BIRTHDAY BASS SOLO: Not for my birthday, but the 44th birthday of the awesomely talented Rai Thistlethwayte! We did a special breakdown/solo section of Joe Satriani's classic "Ice 9" in Cincinnati to celebrate the occasion. There was a cake and candles. And a lot of notes. And a killer groove thanks to Kenny Aronoff. Happy birthday Rai! (Video courtesy of RB Satriani Multimedia, LLC, ESQ, INC) | Bryan Beller

MOHINI DEY’S DEBUT: First solo album, that is, and it’s an absolute banger from top to bottom. This video is an excerpt from a bass/drums heavy piece called “First Food Then You” (also featuring Marco Minnemann on drums), and it’s just…nuts. But just because the bonkers bass playing is clearly driving the bus here doesn’t mean that the self-titled “Mohini Dey” isn’t varied. Right off the bat “In N Out” takes the well known Tower Of Power vibe to an interstellar level; the mid-tempo swingy groove

WATCH…AND LEARN: Just check out this amazing video of bassist Conrad St. Clair playing Frank Zappa’s difficult “Inca Roads” and making it look easy and sound beautiful. That’s because his technique (both left and right hand) and fretless intonation are just stunning. And he’s available for online private lessons for intermediate-to-advanced players (especially fretless, but not limited to that) looking to take it to the next level. 11/10, 5 stars, highly recommend. Conrad is the bassist/arranger

Presenting the first preview of "Scenes From The Flood", a modern progressive double album concept, and Bryan Beller's first new studio release in ten years. Video and artwork produced by Nightowl Studios Ltd. - Art Director: Daniel Wagner Music (demo audio) by Bryan Beller , (c) 2018 All Rights Reserved. | Bryan Beller

NILI BROSH TOURS EUROPE: Specially-timed post for my friends in Europe - don't miss guitar phenom Nili Brosh as she embarks on her first-ever tour of Europe coming right up in March! I know fans of The Aristocrats and Joe Satriani and Steve Vai will dig Nili's next-gen take on instrumental guitar rock/fusion. And with a great rhythm section - my dear friend Steve Lawson on bass, and drummer atma anur - she'll be lighting up some of the same stages The Aristocrats have played in Europe over the y