News - Page 423

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has started a fundraising page on Crowdrise.com to raise money for his Silverlake Conservatory of Music. Silverlake is a non-profit that grants scholarships to low-income students, as well as gives them instruments and lessons. “A few years back, I had the opportunity to visit my old high school and noticed how many of the...

Alfred Music has just released the Bass Line Encyclopedia by Tim Ferguson. The book is a reference for bass players to expand their knowledge of genres and styles, therefore increasing their versatility. It features over 100 bass lines in tons of styles, including Chicago blues, Texas blues, heavy metal, punk, funk, bebop, jazz, reggae, samba, bluegrass, and more. The lines...

Jean Baudin, the bassist famous for his “Super Mario theme song” performance on 11-string extended bass and other videos, has released a method book on bass tapping technique. The Mechanics of Tapping is a 58 page ebook aimed at beginning and intermediate bassists. The book covers Baudin’s approach to tapping with tab for both the left and right hand and...

The Gorilaz have announced an extensive North American fall tour in support of their March 2010 release, Plastic Beach. This is the third album from the animated group, which was created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Tank Girl animator Jamie Hewlett. The tour will mark a rite of passage for the group, as it will be the first time...

Ozzfest 2010 is just around the corner, and Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx wants you to join him for the Boston show. Crue is one of this year’s headliners, and Nikki is having a contest on his Sixx Sense website to win two concert tickets, roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations, ground transfers, and a “meet and greet” with the Motley bassist himself....

New Years Eve is a special time for Gov’t Mule and their fans. Since 1994, the band has been performing New Year’s celebrations, and in 1999, the band took the stage for the millennium celebration at the Roxy in Atlanta, Georgia. The night featured an incredible performance by the original Gov’t Mule line-up of bassist Allen Woody, guitarist Warren Haynes...

Hal Leonard’s fast growing Play Along series now has a new entry with songs by the Police. The Police: Bass Play-Along Volume 20 features eight popular Police tunes and includes bass tab notation, lyrics and vocal melody. The CD included offers an enhanced version for Windows and Mac computers so you can adjust the tempo of the songs without changing...

The iconic rock band Hot Tuna has just signed a deal with Red House Records, which is home to many other blues and roots based artists including Guy Davis, Lynn Miles, and Garnet Rogers. Hot Tuna, which was formed in 1969 by Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, have just finished up their tour schedule and are...

Prawn Song’s latest newsletter announced a plethora of Primus updates, including the free release of a four-track EP featuring takes of the band’s songs from a June 2010 rehearsal. The EP can be downloaded from the Primus website or by completing this form: The band also added a new tour blog to their website, which they will be updating every...

Hal Leonard’s Bass Play-Along series gets a new entry this month, with The 1970s: Bass Play-Along Volume 31. The book/CD combo includes the bass notation/tab, lyrics and vocal melody notation. The audio CD is playable in any standard player and enhanced for PC or Mac users, allowing players to adjust tempo without changing the pitch of the tune. The 1970s:...

The Dropkick Murphys, led by bassist/vocalist Ken Casey, will be coming to the U.S. after a small break from their worldwide tour. The group will be have dates in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada and then join the Vans Warped Tour for about a week. The group is continuing to tour in support of their latest releases, Live on Lansdowne,...

Level 42 is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a new 4-CD box set, Living It Up, released today. The set brings together 34 tracks from Level 42’s A-side singles, 10 previously unreleased tracks and two B-sides only available on vinyl. The final disc is new material, recorded in early 2010 by singer/bassist Mark King and keyboardist/vocalist Mike Lindup, featuring acoustic...