Archive for August 2011 - Page 8

Here’s another question taken from our Player Spotlight questionnaire. (By the way, the Player Spotlight is open to all bassists). The question this week: Who are your influences? Answer below in the comments, or on our Facebook page.

Always great to see videos from Viaceslav Svedov. Here’s a recent one, with his all-bass take on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Hump de Bump”. What kind of coffee do you think Viaceslav drinks? I’ll take some.

Bernhard Lackner has released his third album, Stories from Home. The Austrian-born bassist explains the album came to him after getting song ideas while visiting his native country. Besides a wealth of musical talent on the release, including Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Jeff Coffin and Derico Watson, the album was co-produced by fellow Nashville bass ace Adam Nitti. Lackner flew...

I have become quite a fan of Audiophile Engineering’s FiRe2 recording application (see my previous review). Now, the folks at Audiophile have introduced FiRe Studio, which is essentially a multi-track version of FiRe2. As with FiRe2, there is a little bit of a learning curve, but FiRe Studio is similarly loaded with an informative user manual. Once you’ve gotten a...

Marhsall Grant, the bassist in Johnny Cash’s original backing duo The Tennessee Two, has passed away at the age of 83. Grant was instrumental in Cash’s sound and success, as he also served as Cash’s road manager until 1980. Grant’s playing became an integral role in the “boom-chicka-boom” sound, which shaped a whole style of country and rockabilly music. Born...

Gear is always popular around here, and last week was no different. Our top stories last week included new bass gear from Brian May, Lakland and Kala. Ryan Madora made her debut as a new columnist on No Treble, focusing on becoming a great blues player, and Damian Erskine answered a reader’s question about which scales to practice. The latest...

In addition to their new LTD J-Series basses, ESP has introduced two new basses to their LTD B-Series: The B-50FM and B-55FM. The 4- and 5-string models share the qualities of their siblings, but are distinguished by their flamed maple tops. Available in three different sunburst finishes, the flamed maple top covers the basswood body. The maple neck features a...

How many people can say that George Duke wrote a symphonic jazz piece for them? Well, add Christian McBride to that list. Duke, the legendary keyboardist/singer will be premiering the work, Concerto for Christian McBride, during a free performance on September 24th at UCLA with the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra and McBride himself. Conducted by Mitch Glickman, the 67-piece orchestra will...

When Marc Maron put out a request for a theme song for his radio show, bassist John Montagna sprung into action. John uses a combination of basses (a Robelli “Violin Bass” and a Spector Q4Pro fretless), some toys, and other hilarity and musicianship in his recording of “Are We Doing This?”, which Maron selected. Thanks to my good friend Seth,...

Coheed and Cambria have parted ways with longtime bassist Michael Todd, according to a statement the band issued August 4th. “After a lot of thought, introspection and discussion, Coheed and Cambria will be continuing our journey without bassist Michael Todd,” the message read. “We have spoken to him and this is a mutual decision between both parties. Michael was a...

In preparation for their next album, Dream Theater have announced a run of North American tour dates starting September 24th at the Warfield in San Francisco. This will be the group’s first venture without drummer Mike Portnoy, who left the band in September 2010 and subsequently replaced by Mike Mangini. The new album, A Dramatic Turn of Events, is due...

Recording double bass can be a real hassle. As anyone who has tried it can tell you, it takes time to find the right balance of definition and depth. Luckily, Steve Bailey spent tons of time figuring out what works for him, and made this video to share his techniques. Bailey not only explains his mic placement, but also goes...