Archive for February 2014 - Page 5
Eric Silver and Victor Wooten: Living In the Country
When Victor Wooten shared this awesome video of himself playing a duet of Pete Seeger’s “Living in the Country” with guitarist Eric Silver, it really drew me in. The song has special significance to to Silver, who recorded it after Seeger’s recent passing. “‘Living In The Country’ was one of the first songs I remember learning on the guitar,” the...
Stanley Clarke Announces Winter/Spring 2014 Tour Dates
Bass legend Stanley Clarke has announced tour dates through April. It begins February 21st in White River Junction, Vermont then heads across the Northeast and Midwest before heading to Chile for a one-off perforamnce. The trek is rounded out by concerts in Florida, California and New York City. Four of the dates include a special program called “Stanley Clarke Presents...
Makers of the Melody: Part 2 – Soloing
Bass solo! Bass solo! The bandleader points his finger at you, giving you the okay and hushing the rest of the band. Great. Now what? We’re not the guitar player… we haven’t worked on Hendrix licks or memorizing the solo section to “Freebird”. We can’t just crank up the distortion or create mesmerizing soundscapes with our pedals. We’re the bass...
Bass of the Week: DiPinto Guitars Belvedere Deluxe Bass
The DiPinto Belvedere Deluxe bass is a hot rod with strings. The retro styled bass has is adorned with an extensive pearl pickguard, white binding, star inlays in the fretboard and a sparkle finished headstock. The bass is built with a semi-hollow mahogany body, a bolt-on maple neck, and ebony fingerboard. DiPinto adds some extra flair with chrome covers for...
From the Ground Up: An Interview with Michael League
When Snarky Puppy snagged the Grammy for Best R&B Performance, it was a victory for independent artists everywhere. Many called the group an underdog but their track “Something,” featuring Lalah Hathaway, is an undeniably phenomenal song. The song’s music video went viral on YouTube with over two million views and has catapulted the band into the limelight. And while a...
Carlitos Del Puerto: Upright Bass Solo
Gallien-Krueger has released the second video in their new artist series featuring a fantastic bass solo from Carlitos Del Puerto. The bassist, whose career highlights include work with Bruce Springsteen, Chris Botti and Chick Corea, blends several genres into a classical leaning solo.
Helms Alee Releases “Sleepwalking Sailors”
Helms Alee is an experimental metal band with a deep understanding of bass. The experimental metal trio not only includes bassist/vocalist Dana James, but its guitarist Ben Verellen, is a former bassist. He’s also the man behind Verellen Amplifiers’ Meatsmoke, a 300-watt all-tube bass amp. (James also uses the Meatsmoke for Helms Alee.) Helms Alee’s third album, , recorded on...
TC Electronic Introduces Ditto X2 Looper
TC Electronic has followed up on last year’s compact Ditto looper pedal with the Ditto X2. The pedal builds on its predecessor with a dedicated start/stop button, looper effects, and a loop import/export feature for loading premade loops. The Ditto X2 offers up to five minutes of looping with unlimited overdubs and undo/redo functions. It also stores loops when it...
Heavy Music with a Hollow Body Bass?
Q: Here’s my problem: I’m a big fan of archtop guitars and I love the lighter tonal quality. I also don’t like playing solid body basses since they don’t go well with my slightly weaker left shoulder (which is made worse since I’m left-handed but play right-handed). That’s not the real problem though. The big problem is that the band...
Grant Stinnett: Run of the Angels
Here’s a gorgeous tune by Grant Stinnett called “Run of the Angels.” Stinnett employs a higher altered tuning and some tapping to create a gorgeous soundscape. “The tuning is C-G-C-G. There are no effects, overdubs, or alterations to this live recording,” he shared. “This video and my CD are designed to demonstrate what I do in a live show.” The...
Royal Southern Brotherhood Releases “Songs From the Road: Live in Germany”
Blues-rock supergroup Royal Southern Brotherhood’s legendary October 2012 performance at Bonn, Germany’s Crossroads Festival for the German TV show Rockpalast has been captured in a CD/DVD set as a part of Ruf Records’ Songs From the Road series. If you’re unfamiliar with the Brotherhood and love Southern blues/rock, these are guys to check out, with Charlie Wooton (ZydeFunk, Bonerama, Woods...
Reader Spotlight: Mike Dyer
Meet Mike Dyer, a bassist who appears to be living the musical dream (i.e. he doesn’t have a day job.) A recent graduate of Berklee, he appears well on his way. Mike is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of February 10, 2014. Bio: I grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri and played in...