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New School - Page 2

New School: Donovan Stokes

New School: Donovan Stokes

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...

New School: Eric Czar

New School: Eric Czar

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...

New School: Olivier Babaz

New School: Olivier Babaz

Olivier Babaz is a bassist who pushes his technique to expand his musicality, even if it means playing several instruments at once. The bassist first caught our attention in a video where he plays bass, kalimba, and shaker all at the same time. Born and raised in Paris, Babaz moved to Canada in 2010. Besides working on his own music,...

New School: Armin Metz

New School: Armin Metz

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...

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New School: Viaceslav Svedov

New School: Viaceslav Svedov

Viacelsav Svedov has been catching the attention of the YouTube world with his inventive and entertaining solo bass covers of popular rock tunes, including “Purple Haze,” “Master of Puppets,” and “Tom Sawyer.” With an infectious sense of energy and enthusiasm, the bassist’s videos have been averaging around 100,000 views while his “Around the World” cover hit nearly 225,000. Hailing from...

New School: Nick Schendzielos

New School: Nick Schendzielos

Armed with some serious chops and quirky sense of humor, Nick Schendzielos is a bass force to be reckoned with. Nick currently holds down the low end for the grindcore outfits Cephalic Carnage and Job for a Cowboy, where he implements advanced bass techniques into the fold. We had to find out more about this “New School” bassist, so we...

New School: Nathan Navarro

New School: Nathan Navarro

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...

New School: Sylvain “Sly” Audet

New School: Sylvain “Sly” Audet

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...

New School: Zander Zon

New School: Zander Zon

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...

New School: Simon Fitzpatrick

New School: Simon Fitzpatrick

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...

New School: Steve Lawson

New School: Steve Lawson

Steve Lawson is the epitome of new school. After beginning to play solo bass in the late 1990s, Lawson has been utilizing his love of technology and community to not only expand the scope of the instrument’s identity, but also to bring players together in discussions through social media. Steve’s advocacy for a “do-it-yourself” career, including releasing your own music...

New School: Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas

New School: Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas

Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas is not your average bassist. Formerly known as PolyNeon, Thomas’ unique style is a result of his main influences of ‘70s Soul and modern avant-garde music – which come together in some very interesting ways. What makes you new school? Well I never considered myself “new school”, but I guess I do have a some characteristics that...