have released a CD version of Live Over Europe as a follow-up to the DVD of the same name. Taken from their 2011 European tour, the 2-CD set features 17 tracks of the band’s original songs as well as two tunes from the band members’ previous work. Comprised of bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason...

When you’ve been rocking as long as the members of Mr. Big have, it stands to reason that you might want to shake things up from time to time. Last year, the quartet did just that. After 14 years, Mr. Big’s original line up of bassist Billy Sheehan, vocalist Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert and drummer Pat Torpey reunited and...

Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard recently tweeted that the band is gearing up for its 2012 North American tour, and the band followed with an official announcement. The tour kicks off May 18th in Woodlands, Texas and will include two-night shows in many cities, following a hiatus in 2011. The tour will also include the band’s first headline appearance...

Progressive rock/fusion group BangTower is gearing up for a tour with the release of several new music videos over the coming weeks. Bassist Percy Jones anchors the trio, which also features guitarist Neil Citron and drummer Walter Garces for the coming tour. The video releases will include tracks from the band’s most recent release, Casting Shadows, as well as footage...

Hal Leonard’s Bass Play-Along series reaches number 40 with the release of AC/DC: Bass Play-Along. The new book features bass transcriptions for eight AC/DC hits from over the years, as originally recorded with bassists Cliff Williams and Mark Evans. The 64 page book includes TAB as well as the melody and lyrics for each tune. Like all the other releases...

Since the release of their second studio album ironically entitled III, Chickenfoot has only given a handful of performances in the U.S. and Europe. That’s about to change as the group has announced the “Different Devil Tour”, with 20 dates spanning the U.S. and a single date in Canada. Originally formed in 2008, the band consists of former Van Halen...

Last year, the Red Hot Chili Peppers returned with their latest album, I’m With You. The album was the band’s first in five years, tenth overall, and first to feature guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who replaced longtime guitarist John Frusciante. The album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album and was well received by fans. Hal Leonard has just...

When Gary Husband went into the studio for his latest record, the drummer, keyboardist and composer enlisted the help of an all-star cast to help him make it a reality. The result is Dirty and Beautiful Volume 2, the follow up to Husband’s 2010 Vol. 1 release of the same name. Among the musicians Husband recruited is Level 42 bassist...

BB Blackdog is a band that defies the norm. Comprised of two bassists and a drummer, the Steampunk rock outfit has been spreading their own brand of catchy riffs and low-end goodness for several years with tours across Europe and the U.S. John Ferguson is the band’s rhythm bassist and Dale Rowles is the lead bassist and vocalist. The trio...

Big Sir has released their fourth album, Before Gardens After Gardens. Part electronica and part indie rock, the band is a collaboration between Mars Volta bassist Juan Alderete and vocalist Lisa Papineau who provide the foundation for the music. Before Gardens After Gardens deals with life and death, as the both Alderete and Papineau were diagnosed with serious illnesses around...