News - Page 446

French double bassist Joëlle Léandre has carved a name for herself as one of the best improvisational bassists out there. Her latest release, Joelle Léandre and William Parker Live at Dunois, is a live recording with bassist William Parker where they show off their improvisational chops with a variety of bass techniques and disciplined skill. Léandre and Parker last collaborative...

Them Crooked Vultures, the supergroup made of Led Zeppelin’s bassist John Paul Jones, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, have announced that November 17th will be the date for the release of their self-titled and self-produced album. The record is going to feature the studio versions of songs Them Crooked Vultures has performed live...

Let’s face it bassists, in all probability our collective bands fall overwhelmingly into the independent-music category. Whether it’s our rock band, solo bass work, free jazz or metalcore, we’re independent artists. When Billboard published their “Billboard’s 2009 Maximum Exposure List” it included many unrealistic goals for independent musicians – for example, playing on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Ariel Hyatt, an...

The remaining members of Sublime, bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh, have announced that they will be returning as Sublime. The official statement from their MySpace page is that they are “thrilled by the opportunity to reconnect with their fans around the world. While we all mourn the passing of our brother and bandmate Bradley Nowell some thirteen years...

Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus recently wrote an op-ed piece to the Huffington Post about the current healthcare debate in the USA. Hoppus was inspired to write after an incident with caterer Ali Vatter on Blink-182’s tour. Vatter required emergency surgery to have her appendix removed after two months of being on the road, and she was uninsured. She told Hoppus...

Bassist extraordinaire Marcus Miller is about to kick off a tour of Japan and Europe. The tour is “Tutu Revisited – The Music of Miles Davis” which is dedicated to the legendary trumpeter. The concert programs are based around the Miles Davis album Tutu, co-produced by Miller. The band lineup includes Miller on bass and multiple other instruments, trumpeter Christian...

Faith No More bassist Billy Gould has confirmed, via Twitter, that there are U.S. dates being planned for the band’s current reunion tour: “Tweet THIS: In response to all of our concerned US brethren…YES…we yare now actively planning US dates.” Faith No More kicked off their reunion tour in June with shows in Europe, continuing to South America with Australia/New...

Bassist Gustaf Fjelstrom released his new album Metamesmeric which is now available for free download. Metamesmeric lives up to its name, bringing very atmospheric looping bass music to the stage. Fjelstrom uses an NS Design Bass Cello, some simple processing, and a Looperlative LP-1. Fjelstrom was previously playing with the band Maximum Indifference, who released two albums: The Transmutations of...

Ernie Ball is going to be at Bass Player Live on October 24th and 25th, with different clinics running from players that swear by their instruments. They’re providing an all-star line up, so if you’ll be at the event in Hollywood, these clinics will definitely be worth checking out. The performance schedule includes: Saturday October 24th 10:15-10:45 Mark Bass Alain...

If any great player could endorse you who would you choose? There is not a much higher recommendation than one coming from Victor Wooten himself, who posted on his web site: “You MUST check out Quintin Berry and the Uglistick!”. Actually, we already have, but in case you haven’t here’s a little more information on Berry. Berry, aka Q, has...

Bassist Les Claypool has just updated his tour information through the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010. In December, Claypool will be touring Australia, with six stops in six days: 12/01 Tivoli Theatre in Brisbane 12/02 Enmore Theatre in Sydney 12/04 Forum Theatre in Melbourne 12/05 Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide 12/06 Capitol in Perth Claypool is in the...

There has been increased tension in The Kings of Leon, and the controversy is over royalties. The problem, in part, centers around the song writing credits for their upcoming fifth album. The band has taken to serious composition after their return from touring, but when bassist Jared Followill got the call from his brother Caleb that “I’m sitting here writing...