Bass Player

Richie Hayward Benefit Concert: Sunday Oct. 4

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:30:00 GMT

Legendary drummer and founding member of Little Feat, Richie Hayward has been diagnosed with liver cancer. A benefit concert will take place on Sunday October 4th at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California.

New Pedulla Nuance to Debut at Bass Player LIVE!

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:35:00 GMT

These beauties from Pedulla are just a few of the cool new products to debut at Bass Player LIVE! Find more info at www.bassplayerlive.com

San Francisco Outside Lands, August 28–30

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:35:00 GMT

The festival’s debut last year brought a worthy array of players to the Bay, and this year’s lineup is looking even more righteous. Check back for photos and more from these compulsory sets. —Brian Fox

Into The Fold Charlie Chadwick’s Folding Bass

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:15:00 GMT

NASHVILLE MUSICIAN’S UNION LOCAL 257 member Charlie Chadwick is an accomplished bassist, studio owner, and engineer who’s come up with a lifesaver for touring upright players. As Charlie demonstrates on his website, foldingbass.com, his Chadwick Folding Bass ($2,995) lets players travel without the hassle of heaving a massive road case. In its case, the Folding Bass weighs less than 50 pounds and can be checked as airline luggage.

Donald “Ean” Evans, 1960–2009

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:10:00 GMT

WE’RE SAD TO REPORT THAT Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Donald “Ean” Evans died in his Mississippi home on May 8, following a battle with cancer. He was 48. Evans joined the iconic Southern rock act in 2001—shortly after the death of longtime Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkinson—and played on the band’s 2003 Sanctuary release, Vicious Cycle. Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock && Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and Evans toured steadily with the band until 2008, when he fell ill. Lynyrd Skynyrd has tapped Robert Kearns to play bass on its current tour, and will release a new album, God && Guns, on September 29. Just days after Ean’s death, Evanscapps, a Skynyrd side project that paired Evans with .38 Special keyboardist Bobby Capps, released its album Last Time on Rock Ridge Music. Evans is survived by his wife Eva and their two daughters, who request memorials be directed to the Good Samaritan Clinic in Columbus, Mississippi.

Inaugural Bass Immersion Day In NYC

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:05:00 GMT

THIS SPRING, 25 ARDENT BASS STUDENTS ASSEMBLED AT MANHATTAN’S Euphoria Studios for the inaugural Bass Immersion Day. The brainchild of bassists Mike Visceglia and Patrick Pfeiffer, the day-long event featured four 90-minute clinics by Pfeiffer (Grooves && Fretless Bass), Will Lee (Beatle Bass), Leo Traversa (World Beat Bass), and Tim Lefebvre (Pedals && Effects). The plucking pack then headed downtown to the Bitter End in Greenwich Village, for performances by Visceglia (with the Jill Stevenson Band), Lefebvre (with Wayne Krantz and Zach Danziger), Traversa (with the N.Y./African All-Stars), and Pfeiffer (with his band, PHX). Visceglia and Pfeiffer are planning more immersion days this year and may release footage of the April event. For the latest visit www.mikevisceglia.com.

Bee Spears Willie Nelson’s Good Timing Man

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

WITH A RESUME SPANNING 40 YEARS of records with Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, you can bet Bee Spears is no joke on bass. But the affable road dog and studio vet is hardly one to boast.

James Singleton On Tradition && Texture

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 06:55:00 GMT

JAMES SINGLETON HAS EXCELLED AT STRAIGHT-AHEAD JAZZ, FUNK, NEW Orleans R&&B, and avant/experimental music since making the Crescent City his home more than three decades ago. Earning a rep as a first-call bassist, he has backed legendary jazzers passing through town, toured the world with Astral Project, and attracted jam fans through his work with organist Robert Walter’s trio. Singleton showcases his own compositions via the James Singleton Quartet, 3Now4, the 3Now4kestra, and the Illuminasti Trio.

Road Report: New Orleans Jazz && Heritage Festival

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 06:50:00 GMT

When New Orleans Jazz && Heritage Festival celebrated its 40th anniversary with a bash for the ages, BASS PLAYER staffer Jimmy Leslie was on the scene to spec the festival’s most happening bass players.

Mandy Tannen On Managing Freedom

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 06:40:00 GMT

As stellastar* bassist Mandy Tannen will tell you, total creative freedom is a double-edged sword. After a two-record run with RCA, stellastar* decided to ditch the majors to go indie, creating its own Bloated Wife Records. With less corporate pressure from above, the band was able to tap a deeper creative vein, but at its own leisurely pace; it’s been nearly four years since the band’s last record. Taking to New York’s Mission Sound studio with producer Tim O’Heir and a fresh batch of tunes, stellastar* has returned with Civilized, a nuanced mash-up of new wave, punk rock, and power pop.