Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Suzy Starlite
I just had the opportunity to interview a very talented player, who you might already know, Suzy Starlite. She is our newest contributor here at Bass Musician, and her “Walking the Bass Line” series, is a wealth of incredible information, including gear, history, and insight into the bass world.
Join me as Suzy talks about some of the points from her article and so much more.
Featured Videos
Starlite & Campbell – ‘You’re So Good For Me’ – Live!
The song is from our debut album ‘Blueberry Pie’ – nominated for Best Album in the European Blues Awards. This is the LIVE version
Starlite & Campbell – Official Music Video – Can’t Find My Way Home –
Released as a single during lockdown
Starlite & Campbell – Language of Curiosity
From our second studio album ‘The Language of Curiosity’
Starlite & Campbell – Official Music Video – The Voting Machine
From our third studio album ‘STARLITE.ONE’
Visit Online
- Suzy Starlite website: suzystarlite.com
- Starlite & Campbell website: starlite-campbell.com
- Supertone recording studio, record label and Supertone products – amps, cabs and cables: supertonerecords.com
- VIBES – weekly blogs/articles/podcasts: vibes.starlite-campbell.com
- STARLITE.ONE – multimedia project: starlite.one
- Artist Manifesto: starlite.one/statement
- Bandcamp: starlite-campbell.bandcamp.com
- Youtube: youtube.com/@suzystarlite
- Instagram: instagram.com/suzystarlite
- Facebook: facebook.com/suzy.starlite.musician
- X: twitter.com/suzy_starlite
- Mastodon: mastodon.art/@suzystarlite
Bass Videos
Premiere: Quiescent Mantis Unleashes Bass Playthrough For Their Furious Track “P.R.E.Y”
![Premiere- Quiescent Mantis Unleashes Bass Playthrough For Their Furious Track P.R.E.Y](https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Premiere-Quiescent-Mantis-Unleashes-Bass-Playthrough-For-Their-Furious-Track-22P.R.E.Y22.jpg)
Photo, Josh Martin (ProMotion LLC)
Bass Musician is pleased to premiere the bass playthrough for Quiescent Mantis track “P.R.E.Y”, with bassist Jordan McKenzie.
Hailing from Tennessee, USA, Quiescent Mantis unleashed primal fury with their debut album “Here Comes The Swarm” produced by Yanic Bercier (Quo Vadis, Gone In April) at WaveTransform Recording Studio this past July on Exitus Stratagem Records. The genre-defying release blends elements of hardcore, thrash, death, and metalcore into a whirlwind of relentless aggression.
Today, the band is unveiling their latest playthrough for “P.R.E.Y.” from bassist Jordan McKenzie, which was filmed during the winter months earlier this year in the Smoky Mountains just South of Knoxville. The playthrough takes you on a visual yet technical adventure while the song creates a feeling of being hunted down by what seems to be an unstoppable force!
Jordan McKenzie shares how he gets his sound…
“The way I go about achieving my tone is splitting the frequency of the bass between high pass and low pass (use of a Tyler pedal) and keeping the low pass completely clean in order to keep the subs in the bass and a nice fat low end. The high pass I feed a Rat pedal going into a big muff and blend the high pass and low pass so that the distorted sound kisses the top end like a whipped cream cherry on top.”
More about the band…
Formed during the tumultuous times of the COVID-19 lockdown, Quiescent Mantis emerged from the fusion of former scientists Chris Trainor, Jordan McKenzie, and Johnny Mejia. Previously employed by the enigmatic Sub-atomic Weight Of Acceleration Research Mechanics (S.W.A.R.M.), the trio embarked on a musical journey after inadvertently opening a doorway to the mantis homeworld during a particle collision experiment, exposing themselves to a mind-altering pheromone. Thus, the Chapter 1 demo was born in 2021.
Inspired by a love for old science fiction movies and thrash metal, Quiescent Mantis presents a unique, aggressive, groovy, heavy, and relentless sound that blends old-school metal techniques with new-school innovations. The band aims to provide listeners with a groundbreaking experience, combining elements of classic and contemporary metal in a manner never before heard. They are recommended for fans of Orbit Culture, Havok, and Power Trip.
“With this album, it truly shows not only how we come together as musicians but as storytellers. This album is all the best elements of thrash metal and science fiction horror movies put into one single package. ‘Here Comes The Swarm’ is the sound we created to release the swarm to the world.”
Album orders for “Here Comes The Swarm” are available at exsrmusic.com/store/p/pre-sale-quiescent-mantis-here-come-the-swarm
Visit online:
Facebook.com/QuiescentMantis
Instagram.com/quiescent_mantis
Bass CDs
Premiere: The Low Sixes New Single, “Turn On The Night” With Alan Hildebrandt on Bass/Vocals
![Premiere: The Low Sixes New Single, "Turn On The Night" With Alan Hildebrandt on Bass/Vocals](https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Premiere-The-Low-Sixes-New-Single-22Turn-On-The-Night22-With-Alan-Hildebrandt-on-BassVocals.jpg)
Bass Musician is proud to premiere The Low Sixes new video of their single, “Turn On The Night”.
Alan Hildebrandt, who lays down the low-end shares his gear and inspiration for the single…
“Turn Up the Night” is a super fun song to play live! The bass was recorded using a Precision bass through an Ampeg B15 for a warm, classic sound. At live shows, I play a ’76 Rickenbacker with a Sound City 150 and Sound City 4×12 cabinet, a great punchy and vintage tone! I grew up listening to pop, punk rock and metal, and so my main sources of inspiration and playing style are Bruce Thomas from The Attractions, Karl Alvarez of the Descendents, and Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. – Alan Hildebrandt, Bassist for The Low Sixes
Photo by Stacy Lee
More on The Low Sixes…
The Montreal four-piece — assembled from a hefty lineup of the scene’s indie veterans – began unassumingly enough as singers and guitarists Jonathan Cummins and Brendan Drouillard returned home from an extensive European tour with their other project, heavy psych rock band USA Out of Vietnam, and debriefed over some drinks at the local waterhole, Barfly.
The conversation quickly turned to developing a new project and, soon enough, the two were recruiting friends, drummer/singer John Milchem (Starvin Hungry) and bassist/singer Jon Asencio (from Cummins’ other band, renowned ‘80s/’90s Montreal indie punk band Doughboys), to form The Low Sixes. Asencio has since departed the band with mutual friend Alan Hildebrandt (Priors) taking over bass duties though Ascencio appears on the band’s debut. The album also features guest vocalists Olga Goreas, who is now a permanent member, and Jace Lasek (both of The Besnard Lakes), Chance Hutchison and Jackie Blenkarn (Private Lives) and keys from Patrick Watson. The Oshawa Tree releases on October 4, 2024 on Forge Again Records.
“The band was mainly put together to escape the job doldrums, it wasn’t until we decided to record four songs at Le Stuzzio with Ryan Battistuzzi that provoked a surprisingly positive reaction from our friends that we decided we would turn into an actual band and do an entire record; the band hopes to “erase the ‘cool’ factor” often associated with DIY underground music. Montreal has a very large experimental scene (Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Colin Stetson, Tim Hecker etc.) and although we love that music, we are sort of reacting against it as we believe everybody can appreciate a good pop song. We want to be as inclusive as possible and be the band that can bring entertainment back to small stages and DIY spaces again. Case in point: The quartet recently played a birthday party in Ottawa for friend and artist Dirty Donny who has created imagery for Metallica and Aerosmith. Realizing that all great songs have already been written, I sat down and just wrote ‘Ryan’s Favorite Song’ as an ode to the bubble gum music of the sixties. I would hope that the Ramones and 1910 Fruitgum Company influences shine through and serve as an homage. The ‘Ryan’ in the title is Ryan Battistussi who recorded the record – and no, this was not his favorite song and seemed oddly non-plussed at our tip o’ the cap. – Jonathan Cummins / Guitar & Vocals
Preorder:
forgeagainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-oshawa-treeVisit online
Visit Online:
facebook.com/thelowsixes
instagram.com/the_low_sixes/
Bass Videos
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #5 – Tube vs Solid State + It’s Awesome But Is It Necessary?
![WORKING-CLASS ZEROS With Steve Rosati and Shawn Cav](https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/WORKING-CLASS-ZEROS-With-Steve-Rosati-and-Shawn-Cav.png)
Here is episode 5 of WCZ, we address a comment from a subscriber, Tube vs solid state amps, and the work that goes into ownership. And of course, “Sure it’s awesome but is it necessary?”
“These stories from the front are with real-life, day-to-day musicians who deal with work life and gigging and how they make it work out. Each month, topics may include… the kind of gigs you get, the money, dealing with less-than-ideal rooms, as well as the gear you need to get the job done… and the list goes on from there.” – Steve the Bass Guy and Shawn Cav
Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Jonny Rubin AKA (Dr Funk)
I always enjoy the opportunity to talk to fellow bass players as they travel on their musical journey. Jonny Rubin, AKA Dr. Funk has been at this since he was a kid and has made the huge leap across the pond to make a go at it in sunny southern California.
Join me as we hear about his musical past, present and future.
Photo courtesy of Jonny Rubin
Featured Videos
Follow Online
facebook.com/Drfunkbass
instagram.com/drfunkbass/?hl=en
youtube.com/channel/UCW8tq_mhu8pVDH2UIGRwuSg
Bass Videos
Gear News: Spector Launches Euro CST and Euro LX Basses
Spector, a leading authority in bass guitar design, unveils new additions to its product line: Euro CST, Euro LX and Euro LX Bolt On basses.
Euro CST:
The Euro CST introduces all-new tonewoods, electronics, and finish combinations never seen in the Euro Series, drawing inspiration from Spector’s Woodstock, NY-based Custom Shop. Each Euro CST instrument is meticulously crafted using premium materials, featuring a striking, highly figured Poplar Burl top, a resonant European Ash body, and a 3-piece North American Maple neck paired with an Ebony fingerboard adorned with laminated Abalone Crown inlays.
Euro CST basses are equipped with a lightweight aluminum bridge for precise and reliable intonation. Premium active EMG X Series pickups deliver the exceptional clarity, attack, and silent operation that defines the Spector sound. These basses also feature the all-new Spector Legacy preamp. Developed in collaboration with Darkglass Electronics, this preamp captures the classic “Spector growl,” heard on countless iconic recordings, with added versatility.
Euro CST basses are available in 4- and 5-string models in four distinct high gloss finishes: Natural, Natural Black Burst, Natural Red Burst, and Natural Violet Burst.
Euro LX and Euro LX Bolt-On:
The Euro LX offers all the features that have made the Spector name famous around the globe. Inspired by the iconic NS-2, Euro LX basses feature a fully carved and contoured body, high-grade tonewoods, and professional-grade electronics and hardware. For the first time ever, players can now choose between neck-thru and bolt-on construction in the Euro LX range.
Each Euro LX bass, regardless of construction, is crafted using premium materials, including a European Alder body, figured European Maple top, and a 3-piece North American Maple neck combined with a Rosewood fingerboard for strength, stability, and sustain. Euro LX basses are then outfitted with a lightweight, aluminum bridge for spot-on, reliable intonation. Premium active pickups from EMG provide the exceptional clarity, attack, and silent operation that Spector is known for. Like the Euro CST basses, these instruments also feature the all-new Spector Legacy preamp.
The newly revised Euro LX range is available in four distinct, hand-rubbed stains, including Transparent Black, Natural Sunburst, Haunted Moss, and Nightshade. Each of these colors features a durable and comfortable matte finish.
John Stippell, Director, Korg Bass Division, remarks, “I’m thrilled to announce the latest additions to the renowned Euro Range. The CST Series, our new premium offering, features new and unique wood combinations and unprecedented features. The beloved LX Series is now better than ever with the introduction of Bolt-On models, vibrant new color options, and the all-new Spector Legacy Preamp, delivering the classic Spector tone with unmatched precision.”
For more information, visit spectorbass.com.