News - Page 417

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...

Hal Leonard has released a KISS Bass Play-Along book, featuring bass lines played by Gene Simmons written out in TAB format. The accompanying CD has tracks with and without the bass line to help you hear what it should sound like, then play it on your own. The disc plays in any CD player, but it’s also enhanced to allow...

Hartke has released the Kilo Bass Amplifier, a new head unit that delivers 1,000 watts via bridged mono or 500 watts per side in stereo or dual mono. Housed in a 3U rackspace chassis, the amp features a tube preamp and variable Hartke Bass Attack Overdrive and Shape Control in addition to an onboard compressor. It also has a slew...

Saxophonist and composer David Binney has released his latest album, Graylen Epicenter. Binney enlisted a terrific supporting cast for the album, including bassist Eivind Opsvik, guitarist Wayne Krantz, drummer Brian Blade and others. This is one diverse album, covering a huge spectrum of jazz styles from many eras. Binney’s bandmates really bring a lot to this diversity as well, adding...

Tech 21 has unveiled a new two new Boost Chorus pedals, including a bass specific version. The new Boost Chorus Bass, which can be used to obtain slapback, echo, flanging, and doubling effects, was designed after ‘70s vintage choruses, to mimic their richness. To get a chorus sound without making “seasick tones,” Tech 21 added a Detune knob that adds...