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On the oft chance I am able to convince a reputable publication that my prose was worthy of their paper, I occasionally write about material other than myself. Hard to believe, considering this site, but true nonetheless. The sum total of my work in this regard follows below. Bass
Player Magazine Masterclass: The Masterclass series lives up to its name, taking on one of the toughest jazz/fusion heads in modern memory, John Patitucci's "Scophile." Turns out that understanding extreme lines like this requires some extreme theory. Half-whole diminished arpeggios, anyone?
Wood&Steel Magazine
CD Review: Jersey girl and Americana artist Amy Speace makes what could be a musical non-sequitur and marketing conundrum work on many levels, some totally unexpected. (Says Jersey boy.)
Wood&Steel Magazine
CD Review: Fellow WesFest bandleader and spiritually charged singer/songwriter Ali Handal pours her heart out about love and family, all while Wes Wehmiller keeps everything glued together with typically sublime bass work. One of Wes' final recordings.
Bass Player Magazine Masterclass: It's time to get real with the one and only Neil Stubenhaus, who has a special relationship with drummer Vinnie Colauita. Maybe that's how he's able to count through the ridiculous 16th-note beat displacement going on in this nightmare of a tune.
Bass
Player Magazine Masterclass: The debut of my return to regular appearances in Bass Player, the Masterclass column dives deep into heavy cats playing heavy stuff, and what they have to say about it. It's also a great way to ego-boost my Rolodex. Lee Sklar, what say you?
Wood&Steel
Magazine CD Review: I am literally in awe of this guy's songwriting. It's hard to be objective when the material is this good.
Wood&Steel Magazine
CD Review: Classic rock lives on, supergroup-style, with Jon Butcher on guitar/vocals and the legendary Lee Sklar on bass. The Servants' sophomore release is some serious "turn-it-up-dude!" material.
Bass
Player Magazine Soapbox: An encore column for the magazine that published me regularly for three years. The format—aptly titled Soapbox—allows for professional bassists of some renown to shoot their mouths off on just about any bass-related topic of their choosing. (Hmmm, where'd they ever get that idea?) This particular column dealt with those who smile broadly after gigs, those who don't, and the effects thereof.
Berklee
Today Magazine Instructional Article: This special one-off column for the official publication of my alma mater, Berklee College Of Music, was my first full-blown instructional article in years. It includes four transcribed musical examples, all of which are taken from Keneally tunes, and one of which is an excerpt from the infamous middle section of "'Cause Of Breakfast." Finally, my degree pays some dividends.
Modern
Drummer Magazine "Update" (Short Feature): I told my good friend Joe a couple of years ago that I was going to get him into Modern Drummer, and it took about that long for me to live up to my word. Major thanks to King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto (for the initial contact info) and Editorial Director Bill Miller for allowing me a crack at a new publication-and a chance to repay a gaping karmic debt, albeit only partially.
Bass
Player Magazine "Bassnote" (Short Feature): Watch in amazement as your humble narrator spreads the Bass Player press love around, this time to a well-deserving, killer L.A. bassist. A very straight profile article.
Onstage
Magazine CD Review: Who am I to critique a mega-multi-platinum artist like Elton John when he wants to release a live album? Ask Onstage Magazine, who actually paid me to do it.
Excerpt
from Fender's BassStreet.com: Solicited by the fine folks at Fender for their "50th Anniversary of the P-Bass" promotion, this one-paragraph reminiscence is the story my first experience with the bass that came before all others.
Onstage
Magazine CD Review: The credential-less critic is at it again, this time in a review of the last Allmans live recording before Dickey Betts left the band.again.
Bass
Player Magazine Special Feature Excerpt: They asked me for a contribution to an article on the future of bass. Why I flipped it into a negative is probably an answer best left to a psychiatrist.
Wood&Steel
Feature Article: A 3,000-word triple-interview feature on some of the giants in the industry, with a focus on the role of acoustic guitar. The subjects were W.G. "Snuffy" Walden (The West Wing), Laurence Juber (thirtysomething), and newcomers Brothers West (The Hughleys, Star Trek Voyager).
Wood&Steel's
BASSICS Series: Yes, I interviewed Billy Sheehan. It was comforting to learn that I wasn't the only guy on the planet who sang lead on Judas Priest covers.
bryanbellerdotcom
Premiere: This is a nice way of saying that this review never got published anywhere. It was supposed to have run in Onstage Magazine, but snafus over timing postponed that event indefinitely. As a result, we have completely original material for bryanbellerdotcom. Things could be worse.
None
For Your Dear.com CD Review: The first CD review I ever wrote was a slam dunk suck-up to one of my favorite bands of all time. Objective? With an album this good, who cares?
Bass
Player Feature Article: My first feature of any kind, this 5,000+ word behemoth was also the first acceptance of something I pitched on my own accord. My Big Audition record was 1-1 at the time, so I figured a .500 average was good enough to claim expert status. Don't ask what my record is now.
Wood&Steel
Feature Interview: OK, I know this is cheating, but at least it wasn't my idea. The enlightened editor of Taylor Guitars' in-house publication Wood&Steel thought a Beller profile would be more interesting in the I-interview-myself format. You'll find this piece over in the press section as well, since it is officially press.but how official can it be if I wrote it? Official enough to be listed here.
Rytmi
Instructional Article: Finnish writer Juha Romppanen was the catalyst for this unusual piece I wrote for his country's leading M.I. magazine, Rytmi. This instructional article included three musical examples I wrote out in my own hand-which they Xeroxed and used in the actual printing! The Finns never cease to amaze me.
Fender
Frontline Instructional Column: The very first thing I ever got published anywhere-a short, two-lick instructional piece on using open strings to get through difficult riffs-was forever tainted by the single most embarrassing picture I've ever let get to press. The scars remain to this day. |
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