New School Archives

Jauqo III-X is a bassist that plays by his own rules. After coming up in a household filled the sounds of jazz and Motown, Jauqo picked up bass as a teenager and never looked back. “My interest in Bass grew into—for lack of a better word—an obsession,” he shared on his website. “If it was anything Bass-related, I wanted to...

With a new album and videos (see below) to accompany its release, Jayme Lewis has been taking the online bass community by storm with his awe-inspiring playing and tight band compositions. Lewis puts the bass out front in all the right ways, letting his equally skilled bandmates take the lead when the time is right. Beginning on piano at age...

Extended range bass artist Scott Fernandez is pushing musical boundaries. Equally comfortable on a 4-string as well as his 12-string, Fernandez incorporates his extended techniques to create lush harmonies, intense counterpoint, and intriguing melodies. His arsenal of effects pedals also help to create thick soundscapes while adding depth to his compositions. Fernandez only stepped out into the solo bass arena...

Aaron Gibson presents an interesting blend of singer/songwriter and solo bassist. Once described as “Jack Johnson playing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers,” the Oregon-based low-ender comps for himself while playing impressive original tunes as well as covers. Aaron scores solo gigs by covering the bass line, harmony, melody, and vocals all on his own. We reached out to find...

Bassist Evan Brewer goes above and beyond the call of standard bass playing. With a solid foundation in heavy music as anchor of the tech metal group The Faceless, Brewer’s technique and knowledge of styles allow him to do session work in all genres. Brewer’s debut solo bass album, Alone, dropped last summer to rave review. We reached out to...

Regular No Treble readers will be familiar with Donovan Stokes from his column, The Lowdown with Dr. D, but you may not be as familiar with his playing. As a professor at Shenandoah University, Stokes is well versed in the classical realm of double bass playing, yet his own compositions draw on an array of genres. His stunning performances often...

Eric Czar has been wowing bass lovers on YouTube with his phenomenal compositions and arrangements. Often overdubbing several instruments, Czar isn’t scared to step out and play on a 7-string bass, strung E to Bb. We caught up with this exciting bassist to get the story behind what makes him want to push the boundaries of the low end. What...

Armin Metz really caught some attention when we posted the video for his solo bass composition “Sanskar Valley” (see below). As bassist for Imogen Heap, Metz has done his share of playing stages as a sideman, but the spotlight has been moving to him with his expansion into the realm of solo bass. How did you discover your new school...

Nathan Navarro has been experimenting with the bass’s role in different genres for some time now, but his recent exploration into electronica and dubstep bass have captured the attention of the bass community. His band’s live cover of Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” has reached over 2.5 million hits on YouTube. We caught up with Nathan to find out...

After picking up on some of Victor Wooten’s techniques, Sylvain “Sly” Audet slowly began his own style. While experimenting with double thumbing, the Canadian bassist began what he calls thumbpicking. Audet also incorporates a Kahler tremolo bridge in for some cool effects. Not relegated to being a sideman, Audet has released his own CD, with half of the proceeds going...

Zander Zon, who takes his name from the famed line of boutique bass guitars, follows the vein of solo bass. Employing piccolo strings and alternate tunings, the bassist builds thoughtful and challenging compositions as well as cool arrangements of popular tunes that have captured the imagination of YouTubers. What makes you new school? My focus as a musician is to...

UK-based Simon Fitzpatrick caught the attention of bass lovers around the world last year with his jaw-dropping solo bass arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody. Since then, the Carl Palmer Band bassist has been continuing to push himself to adapt new songs to the instrument with techniques and technology. What makes you new school? I first started taking solo bass seriously about...