Archive for 2015 - Page 79

We recently got to interview Consider the Source’s John Ferrara, who gave us the scoop on the band’s latest album, World War Trio, Pt. 1. It’s made up of a six-part epic song called “Put Another Rock in That Bag” that the bassist kicks off with some blazing two-handed tapping. Ferrara shares some insight on this new playalong and lesson...

Godspeed You! Black Emperor (GYBE) has released Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress, the Canadian post-rock group’s first record since 2012’s Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! The group, with its two-bassist lineup of Thierry Amar (double bass, bass) and Mauro Pezzente (bass), has a sound marked by major unison riffage, noise/drones, and guitar/strings counterpoint. Just this one description from the record’s promotional...

This week we check out the Ruokangas Steambass Deluxe, a specialized version of the company’s flagship bass model. Hand-made in Finland, the bass is set apart by a 2-piece Spanish cedar body with a thermo treated arctic birch top. Its rock maple neck is also topped with a thermo treated Indian rosewood fingerboard. “From the guitar maker’s point of view,...

Some methods of learning jazz improvisation start out from the beginning by asking us to memorize chords, scales, and to play patterns in every key. For those unaccustomed to improvising, or inexperienced in theory, starting out this way can be a daunting task. It can make the learning curve for improvisation seem insurmountable. Some people take naturally to it, of...

When Christian Rauhoeft shared this video with us, his note really meant something to me. I’ll share what he wrote, to do it justice: Ever since I read Damian’s [column on] “staying motivated and avoiding unhealthy comparisons,” my self confidence as a bass player was able to make a considerable step into the right direction (up). It’s not just Damian’s...

Post-hardcore/post-metal band Prong offers up its take on a variety songs that have influenced the band over the years on its latest album, Songs From the Black Hole. The band, featuring bassist Jason Christopher, covers songs like Black Flag’s “Bars,” Husker Du’s “Don’t Want to Know if You Are Lonely,” Bad Brains’ “Banned in DC” and Neil Young’s “Cortez the...

If you love the artwork on Rush albums almost as much as you love the music made by the Canadian trio, you’re in luck: you can pre-order The Art of Rush, a coffee table book detailing how artist Hugh Syme designed the group’s album art. In the early days, Syme carefully hand-crafted elements for album art. Today, he can use...

Rest easy, the top 10 list from the world of bass is here… These 10 make up No Treble readers’ favorites for the week of March 28 – April 3, 2015. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Eden Amplification Introduces MicroTour Mini Bass Amp After releasing their World Pro Tour Series, Eden has taken a different approach with the...

Emile Nelson sent us this cool video he put together for the title track of his album, Believe. The tune is a catchy one, with a nice groove held down by Emile. The video is a nice reminder of the warm weather that may get here, eventually. (You can find the album on ).

Believe it or not, Van Halen never released a live album with founding singer David Lee Roth. That is, until now. Van Halen’s Tokyo Dome in Concert features not only Diamond Dave, but also Wolfgang Van Halen (son of guitarist Eddie and nephew of drummer Alex) on bass. Wolfgang has been part of the band since 2006, when he replaced...

Spector has expanded their Legend series with a new neck-thru model. Available in four- and five-string versions, the Legend4 and Legend5 Neck-Thru basses feature the company’s NS body shape with maple wings and either a bubinga top with natural matte finish or a figured maple top with a faded blue gloss finish. The 3-piece maple neck is reinforced with graphite...

Simon Fitzpatrick took Francisco Tárrega’s classical guitar piece “Rosita” and turned it into a classical 6-string bass piece. Stunning.