Archive for 2014 - Page 54

Meet Merl Middletown, a bassist whose motto is “from pocket to rocket.” Merl can be found rocking the bass in Florida and elsewhere, clearly loves the music, and doesn’t care about the crazy gear list either (and we mean that in a good way). Merl is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of June 30, 2014. Bio:...

Using an envelope filter effect can make a funky bass line sound even funkier. This lick is in Em with a fill based on an Em pentatonic scale motif. It uses pretty much only the top two strings on the bass. Follow along with the video and this transcription. For the gear heads, I’m playing my Sandberg California MarloweDK Signature...

The last time we shared a video by guitarist Shahab Tolouie and bassist Jan Urbanec, it was a major hit. Jan has just shared a new one with us. The duo is really creating some unique music, which Jan describes as “flamenco fusion.” That’s as fitting a description as any for this performance of one of Shahab’s compositions, “EthnoBulerias.” Jan...

Crazy Horse bassist and longtime Neil Young collaborator Billy Talbot has suffered a mild stroke, the band released in a statement. Thankfully, doctors say Talbot is expected to make a full recovery, but they also say he must take time off from the band’s upcoming summer tour. Rick Rosas, who played on many of Young’s albums as well as toured...

If you don’t like how fast the 2014 calendar is flying by, maybe this will help: the top 10 most popular bass gear stories on No Treble for the month of June. As always, it comes with a warning: may cause G.A.S. Your mileage may vary. Use only as directed. 1. Fender American Standard Jaguar Bass Fender is adding a...

Having a properly set up bridge on your upright is an important factor in the playability, sound and the long-term health of your instrument. Here are some things every upright player should know: The internal, not external, notches you see on the F-holes determine the proper distance of the bridge from the fingerboard. They should correspond, more or less, to...

We’re celebrating the birthday of one of the long-time greats in music and bass history, the one and only Stanley Clarke. Here he is performing “Lopsy Lu” at the 1976 Downbeat Poll Winner Awards show, along with Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, Chick Corea on piano and Billy Cobham on drums. Wow. Just wow.

Peter Gabriel’s “Back to Front” tour performance in October 2013 at London’s O2 Arena has been captured as an ultra-high-definition film, which was not only released in theaters, but is now available on DVD. The tour celebrated the 25th anniversary of Gabriel’s classic So album and featured him playing the entire album and more with his touring band from that...

For this week’s top 10 list, 90% of it is the sort of terrific stuff we love covering in the world of bass. Unforunately, we have to start things off with the most read and most shared story of the week: the TSA not being so nice to some notable bassists. Things get better from there… we promise (need proof?...

PRS Guitars has introduced the first bass models of their SE line: the SE Kingfisher and the SE Kestrel. The basses, which are designed in Maryland and built overseas, are both described as traditional character with modern upgrades. SE Kingfisher Bass The SE Kingfisher is a neck-thru design built with a swamp ash body, a 24-fret maple/walnut neck, and a...

On November 20, 1976, Joni Mitchell performed a benefit concert with Jaco Pastorius and conga player Bobbye Hall for a “Save the Whales” organization in Sacramento, CA. Here’s the trio’s performance of “Shadows & Light” from that show. This version takes on a very different vibe than other more well-known recordings of the tune. And it is so so good.

Phish is back with its first album in five years, . The record, which is the band’s 12th studio release, was recorded in Nashville late last year with producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel). Material for the record was written by all band members, including bassist Mike Gordon, at “The Barn”, the band’s Vermont rehearsal space. One of the...