Archive for March 2015 - Page 3

Keyboardist Marc Cary has released a followup to his 1999 album, Rhodes Ahead Vo. 1, featuring the same personnel as the late 1990s record, including bassist Tarus Mateen. Rhodes Ahead Vol. 2 showcases Cary’s electro-acoustic jazz sound and Fender Rhodes’ keyboard work. It also incorporates drum n’ bass, electronic dance music (EDM), funk and rock influences. Here’s what it all...

Meet Johannes Ossi, one of many bassists who started out first on guitar, before finding his love with the lower end of the spectrum. Johannes keeps busy with a post-grunge band, and thinks of bass in the way many would say is the mark of a true bassist. He’s the No Treble reader in the spotlight for the week of...

AC Guitars has revamped their offering with the Standard series, which the company says offers “outstanding value for money sitting below [their] custom basses.” The line offers each of the company’s models with reduced options to keep prices and wait times down. Standard basses can be ordered in 4-, 5-, and 6-string versions with a choice of scale lengths. All...

Ever since Evan Brewer joined Entheos at the beginning of the year, I’ve been eager to check the band out. The technical death metal band’s Primal EP dropped this month and proved the wait was worth it. Brewer joins drummer Navene Koperweis, guitarist Frank Costa, and vocalist Chaney Crabb to lay down some brutally heavy beats. Here’s a clip of...

The year’s vinyl releases of remastered Rush albums continues with the double live album All the World’s a Stage and the legendary 2112, both from 1976. Both albums from the prog-rock trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart were remastered at Abbey Road Studios using the Direct to Metal Mastering process and pressed on 200-gram vinyl. As a...

This week we take a look at Italian luthier Anastasio Fasanaro’s Contrabasso model, but this is no ordinary double bass. The unique 1/4 size bass features low profile sides for a slim body and a highly figured, bookmatched curly Italian poplar top. Fasanaro gave it a dark finish for a smoky, elegant aesthetic. The Contrabasso is fitted with K&K pickups...

As important as playing with good intonation is, it is even more important to play with good time and rhythmic accuracy. Most of us know that counting, subdividing and practicing with a metronome can help. However, there are things we can do beyond these initial steps. Below are a few suggestions, and a few games, for taking your rhythmic accuracy...

Solo bassist Gheorghe Postoronca‘s latest video is guaranteed to chill you out. Like many of his songs, “Lullaby to the Sea” utilizes a chordal fingerstyle to create a spellbinding musical journey. Postoronca performs the song in front of the sea to use the crashing waves as an ambient backdrop. Check out his innovative use of a capo over the lower...

The album often cited as legendary jazz bassist/composer Charles Mingus’ best, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, has been released in a limited, remastered vinyl edition after being long out of print on vinyl. Composed in part as a ballet, the work recorded by an 11-piece band features a spectacular rhythm section, Spanish influences, and extraordinary improvisation. It also...

Our least favorite thing here is to cover the news of a bassist’s passing. This week, we had to do it twice. This top 10 list is usually a celebration of all the great things from the world of bass. But this week is different, with two stories making the list. RIP, Mike Porcaro and Andy Fraser. 1. In Memoriam:...

Fender had a lot of new gear at NAMM this year including the Deluxe Active Okoume series. The basses, which feature okoume bodies with a natural finish, come in Jazz Bass, Jazz Bass V, and Precision Bass Special versions. Fender explains that okoume is a reddish-brown African hardwood with a straight grain that gives the bass a pronounced low end....

Here’s a killer video of Now Vs Now performing “Ancient Alien” from their album Earth Analog, live at Relix. The song features the electro space groove travelers throwing down with a massive, futuristic soundscape. The band consists keyboardist Jason Linder, drummer Justin Tyson, and bassist Panagiotis Andreou, who utilizes some crazy effects to bolster the bottom end. He switches to...