Archive for January 2015 - Page 2

Meet Mike Smith, a bassist from the UK who keeps extremely busy with a life of music. What struck me is that Mike said he would love music to be his day job… it isn’t. But he does have a day job, and he plays in five bands (that we know of!) Mike is the No Treble reader in the...

After introducing the Bassbone OD last year, Radial Engineering is updating the original Bassbone with the Bassbone V2. The second generation device features a dedicated effects loop, a combination power booster-mute footswitch, and a piezo optimized input for upright bass. “We recently launched the Bassbone OD which has gained tremendous attention from many of the world’s most prominent bass players,”...

The recent wave of reharmonized pop tunes has led to some really great music. Here’s keyboardist Michael Whittaker and the Bottom 40 Band – and featuring bassist Adam Nitti – performing an updated version of Michael Jackson’s “Workin Day and Night.” Nitti gets a huge tone to fill out the bottom end while syncing up with Whittaker for some unbelievable...

Progressive-metal outfit Periphery had too much metal for one album, so instead of releasing one, they’ve put out two — Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut:Omega. The records are really meant to be listened to as a whole concept piece, with Alpha providing backstory and Omega focusing on the main character’s journey, according to drummer Matt Halpern, who noted that the dense,...

One of the first basses we featured in the Bass of the Week series was the redwood themed BL Design Barbary. After revisiting the BL Design website I found this unbelievable 5-string Marozi that centers around a stunning spalted myrtle burl top. The Marozi is one of luthier Beau Leopard’s double cutaway designs. This particular instrument was built with a...

We learn and grow musically from a variety of sources. Teachers, performances, fellow musicians, etc. all play a role in our progress, but our most direct improvement comes from our time in the practice room. That’s why spending time practicing each day is so important. Sometimes, however, even when are putting in time daily, we don’t see results. There can...

One of the major highlights for me at the 2015 NAMM Show was finally getting the chance to meet the great Alphonso Johnson. Alphonso deserves way more credit than I think he gets – in my opinion and many others. Going back through the wealth of music he’s been a part of just offers up more proof, including this 1975...

TC Electronic took the opportunity at the Winter NAMM Show to unveil the new K-Series of bass cabinets. Following in the footsteps of the company’s RS and BC cabinets, the K-Series models are designed to be lightweight with vertical stacking ability. The lineup includes the K210, the K212, and the K410. Each is constructed with a durable plywood cabinet loaded...

We’re wrapping up the annual Winter NAMM trip, heading home with stacks of notes and photos of all the bass goodness from the show. Our coverage began last week – with many of them making the top 10. But we also featured some killer videos – from Thundercat, Alex Webster, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones. That, plus Damian...

Marcus Miller has a new line of signature instruments with Sire Guitars. The series is based on two models – the J-bass inspired V7 and the modern-styled M3 – and aims to create quality instruments at low prices.

Scott Varney has a knack of writing and performing tunes with a great, chill vibe. The talented bassist recently decided to submit a performance of one of his recent songs to NPR for their “Tiny Desk” series. “The only rules were you needed to record an original song at a desk (any desk),” Scott told us. “The weather has been...

Good things can be found on dusty old cassette tapes — like live music made by three jazz legends playing as a trio. Swingin on the Korner: Live at Keystone Korner by the Red Garland Trio with Philly Joe Jones and Leroy Vinnegar offers more than 150 minutes of previously unreleased Garland music. The tracks for the album were pulled...