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Archive for July 2013

Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in July
Gear Roundup

Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in July

July saw some extra gear coverage, thanks to Summer NAMM. Here are the 10 most popular gear stories on No Treble, based on readership. Plus a bonus. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Bastard Basses Announces Little Bastard Bass Bastard Basses has launched with an innovative prototype called the Little Bastard. Born out of a final exam project for...

Finding Your Musical Path and Overcoming Musical Ruts
Ask Damian Erskine

Finding Your Musical Path and Overcoming Musical Ruts

Q: I’m a sophomore in high school, and I’m the lead bass player in the jazz band. I feel I hit a brick wall, and I don’t really know what else to practice. I can play almost all of the music that’s given to me, and the pieces I don’t get right away I usually learn within the next few...

JPGroov: Bass & Drums Jam Session
Bass Videos

JPGroov: Bass & Drums Jam Session

Our friend Sylvain Gros-Desormeaux should be an official part of the No Treble team by now, thanks to all of his video recommendations he’s sent us. This one features bassist Thierry “JPGroov” Jean-Pierre and drummer Gerald Bonnegrace in a live jam session. The duo starts off with some humor before getting down to serious business. As Sylvain says, “check dat...

Detroit Bass Day 2013 Taking Place This Weekend
Events

Detroit Bass Day 2013 Taking Place This Weekend

The bassists in Detroit have a great tradition of getting together every year in front of the Motown Museum for a photo shoot to get the most bass players together in a single picture. As if that’s not cool enough, the event has been expanded with the introduction of Detroit Bass Day, a day-long celebration honoring the legendary Motown bassist...

Reader Spotlight: Tom “Bom” Weymouth
Reader Spotlight

Reader Spotlight: Tom “Bom” Weymouth

Meet Tom “Bom” Weymouth, a bassist who got our attention with a great story that includes an really unique sounding job, a great gig, an awesome super power and a great story of how it all began for him. Tom is the No Treble reader in the spotlight for the week of July 29, 2013. Bio: I was born and...

Lesson: Funky Groove with Pentatonic Run
Bass Lessons

Lesson: Funky Groove with Pentatonic Run

Keeping up with this recent series of quick bass lick lessons, here’s a short groove in Em. I’m playing this with an open D string to achieve a note doubling effect. Follow along with the video and this transcription (PDF). For the gear heads: I’m playing a 1964 Fender Jazz bass with Dunlop nickel strings, gauge 45-105 running through a...

Mike Semesky: Bass Playthrough of Intervals’ “Mata Hari”
Bass Videos

Mike Semesky: Bass Playthrough of Intervals’ “Mata Hari”

Here’s an awesome video of bassist Mike Semesky running through “Mata Hari” by his band Intervals. He does it all, from filling out the low end to matching the guitars on crushing unison riffs.

Phish Announces Fall Tour
Concerts & Tours

Phish Announces Fall Tour

Phish has announced a fall tour that will cover the East Coast, including a pair of three-night residencies in Virginia and New Jersey. The trek begins October 18th through the 20th at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia before heading north and wrapping up in Atlantic City. Anchored by bassist Mike Gordon, the iconic jam band has recently revealed that...

Ruokangas Expands Steambass Series with 5-String Model
Basses

Ruokangas Expands Steambass Series with 5-String Model

Finnish manufacturer Ruokangas Guitars has announced the Steambass 5, a new 5-string version of their flagship bass model. Similar to its predecessor, the Steambass 5 comes in Classic and Deluxe models, which differ in body construction. The Classic is built with an alder body, while the Deluxe offers a Spanish Cedar body and Arctic Birch top. Common features include a...

What’s In My Gig Bag? Part 2: Jazz/Rockabilly, Solo Shows and Flying
The Lowdown with Dr. D

What’s In My Gig Bag? Part 2: Jazz/Rockabilly, Solo Shows and Flying

One of the things every gigging bassist needs to refine is what they bring to the gig, in addition to their bass and amp (if appropriate). We all have items we might need for gig emergencies and unforeseen circumstances. Showing up to the gig and having an equipment problem is no fun and ultimately it makes you look bad. Everyone...

Rush: “La Villa Strangiato”, Live (1978)
Bass Videos

Rush: “La Villa Strangiato”, Live (1978)

In celebration of Geddy Lee’s birthday today, we thought we’d go back to some early years Rush, and ultimately picked this 1978 performance of “La Villa Strangiato”. Oh, that tone! As a teenager, I wore the grooves down on more than one Rush LP because of this tune. How about you?

David Friesen Pays Homage to Son with “Brilliant Heart”
New Albums

David Friesen Pays Homage to Son with “Brilliant Heart”

When renowned jazz bassist David Friesen’s son Scott passed away in 2010, he knew he wanted to honor his life with a memorial CD, and after some time the opportunity arose at the end of a tour with his trio. The resulting album, Brilliant Heart, is a 13-track collection of songs Friesen composed for his son. “My son Scott loved...