Bass Player Magazine returns for its eighth year in Los Angeles with the premier live bass guitar event, Bass Player LIVE! 2015, on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8. SIR Studios, at 6465 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, will once again be the location for two days of exhibits by top gear manufacturers and clinics by world-class bassists. An All-Star Concert featuring this year’s award recipients will be held on the evening of November 7 at Musicians Institute, 6752 Hollywood Blvd.
Highlights of this much-anticipated bass bash include:
* A Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award presented to session legend Nathan East, who will accept his award and perform with his band at the All-Star Concert on November 7, and host a clinic at SIR on November 8. Following 35 years as a first-call Los Angeles studio ace, recording with everyone from Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie and Phil Collins to Eric Clapton, Fourplay and Daft Punk, Nathan at last made his solo debut in 2014 with his chart-topping, self-titled album on the Yamaha Artist Group label. His follow-up, The New Cool, with Bob James, was just released.
* A Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to MOTORHEAD bass icon Lemmy Kilmister, who will accept his award at the All-Star Concert on November 7. Lemmy and MOTORHEAD are celebrating 40 years of the world’s biggest and baddest rock & roll band of all time in 2015, and just released their 22nd studio album, Bad Magic (UDR Music/Motörhead Music).
* A posthumous Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award presented to the family of the late Louis Johnson at the All-Star Concert, followed by a tribute set featuring Louis’s bass peers; plus a tribute clinic hosted by Brothers Johnson guitarist George Johnson at SIR on Nov. 8. Passing in 2015 at age 60, Louis “Thunder Thumbs” Johnson forged a landmark career that found him furthering the art of bass playing (and slapping in particular) both as a member of the Brothers Johnson ("Stomp," "Strawberry Letter #23") and as a top session bassist with Michael Jackson (Off the Wall, Thriller), Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and many more.
* Clinic appearances by DURAN DURAN’s John Taylor and Ben Kenney of INCUBUS.
* A special clinic presentation by session legend Chuck Rainey, joined by fellow studio greats James Gadson on drums and Larry Nash on keyboards.
* A probing pedal and effects clinic by THE MARS VOLTA bassist and author of BP’s “Tonal Vision” column, Juan Alderete.
* A throwdown clinic by gospel bass master Andrew Gouche and his band in support of his new album, We Don’t Need No Bass.
* Bass and vocal phenomenon Tal Wilkenfeld (Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock)--who received the Bass Player LIVE! “Young Gun” award in 2013--in her first BP LIVE! clinic since 2009.
* TV’s “face of bass,” award-winning producer, and former American Idol and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno bandleader Rickey Minor will hold his annual clinic.
* The Bass Player LIVE! debut of virtuoso bassist/producer and Rope A Dope recording artist Bill Dickens, who will present a clinic in support of his new album Tha Truth.
Also slated this year is the return of Mike Merritt’s TV Bass Roundtable with The Late Late Show’s Hagar Ben Ari making her BP LIVE! debut; an All-Star rock roundtable clinic with dUg Pinnick and Blasko; and artist appearances by Verdine White, Stu Hamm, "Ready" Freddie Washington, Oskar Cartaya, Rhonda Smith, Janek Gwizdala, Jerry Jemmott, Bryant Siono, Jimmy Earl, Phil Chen, Bobby Vega, Sean Hurley, Steve Jenkins, Bunny Brunel, Rufus Philpot, Byron Miller, Scott Reeder, Tony Franklin, Marty O'Brien and more.
Visit www.bassplayerlive.com for the latest information on tickets and appearing artists and manufacturers.
Tickets are on sale now at https://bassplayerlive2015.eventbrite.com. Both single day and weekend packages for the Bass Player LIVE! clinics, exhibits and All-Star Concert are available and priced as follows:
- SIR Studios day pass for Saturday OR Sunday – $37.50 plus fees
- SIR Studios Saturday & Sunday pass + concert – $57.50 plus fees
Note: Each day pass purchase includes a complimentary subscription to Bass Player magazine.
The Bass Player LIVE! clinics and exhibits at SIR Studios in Hollywood will be held Saturday, November 7 from 10:00 AM-6:00 PM and Sunday, November 8 from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. Doors open at 7:00 PM for the November 7 concert at Musicians Institute and music begins at 8:00 PM. Bass players and musicians of all ages, levels and styles are invited to attend.
Some of the previous Bass Player LIVE! honorees and attendees include Abraham Laboriel, Chris Squire, Larry Graham, Geezer Butler, Verdine White, Bootsy Collins, Henrik Linder, Jack Casady, Aston “Family Man” Barrett, Charlie Haden, Rocco Prestia, Mike Watt, Billy Sheehan, Victor Wooten, Robert Trujillo, Marcus Miller, Lee Rocker, Darryl Jones, Don Was, Tal Wilkenfeld, Nathan East and more.
