News - Page 410

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Gerald Veasley‘s popular Bass Boot Camp, and the bassist has just announced that Rhonda Smith will be joining the instructor line up. In addition to Veasley and Smith, the 2011 camp instructors include Adam Nitti, Jimmy Haslip, Anthony Wellington, David Dyson, Bryan Beller and Richard Waller. The camp runs from March 25 through...

Mr. Big has announced the North American release of their seventh full-length studio album, What If. The album, previously released in Europe, is the first all-original album since the band’s four original members – bassist Billy Sheehan, vocalist Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert and drummer Pat Torpey – reunited in 2009. What If was recorded in September and October 2010...

After a long wait, the Lemmy documentary has been released on DVD. The nearly two-hour film, which took about four years to make, gives an unprecedented look into the life of rock icon and Motörhead bassist/frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Originally screened at last year’s South by Southwest festival, the documentary includes interviews with Metallica, Dave Grohl, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, and more...

The hopes for a full Black Sabbath reunion seem to have come to a halt, according to a post from bassist Geezer Butler. In a statement on his website, Butler wrote, “I would like to make it clear, because of mounting speculation and rumours, that there will be definitely NO reunion of all four original members of Black Sabbath, whether...

Anchored by Chris Squire, the veteran prog-rockers in Yes will be hitting the U.S. with a new string of tour dates. The “Rite of Spring Tour” starts March 6, 2011 at the House of Blues in Houston, Texas and works its way around the East Coast and Midwest before ending in Washington, DC on April 4, focusing on clubs and...

Motörhead has released The Wörld is Yours, the trio’s 28th album. Led by icon Lemmy Kilmister, the group is releasing the CD in celebration of their 35th anniversary, with the bassist/singer being the sole constant member. The new album is the follow-up to 2008’s Motorizer, and is also the first record to be released on their new Motörhead Music label....

In addition to the new Yin Yang Standard Bass, Fodera was showing off their new Mike Pope Signature Viceroy at their NAMM booth. The 6-string bass has some very innovative features, including a removable fingerboard extension that’s held in by strong magnets. The extension allows for the bass to transition between 20 and 24-frets, which Pope explains makes a big...

Evan Marien has just released his newest EP, Here We Are, a 5-track album of original material written and mostly performed by the bassist himself. Marien laid down bass, keys, vocals, and computer programming, while getting help from drummer Louis Cato and guitarist Iakov Kremenskly for the tune “Hill,” and drummer Dana Hawkins on “Bloke” and “OC.” The music is...

Hal Leonard released a series of “Legendary Songs” books, including one for the bass. Legendary Bass Guitar Songs documents 39 different tunes by legendary bassists, including James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, Jack Bruce, John Paul Jones, Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, Steve Harris, Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke. Songs by James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone, AC/DC, the Clash, the...

Jazz saxophonist Donny McCaslin has released his ninth solo album, Perpetual Motion, featuring the electric bass talents of Tim LeFebvre. The 10-track album is full of odd meter grooves and rich harmonies, creating a very hip and modern vibe. LeFebvre’s bass really shines on “Firefly,” a tune that begins with an eerie bass solo that builds into the sax’s theme,...

NAMM 2011 saw the release of the newest addition to MXR’s Bass Innovations pedal line, the M87 Bass Compressor. Featuring a an 10-LED meter to indicate Gain Reduction, the stompbox has all the standard compressor controls, including Attack, Release, Ratio, Input, and Output. The new pedal also utilizes the company’s Constant Headroom Technology, which is a circuit that provides extra...

Mike Lull introduced a new Tom Petersson signature bass, the TPT4, at NAMM this year. The TPT4 is based on Lull’s T4, with some tweaking specified by the Cheap Trick bassist. One of the key differences is the pickup placement. The pickups, made by Lull, are both pushed up closer to the neck: a position that Petersson worked meticulously at...