Archive for November 2017
Elevator Man: An Interview with Lorenzo Feliciati
Like much of his music, Italian bassist and composer Lorenzo Feliciati’s new album, , blends his loves of jazz and rock together in an amazing and eclectic way. However, the new release has a decidedly prog-rock flavor that evokes the likes of King Crimson and Allan Holdsworth while remaining entirely fresh. That’s not an accident. “While a varied stylistic approach...
Sting: Message In A Bottle, Live in Paris
Sting recently released a new concert video called Live at the Olympia Paris, and it’s just more proof that he’s still on top of the game. Filmed in April 2017, the performance includes plenty from his latest release, 57th and 9th, but it also goes back to the hits. “Message In A Bottle” has always been a great song –...
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Returns with “Who Built The Moon?”
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds has released their third studio album, entitled Who Built the Moon? The release is anchored by two bassists: Samuel Dixon and Jason Falkner. Each lays down muscular, driving bass lines to make the rock album danceable. That makes sense especially for Dixon, who has also played for and produced artists like Adele, Sia, Christina Aguilera...
Neunaber Audio Effects Unveils the Inspire Tri-Chorus Plus Pedal
Neunaber Audio has introduced the Inspire Tri-Chorus Plus, a pedal that offers eight stereo chorus effects. Featuring true bypass and mono or stereo i/o, the pedal ranges from classic to modern sounds. “Some of Inspire’s effects are my take on the classic effects that come to mind when you think of tri-chorus, while others are new and unique combinations,” says...
Practicing Slower Tempos
Q: I don’t know about you, but when I was a younger and less experienced player, I used to dread playing the faster, up-tempo passages or songs. But that all seemed to resolve itself with practice, and now as an older – hopefully wiser – player, I have come to realize what I have should have been worried about were...
Frescia Belmar: Gracias a la Vida
Frescia Belmar paid tribute to Chilean songwriter Violeta Parra in October with this incredible solo version of the song “Gracias a la Vida”, which translates to “Thanks to Life.” Celebrating what would have been Parra’s 100th birthday, Belmar wrote, “Happy Bday Violeta! Grateful for such a beautiful legacy you’ve left to the world!” She captures the beauty of the song...
Reader Spotlight: Guillaume Couture
Meet Guillaume Couture, a bassist from Canada who had the good fortune of growing up around a P-bass (his dad’s). Guillaume started experimenting with it, kicking off a 12-year (and counting) run on the bass. Guillaume is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next!) Here’s his story… Bio: For as long as I can remember,...
In Memoriam: Robert “Pops” Popwell
Robert “Pops” Popwell, who played with The Young Rascals and The Crusaders, has passed away. He was 70 years old. Born in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1946, Popwell started his career in the ’60s. He quickly got work in the jazz and R&B worlds. In 1970 alone, he recorded with Doris Duke, Hubert Laws, Deryll Inman, The Atlanta Disco Band,...
KAE Systems Unveils the MIDI Ant Foot Controller
KAE Systems has released the MIDI Ant, a compact MIDI foot controller designed for versatility. The pedal can activate any program or patch in any existing MIDI device in a chain of up to nine devices. Sporting a bright 3-digit LED display, it offers a fully customizable view of the program/patch number and can generate precise MIDI Clock between 20...
Groove Spoon: Simple Step
It has been a while since we featured a video by the band known as Groove Spoon. This 2009 clip showcases the group in a performance of “Simple Step.” You’ll recognize some familiar faces here too – from the band Vulfpeck – including bassist Joe Dart, drummer Jack Stratton, and vocalist Antwaun Stanley. The track is available for free on...
Yes Releases “Topographic Drama: Live Across America”
Yes has released a new live album, Topographic Drama: Live Across America, taken from the legendary prog band’s U.S. tour in 2016 and 2017. The album title is a play on the songs from the tour which included their 1980 album Drama in its entirety plus the first and fourth sides of the 1973 release Tales From Topographic Oceans. Besides...
Bass of the Week: Gretsch G6199 Billy-Bo Bass
This week we’re checking out a hip Gretsch bass that had its start as a blues guitar. The Gretsch G6199 Billy-Bo Bass is a four-string version of the company’s recreation of Bo Diddley’s classic Jupiter Thunderbird guitar he designed in 1959. When he gifted it to Billy Gibbons, the ZZ Top frontman didn’t dare to take such a rare instrument...