Best of 2015: The Top 10 Interviews and Podcasts

1. Groove – Episode #1: Robert Trujillo

Robert Trujillo is known to millions of people – all over the world – as Metallica’s bass player. In this first episode of Groove – The No Treble Podcast, we talk about the influence of Jaco in his life, his creativity, his plans for Metallica, and the art of playing the bass. Enjoy the conversation…

2. Groove – Episode #3: Leland Sklar

“Who is that bass player with the long beard?” That was Mitch’s initial reaction when he first saw the video for Phil Collins’ smash hit, “Sussudio”, in 1985. He didn’t know Leland Sklar’s pedigree as a bass player before that. In this third episode of Groove, we talk about how the bass has evolved, the role of the instrument and how bass players can better contribute to a band…

3. Groove – Episode #10: Victor Wooten

The Music Lesson is a book that will forever change you. Not because it was written by one of the world’s greatest bass players, but because the message is core to living a life worth celebrating. Music is all over Victor Wooten. We discussed his desire to get instrument in front of more people, to his thoughts around where the best music and playing can come from…

4. MonoNeon on Preparing for Prince

MonoNeon pushes the boundaries of his art with a manifesto that includes wearing high-visibility clothing with polychromatic color schemes, and his bass playing will leave your jaw on the floor. He began working with Prince in 2015, so we asked him what it was like to prepare for that…

5. Groove – Episode #2: Jerry Jemmott

There is a memorable scene in the Modern Electric Bass instructional video, when Jerry Jemmott asks Jaco Pastorius who really influenced the development of his playing style. Without missing a beat, Pastorius riffs on some of Jemmott’s classic bass lines. We talked with Jemmott about how he got connected to the Jaco documentary and how he thinks about the bass as an instrument of creativity and invention….

6. From Pros to Newbies: 10 Bassists Share Advice for Up and Coming Musicians

The bass is an incredible instrument. It’s never too late to start playing and there’s always something to learn for those who have already started. But sometimes we hit ruts in our growth that will wear us down. That’s why we’ve compiled advice for up-and-comers from ten of the world’s foremost bassists across a variety of genres…

7. Groove – Episode #5: Juan Alderete

Over the years, Juan Alderete has made a professional career out of being a musical chameleon. We talked with him about his various bands, his musical journey and more in this fifth episode of Groove….

8. Groove – Episode #11: Alain Caron

Alain Caron started playing the bass at 11 years old. He attended Berklee College of Music, and after Uzeb disbanded in the early nineties, Caron has been on a musical whirlwind with solo albums, appearing with fellow musical luminaries, tours, master classes and more. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Caron at his home studio just outside of Montreal to discuss his drive of creativity…

9. Groove – Episode #4: Gary Willis

From a commercial standpoint, Gary Willis is mostly known as the co-founder of Tribal Tech. Like most bass players, Gary has paid his dues over the years working with everyone from Allan Holdsworth and Wayne Shorter to Simon Phillips and Robben Ford. In this episode of Groove, Gary looks back on his career and more…

10. Chaos Labyrinth: An Interview with Jeff Hughell

Of the few bassists who play a 7-string bass, no one makes it sound quite like Jeff Hughell. We caught up with him to get his background, his touring tips, his album, and his opinion on whether metal bassists get the respect they deserve…