Archive for 2017 - Page 9

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...

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 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...

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,...

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 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...

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 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...

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...

Eastwood introduced ten new instruments to their Custom Shop this week including two basses and a double neck guitar/bass. As part of their custom shop, each model is released under a crowd-funding/pre-order campaign. The first new bass is the Eastwood EB-1, which of course pays tribute to the Gibson EB-1 released in 1953. “We’ve made a few subtle changes but...

On this day in 1942, James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix was born. And while we don’t usually put quite the spotlight on guitarists, Hendrix is a favorite around here. Here’s the Jimi Hendrix Experience performing “Hey Joe” during their landmark appearance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. This concert also had...

Dan Auerbach has announced a 2018 tour in support of his new solo record, Waiting On A Song, and he’s put together a killer band for it. Picking from Nashville and Memphis musicians that helped create the album, the Black Keys guitarist/vocalist will be joined by Bobby Wood on keyboards, Russ Pahl on pedal steel, Gene “Bubba” Chrisman on drums,...