Archive for April 2014 - Page 5

Derek Frank has some serious groove, and he put it to work on this cover of Stevie Wonder’s “All Day Sucker.” Frank shares that his version is “played ala Marcus Miller, with some fun analog synths and vocoder in addition to bass.” Get ready to nod your head.

The Both, a new band formed by Aimee Mann and Ted Leo (of Ted Leo & The Pharmacists) has released its . Mann and Leo decided to create a new band after touring together last year, and the pair wrote the album long-distance, and according to Leo “it’s been line by line, verse by verse, part by part; we’ll send...

Meet Ryan Redemption, a bassist from Thunder Bay in Ontario who is living the low end life. When Ryan first picked up the bass in school, he said he thought it would be an easy credit. He got more than he bargained for, in what he describes as “a lifestyle instead”. Ryan is the No Treble reader in the spotlight...

Here’s a new lesson in our ongoing series of bass lick lessons. This time, we’ll play around with a minor pentatonic, in the key of A. In the video below, I play the lick at full speed, followed by a demo at a reduced speed. Follow along with the video and this transcription (PDF). If you’d like a refresher, check...

This one is killer. Performing live at Live-Proberaum in Zülpich, Germany, here’s the Dean Brown Band performing “Uncle Ray”. The band is anchored by bassist Hadrien Feraud and drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith (Smith wrote the tune). Rounding out the quartet is Bernard Maseli on vibes. The tune appeared on Brown’s 2012 album, . Oh yeah.

Legendary rock bassist, songwriter and vocalist Jack Bruce – known for his influential style and his days in the supergroup Cream with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker – has returned with his first studio album in a decade, . Recorded at Abbey Road studios in London, the album features a host of guest players, including Phil Manzanera, Robin...

Dutch luthier Rikkers Custom Basses turns thirty this year, and to celebrate the company has introduced two new bass models: the Acoustiline and the Acidline. As with the rest of their instruments, the basses are hand made in the North of Holland. The Rikkers Acoustiline is a unique hollow body acoustic bass defined by its bass-reflex ports in the upper...

Few musicians can change the way others play their instrument, but Scott LaFaro was one of those special few. LaFaro’s free and floating style was more reminiscent of a saxophonist. His playing, especially with pianist Bill Evans, made people see the bass in a different light. Like too many of our favorite musicians, LaFaro’s life was cut short in 1961,...

Adam Stevens always impresses us with his solo bass arrangements. Here he is with one of his latest – a live bass loop version of Little Dragon’s “Twice”.

Music lovers all over were heartbroken last year at the dissolution of Mars Volta. The group, which in the end was anchored by bassist Juan Alderete, split after a dispute between founders Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Now, the duo has apparently made amends to form a new band called Antemasque. The quartet is rounded out by drummer Dave Elitch...

You know we love these top 10 lists. Sometimes they’re even better, when one of the items is another top 10 list. And that’s what happened this week. Check out the most watched videos and most read stories on No Treble for the week of April 6-12, 2014. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Jim Bennett: “Thrift Shop”...

Shredneck, a company that specializes in practice and travel instruments, has introduced the Z-Series of travel basses. At a total body length of 36.25″, the Z-Series bass is approximately 5/8ths the size of a standard bass guitar. The instrument’s 2-piece nato body is loaded with a PJ pickup configuration with volume and tone controls. The maple neck is topped with...