Archive for February 2015 - Page 6

I’m sitting in my hotel room in Lincoln, Nebraska and sifting through my file with all the questions submitted by readers I have yet to answer. Three of them were short enough to put together a “reader question roundup”. I thought this would be a nice change of pace – and one that would allow me to answer important questions...

Here’s one great and funky bass line, isolated for your listening pleasure. The tune is “Strawberry Letter 23” by The Brothers Johnson. The bassist of course is the legendary Louis Johnson. Rick Suchow, who shared the isolated track, shares some info on this one: “Hear the actual bass track from the Brothers Johnson tune ‘Strawberry Letter 23’, from the original...

Adrenaline Mob’s latest EP, Dearly Departed, combines covers and originals in a nine-song set. It includes outtakes from the group’s last full studio album, Men of Honor (which featured past bassist John Moyer) as well as covers and acoustic versions of the group’s past work. The group’s current bassist, Erik Leonhardt (ex-Tantric) appears on the new recordings. One of the...

Meet Ben Janning, a man who loves bass so much, he ditched rhythm guitar in favor of the low end. Ben keeps busy with original music – both as a member of Strange Attractor and his own solo work. He’s No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of February 9, 2015, and here’s his story… Bio: I started...

Fear not… that rumbling sound you hear isn’t anything to be concerned about. It just means it is time for another Top 10 Bass Video list. Here are the most watched videos on No Treble for the month of January, 2015. And what a beautifully diverse list of videos it is. Thanks for watching, sharing and commenting! 1. Lenny Kravitz...

For today’s isolated bass track, we’re treated to some great bass by Paul McCartney on the George Harrison tune, “Something”. The tune appeared on the Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” and was “the only song written by him to top the US charts while he was in the band.”

Joe B. Mauldin, who helped change the face of popular music as bassist for Buddy Holly and the Crickets, passed away February 7th after a battle with cancer. He was 74 years old. The Lubbock, Texas native started music early. Born on July 8, 1940, he first recorded with The Four Teens in 1955 at only 15 years old. He...

One of the most interesting booths we visited at the NAMM Show this year was James Trussart Custom Guitars. The L.A.-based luthier takes a different approach to building instruments and uses steel for his bodies, often giving them a rusted finish. “I’ve always liked the look and feel of old guitars, believing them to have a life beyond that of...

Good intonation is a lifelong concern for every double bassist. We train our ears, we work constantly to match pitch, and we devote large sections of our individual practice sessions to improving it. Among other things, the sheer size of the instrument demands our constant attention to pitch. Sometimes though, even players who normally have impeccable intonation can have issues...

We’re kicking off Isolated Bass Week #5 with a song that peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. Nirvana’s “In Bloom” featured some gritty bass by Krist Novoselic, locked right in with Dave Grohl’s drums. While the tune was originally recorded in 1990, this version appeared on the 1991 release Nevermind – the first album to feature Grohl.

Producer Mark Ronson knows his bass. Just listen to the name check on these lines from “Heavy and Rolling” a track of his chart-scaling fourth studio album, Uptown Special: “Smooth as glass/Smooth as Marcus Miller.” While Miller doesn’t appear on the album, bassists are everywhere on the album. Jamareo Artis keeps the groove going on the hit “Uptown Funk,” featuring...

We have a lot to report from the NAMM show, and will be continuing to do that over the coming weeks. Readers are digging it, based on the top 10 list each week since the show happened. Like us, readers are also enjoying the new podcast, Groove. This week, we published Mitch’s conversation with the great Jerry Jemmott. That, plus...