Special FBPO feature

Annual Bass Fest attracts hundreds of low-end enthusiasts to one-of-a-kind German retreat

By Jon Liebman
September 18, 2015

We had such a great time at last year’s Warwick Bass Camp, we couldn’t dare turn down the chance to go back when we received the invitation from Warwick & Framus head honcho Hans-Peter “H-P” Wilfer to attend this year’s event, which was held from August 31 through September 5 at the Warwick/Framus headquarters in Markneukirchen, Germany.

By day, we sat in on classes conducted by Leland Sklar, Bobby Vega, Rhonda Smith, Stu Hamm, Alphonso Johnson and many more from the bass elite.  The nighttime jam sessions brought out the likes of Andy Irvine, Phil Chen, Billy Sheehan, Rex Brown, Bakithi Kumalo, Phil X and so many others.

Saturday featured the traditional open-air concert, followed by the closing banquet, where the crowd was treated to a very special performance with Steve Bailey, Jonas Hellborg, Leland Sklar, Abraham Laboriel, Bobby Vega and Chester Thompson, and noted guest Hadrien Feraud.

In between the scheduled activities, we conducted nearly twenty exclusive, one-on-one interviews with everyone from Leland Sklar, Rhonda Smith, Vail Johnson, Marco Mendoza and Phil X to Juan Alderete, Felix Pastorius, Etienne Mbappe, Andy Salas, Dick Lövgren and several others.  Watch for these interviews and more in the coming weeks and months, only on ForBassPlayersOnly.com.

In the meantime, check out this year’s video montage, as well as this amazing jam session, below.  Enjoy!

Watch this extra special performance of the Billy Cobham classic “Red Baron,” with Jonas Hellborg, Steve Bailey, Leland Sklar, Abraham Laboriel and Chester Thompson