CATEGORIES

400 ISSUES OF WISDOM

We’re celebrating 400 issues of Bass Player in this issue, but that doesn’t mean we’re just congratulating ourselves on how great we are—we want you to benefit from the distilled wisdom we’ve learned along the way. Apply these nuggets of knowledge from the world’s greatest bass players to your playing, and you’ll be well on the way to bass nirvana...

L.A. Witch

GUITARIST SADE SANCHEZ EXPLAINS HOW THIS BURGEONING SO-CAL TRIO WENT FROM GETTING FIRED TO THEIR REVERB-DRENCH LATEST, PLAY WITH FIRE

Sweet Sassafras

ERIC JOHNSON ON HIS GENTLE NEW ALBUM, EJ II, HIS NEW FENDER “VIRGINIA” SASSAFRAS STRAT AND SEARCHING FOR THE STILL POINT

Shred-nado

EVH STRIPED SERIES SHARK

Peter Green (1946-2020)

HE TURNED HIS BACK ON FAME, FORTUNE AND SANITY TO BECOME A BLUES-ROCK LEGEND

The Changeling

WITH THE RITUAL BEGINS AT SUNDOWN, ROBBY KRIEGER OPENS THE DOORS TO HIS JAZZ MUSE

Brad Gillis

THE LONGTIME NIGHT RANGER GUITARIST TALKS UPCOMING SOLO ALBUM, THE STORY BEHIND HIS MODIFIED ’62 STRAT — AND ONE PARTICULARLY HAIR-RAISING OZZY OSBOURNE GIG

Joint Effort

MARTIN SC-13E ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC

High-Performance Boss

Fender Mustang GTX100 Guitar AMP

Triple Threat

Ernie Ball Music Luke III

THE MAKING OF PAUL McCARTNEY'S FLAMING PIE

AS PART OF THE PAUL MCCARTNEY ARCHIVE COLLECTION, 1997’S FLAMING PIE, WHICH STANDS AS ONE OF MCCARTNEY’S MOST SUCCESSFUL SOLO ALBUMS, IS RELEASED IN VARIOUS FORMATS FOR MUSIC COLLECTORS.

THE KINGS

THE CANADIAN QUARTET The Kings celebrate the 40th anniversary of their hit “Switchin’ to Glide,” which reached No. 43 in the U.S. in 1980, a lively song beginning with the line, “Nothing matters but the weekend, from a Tuesday point of view.” Their DVD The Kings: Anatomy of a One-Hit Wonder includes Dick Clark introducing them on American Bandstand and saying, “These guys have worked so hard and hit it so well,” before the group energetically performed “Switchin’ to Glide.”

SPIN YOUR FORMAT

There’s not been much good news out of the music industry this year, but reports that sales of cassettes in the U.K. through the first half of 2020 are more than double the same period last year certainly offers us pause for thought.

PURE PEANUTS

GILLIAN G. GAAR LISTENS TO THE LATEST PEANUTS RELEASES ON VINYL, AND PONDERS THE GENIUS OF COMPOSER VINCE GUARALDI.

Peter Green

Goldmine pulled the following feature on Peter Green from its archive, from an exclusive interview conducted by contributor Dave Thompson back in 1998.

NEIL GIRALDO'S BEST SHOT

GUITARIST NEIL GIRALDO TALKS ABOUT HIS ROCK AND ROLL CAREER AND NEW VENTURES GOING FORWARD.

VERY GODLEY

DAVE THOMPSON INTERVIEWS SINGER-SONGWRITER KEVIN GODLEY (OF 10CC FAME) ABOUT HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM, MUSCLE MEMORY.

DAVID PATON AS HIS OWN PILOT

For a few short years during the mid-1970s, Scottish pop-rock-ers Pilot ruled the airwaves. The group’s first hit, Magic, made it to No. 5 on the U.S. charts in 1974. Although the follow-up single, January, only peaked at No. 87 in the U.S., it topped the charts in the U.K. and Australia in 1975. But success also brought management issues, which led to the band’s early demise. For Pilot’s main singer-songwriter and bassist David Paton it also brought a shift from being in front of the spotlight to moving behind the scenes as an in-demand session player after Pilot. Session work led Paton to joining the Alan Parsons Project, as well as working with such music heavyweights as Elton John. Forty-five years after the band’s halcyon days, a new box set that collects every Pilot album recorded celebrates the band’s glorious musical output.

CHAT WITH A ROCK AND ROLL INSIDER

ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER SHAUN WEISS, SON OF BEATLES ATTORNEY NAT WEISS, SHARES HIS ROCK AND ROLL MEMORIES WITH AUTHOR DANIEL COSTON.

Charlie Daniels

ELLIOT STEPHEN COHEN REMEMBERS CHARLIE DANIELS AND SHARES ONE OF HIS LAST INTERVIEWS WITH THE COUNTRY ROCK STAR

ALL THE RIGHT KEYS

CHICK COREA, WITH HIS LATEST ALBUM, PLAYS, CONVINCES AUTHOR MIKE GREENBLATT THAT HE’S AMERICA’S GREATEST LIVING PIANO PLAYER.

Pass Notes

Welcome to our new advice page, where a bassist of note gives us the tips we need to get to the top. This month: John Campbell, Lamb Of God

MOMENTARY DECISIONS

The great Michael Manring returns with a new album, Small Moments, and explains the far-reaching philosophy beneath the music

THE WOODSHED

Intonation basics explored and explained by ace luthier Rob Elrick. Let’s get toned!

Wrap Music

Olivia Anna Livki offers essential advice for all budding bassists

LOW LIFE

Tax The Heat bassist and BIMM Live Performance Tutor Antonio Angotti addresses the fine art of singing for your supper

Intermediate Lesson

Ready to take the next step in your bass journey? Phil Mann is here to guide you along the way, but be prepared for a dose of fingertip abrasion...

GOOD TIMES

Who would dare fill the shoes of the great, departed Bernard Edwards? Only a bassist with years of experience and a bass philosophy all of his own... Say hello to the mighty Jerry Barnes

DEEP THOUGHT

Deep Purple are the last hard-rock band of their generation still on the road, pandemics permitting—and they’ve still got some miles to cover, says Roger Glover. Listen up as he reveals how Purple came up with their excellent new album, the bass gear that makes the big noises—and the secret of staying motivated after five decades and counting.

Exigency

Jessica Elalouf of Exigent on the key wisdom that all bassists should have