News - Page 409

Stuart Clayton has released his latest bass method book, The Bass Player’s Guide to Scales & Modes, through his Bassline Publishing company. The Bass Player’s Guide to Scales & Modes is a thorough reference manual featuring all the scales, modes and arpeggios, from construction to recommended fretboard patterns. “[This] is a book that I have written in response to teaching...

Chris Tarry has released his latest project, Rest of the Story, a multi-media composition including a 100 page book and CD. The Canadian-born jazz bassist is also a writer, and the book includes his short stories as well as unique art. That’s not to say the music is a side-note, as the nine-track album is full of Tarry’s original compositions....

Jack Bruce and the Cuicoland Express’s Live at the Milky Way has been released by EMI and is now available worldwide. The 2-disc album comes from a 2001 performance at The Melkweg in Amsterdam. Bruce’s band, the Cuicoland Express, included guitarist Vernon Reid, Bernie Worrell on organ, drummers Robby Ameen and Horacio Hernandez, and Richie Flores on Congas. Hardcore Jack...

South African rockers Seether have announced an extensive spring tour schedule spanning the U.S. East Coast and Midwest. The trek comes in support of their upcoming album, Holding on to Strings Better Left to Fray, available May 24. Bassist Dale Stewart explains the new record mixes it up by featuring writing contributions from the whole group, but still has the...

The jam masters in Phish have announced a string of summer tour dates spanning the East Coast, starting in Bethel, New York and snaking down to Georgia before finishing up at Portsmouth, Virginia’s Ntelos Wireless Pavilion. The tour will come hot on the heels of bassist Mike Gordon’s solo tour, which wraps up in late March. The tour is a...

After appearing on a couple dates of Prince’s “Welcome 2 America” tour, Larry Graham has announced a string of initial US concerts for his band, Graham Central Station. Though the calendar only includes six dates, the slap bass pioneer posted on his website, sharing the “Funk Around the World” Tour will soon include more shows, including stops at cities around...

Tower of Power, the powerhouse funk and soul band anchored by bassist and original member Rocco Prestia is releasing their long-anticipated 40th Anniversary concert footage. The two disc (CD and DVD) release features the band performing live at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, recorded in October, 2008. The DVD includes bonus footage, including the “East Bay Tour”, with original...

Alligator Records is celebrating its 40th anniversary by releasing a special 2-disc set showcasing the Chicago-based blues label’s past and present talents, ranging from Koko Taylor to Tinsley Ellis. The 38-track collection is a chockfull of great bass grooves and tones, including the songs “Daddy Pinocchio” by William Clarke, “You Can’t Judge a Book By The Cover” by Roy Buchanan,...

Bassist Bunny Brunel has announced the release of the latest CAB album, Live on Sunset. The lineup for this live performance includes Brunel on bass, Virgil Donati on drums, long-time CAB member Tony MacAlpine on guitar and Dennis Hamm on keys. Recorded live at SIR in Hollywood on November 14, 2010, Live on Sunset features new material. The album is...

Radiohead’s newest album, King of Limbs, is now available for download, with physical copies to be released in retail stores on March 28. The release was announced less than a week ago, and in fact was released a day earlier than previously stated. Colin Greenwood’s bass and synth bass hold down the abstract collection of songs, which feature intense polyrhythms...

New Wave rockers The Cars have reformed to record new material for the first time since their split in 1988, though the group will be missing bassist/vocalist Benjamin Orr, who died of cancer in 2000. Co-founder Ric Ocasek told Rolling Stone that, “This is not a reunion – it’s more like a conjunction. I never thought I’d make another Cars...

Bassist Bernhard Lackner has released a new instructional book, Plucking Hand Workout For Electric Bass, featuring 200 exercises on 2-finger right hand technique. Written in both standard notation and tablature, the book focuses on developing your plucking hand in order to improve your overall technique, tone and musicianship. The exercises start at the beginning with quarter notes and work up...