Archive for February 2014 - Page 2

I was the oldest guy in the No Treble crew, and Snarky Puppy went on really late at the 2014 NAMM Bass Bash this year. So I missed their performance in favor of some much needed sleep. Thanks to the guys at Gospel Chops, we have this video of Michael League and the gang to enjoy.

“You just didn’t expect them to be as funky, or as greasy as they were.” That’s how Aretha Franklin describes The Swampers, the legendary house band at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in the star-studded documentary . The band, including bassist David Hood, then went on to co-found the iconic Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in 1969, solidifying the tiny...

Two years ago, Warwick presented Bootsy Collins with a one-of-a-kind “Space Bass” made in the company’s custom shop. The star-shaped instrument garnered so much attention that Warwick has now introduced a similar model to their more affordable RockBass Artist Line. The Warwick RockBass Artist Line Bootsy Collins Space Bass is built with a mahogany body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard....

Single string shifting exercises are great for teaching us the geography of the fingerboard. Not to mention the help they provide in solidifying pitch accuracy and bow control. As a result, variations of the exercise given below have likely been in existence since the first human put first put bow to string. Edouard Nanny has a version at the end...

This video was filmed over three years ago I believe, but somehow I’ve missed it all this time. Victor Wooten with his brother, guitarist Regi Wooten, and drummer Steve Smith decided to jam in the studio. The result was the trio’s unique version Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon”.

“If you want to know the real deal, read Alan Paul,” says Allman Brothers bassist Oteil Burbridge about Paul’s (St. Martin’s Press). The book is billed as the first major biography of the ABB, which marks its 45th anniversary this year. All the surviving members of the band, including former members, are interviewed in this oral history, and founders Butch...

This week’s top 10 is one of the most balanced I’ve ever seen: great bass videos, lessons and how-to’s, news, Ryan’s interview with David Hood, and one killer bass of the week. Here is your top 10 for the week of February 16-22, 2014. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Yolanda Charles: NAMM Bass Bash 2014 One of the...

Fuzzrocious Pedals has unleashed a new pedal called “There is No Dana… Only ZUUL.” Named after a line in the movie Ghostbusters, the pedal is an oscillator that is semi-clean blended and driven into an overdrive. It has three controls: Volume, Blend and Oscillator. Turned to the left, the Blend knob mixes your signal in with the oscillator. Turning it...

“Blackbird” is a song many bassists cover, but Petros Klampanis takes it in his own direction in this video with vocalist Sofia Ribeiro and percussionist Marcelo Woloski. Starting with an intimate bass/voice duet, the song soon kicks into a beautiful groove with Ribeiro’s voice soaring over top. The song is also available on the bassist’s album Contextual.

Italian bassist and songwriter Marco Machera has released his sophomore album, . The effort includes a host of special guests, including fellow bassist Tony Levin on “Out of Blue,” drummer Pat Mastelotto, guitarist Markus Reuter and more. With an interesting cast of characters, Machera offers up a quirky take on pop music. “Dime Novels is a beast. Pretty much like...

Reverend Guitars used the NAMM Show this year as an opportunity to introduce a 4-string version of their Mercalli bass. The bass had previously only been available as a 5-string. The Reverend Mercalli 4 is built with a korina body and a five-piece maple and walnut neck that’s finished in a satin amber. It comes with several options, including a...

The last time we featured a video by Fernando Lamadrid (“Mollete Express“), everyone went crazy. That included Stuart Clayton, who transcribed the tune to challenge us all. Fernando is back with a new video for the tune “Grasa Original” he just recorded in the studio with drummer Rick Arencibia. Man, this is good.