Groove Podcast - Page 4

He’s known as “The African Sting,” and people compare his style, approach and flair of the electric bass to Jaco Pastorius. If there’s one word that best describes Richard Bona it is: artist. The Cameroon native blends elements of African rhythms with jazz, rock, and pop. He has played with guitarist Mike Stern and Japanese guitarist Kazumi Watanabe. That’s not...

It’s hard to not hear the music of Nathan East. His discography is – literally – a who’s who of popular music, and it runs across many genres. Whether you have grooved to the sounds of Daft Punk’s massive hit, “Get Lucky” or enjoyed the hit song “Easy Lover” by Phil Collins in the mid-eighties, that’s Nathan. East has been...

Zander Zon has close to 60,000 subscribers on YouTube. That’s impressive for any solo bass player. What’s even more impressive is that Zander’s videos have generated close to 8 million views. The U.S. born (but London-based) artist has become known for both his original bass compositions, as well as his solo bass covers of film soundtracks, video game themes, rock...

Here’s the funny thing about a great bass line. It creeps up on you. You find yourself humming it. The song won’t get out of your head for days. Sometimes, you’re humming it aloud. Often, it becomes an earworm for someone else. They’re either thankful for this or – more often than not – they want to kill you for...

I’m a child of the eighties. Well, the seventies, too, but I cut my musical taste in the early eighties onwards. One of the most pivotal moments in music for me was the 1983 US Festival. The metal day, in particular. I can troll YouTube and watch videos from that day, and it still sends shivers up my spine. It’s...

He could have one of the most fascinating careers as a bass player. It’s not that he’s played in classic bands during the sixties. He hasn’t. It’s not that he was around to see (and played) during the formative years, as the electric bass took hold. He has not. Bryan Beller is a bass player who happens to find himself...

There are bass players who are able to cross musical genres, but few do it as well as Tim Lefebvre. His playing consistently demonstrates an uncanny ability to adapt to a wide range of different styles. It may well be the exact reason why David Bowie chose Tim to play on his final studio album, Blackstar, which was released two...

Miroslav Vitous. A legendary musician. A true innovator of the bass. Those are facts. Vitous attended the Prague Conservatory (where he played with Jan Hammer long before either of them were stars), which led him to Berklee College of Music. In the mid sixties Miroslav moved to New York, and found himself in the middle of one of the most...

In 1996, bass player Rhonda Smith did something that few musicians can ever lay claim to. She joined Prince’s astounding backing band, The New Power Generation. The years, miles and practice that brought her to this moment cannot be underestimated. Getting on Prince’s radar is tough enough. Getting a place in this ferocious musical tsunami of funk is a whole...

There’s crazy stories and then there’s really crazy stories. The timeline of Arthur Barrow’s success falls into the “really crazy story” category (without question). Barrow – a young musician trying to find his way – decides to teach himself the electric bass in 1974 while attending the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. He was studying composition and organ,...

Tony Levin is a bass specialist. Pure, simple and rhythmic. Bass players know how hard it is to find one’s voice. Levin has not only found his voice, but a very distinct sound, playing style and groove, whether he’s playing electric, upright or the Chapman Stick. It would be easy to lump him into the progressive rock genre (consider his...

Take one second, head over to Google Images and do a search for Jack Casady. A life in images. That’s not Photoshop. That’s him. A lifetime of electric bass history and evolution all rolled up into this individual who played for Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna and more. He’s – rightfully – in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and...