Interviews - Page 16

Weezer fans have rejoiced at the band’s latest release Everything Will Be Alright In The End for many reasons. It’s the group’s first release since 2010’s Hurley, which ended a prolific period of releasing an album every year. It’s also a return to the early sound that earned them a diehard following. Lead singer Rivers Cuomo spells out the return...

Being on the cutting edge of music in itself is no easy task, but Bill Laswell has been doing it for over three decades. A man of many hats, Laswell has been pushing the boundaries of music as a bassist, a producer, an engineer, and a record label owner. While he’s worked in nearly every style, his true passion is...

Many people have been introduced to the work of Bill Dickens through his jaw-dropping technique and finesse on his 7-string bass, but that’s not the whole story. Dickens, who started on drums at the tender age of 3, has been a songwriter since his teen years. His writing, producing, and arranging has gotten scored Billboard hits for several R&B artists,...

If you haven’t caught on to the incredible playing of Snow Owl, it’s high time you did. The bassist – real name Juan Garcia-Herreros – has been turning heads with a style that synthesizes all of his musical tastes with flavors of jazz, latin music, pop, rock and more. Part of that special blend comes from his multi-cultural experience. Garcia-Herreros...

Packing up everything you own and moving over 5,000 miles to make a new home is a life-changing event. It forces you to learn a new culture, a new language, meet new people, and generally get you completely out of your comfort zone. That’s precisely what happened to bassist and vocalist Kristin Korb after she left sunny Southern California for...

Sometimes great things come in small packages. That’s true in the case of Royal Blood, a British rock duo that gets a gargantuan sound that rivals four or five-piece bands. One of the key ingredients to that sound is the massive bass tone delivered by Mike Kerr. Kerr started Royal Blood with drummer Ben Thatcher in early 2012 after discovering...

Musical diversity is a beautiful thing, and Dan Briggs has it in spades. Besides laying down the low end for the popular prog-metal outfit Between the Buried and Me, the bassist has several projects to express different sides of his playing including ORBS and Trioscapes, the latter of which is gearing up for their sophomore release next month. Digital Dream...

David Pastorius has been smashing expectations for as long as he’s been playing bass. The last time we talked with him, Pastorius told us about the impact of being the nephew of legendary electric bassist Jaco Pastorius, notably that his influences and style come from another place with an edgier rock sound. Now he is wowing everyone with a set...

Think of your favorite reggae song and chances are what comes to you is actually the bass line. That’s because the bass line is often the actual musical hook of the song, which leaves people humming for days. No reggae music has reached as many people as the songs of Bob Marley, and no reggae bass lines have been as...

Few bassists have a style that is as instantly recognizable as Francis “Rocco” Prestia’s funky, bubbly ghost and 16th-note playing. His work with Tower of Power has shaped what is expected of a funk bassist in terms of playing in the pocket and has subsequently inspired countless bass players. Prestia himself is humble about his contributions, citing James Jamerson and...

The art of solo bass has been steadily growing for the past couple of decades, but one bassist has always been a leading figure in the field. That bassist is Michael Manring. It’s not just his use of extended techniques, his unusual tunings, or his unique gear that sets him apart. Manring consistently presents a level of artistry that touches...

If you’ve been reading No Treble for a while, you’ve seen the incredibly talented and forward thinking Miles Mosley rip it up on upright. Mosley brings together elements of jazz, rock, pop, and R&B into his style, which he accents with off the wall techniques and effects. The bassist has a new duo with drummer Tony Austin called BFI. The...