Archive for March 2018 - Page 9

We don’t often get emails from pianists, but that changed with a note from Lao Tizer, who shared his latest video. This is the premiere video for The Lao Tizer Band, and a track from their upcoming CD & DVD combo release, Songs From The Swinghouse. The album features two bassists: Cheikh N’Doye on ngoni bass and Ric Fierabracci on...

The Breeders, fronted by former Pixies bassist Kim Deal, have returned with their first new album in a decade. All Nerve is also the return of the band’s classic Last Splash lineup with Deal on guitar and vocals, Jim Macpherson on drums, Kelley Deal on lead guitar and vocals, and Josephine Wiggs laying down the bass. Rallying the old members...

Guild’s iconic Starfire Bass II is available in a new Flamed Maple version for 2018. The company debuted the instrument at the Winter NAMM Show. “The Starfire Bass II Flamed Maple (FM) is a dual-pickup semi-hollow bass guitar that adds additional sonic options to Guild’s iconic Starfire Bass,” Guild writes. “As its name suggests, the Flamed Maple version replaced the...

Last year we featured Sanne Verbogt’s awesome microtonal bass from Roks Instruments. Now she’s released a new video demonstrating it on a pop song. “In my study to explore the use of microtones in Western music I chose a pop/dance song to make an arrangement for microtonal (quartertone) bass guitar. The song of choice is a personal favourite: Kygo’s remix...

Last year, bassist Shane Cooper launched a new project called Mabuta. The South African band is billed as a jazz quintet, but their mix of jazz, world music, and electronica blend into something that is hard to pin down as one genre. That’s evident by their debut recording, Welcome To This World, which is available now. The Johannesburg-based band consists...

Ibanez’s flagship Soundgear bass series is being bolstered even further this year with the addition of the SR670 and the SR675. The four and five-string basses are set apart by a mahogany body topped with ash in a black and silver finish. They also feature Ibanez’s new B500 and B505 bridges. “The Ash top offers superior tonal clarity and attack,...

The Wood Brothers visited WFUV in January to perform some of their songs from their new album, One Drop of Truth. Here’s their performance of the album’s opening track, “River Takes The Town,” with Chris Wood laying down the low end.

The amount of new bass gear news coming out of each year’s Winter NAMM show always means there’s a healthy dose of stories in February. This year was no exception. Here are the top 10 No Treble reader favorite gear stories for the month. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Fender Limited Edition Parallel Universe ’51 Telecaster PJ Bass...

What are the odds? What are the odds that you start playing the electric bass, and it’s not because your uncle is Jaco Pastorius? It’s not because David Pastorius never met his uncle. It’s not that the family wasn’t close. All of this strangeness happened because David was not introduced to the instrument by his famous uncle (but by a...

“Don’t Worry Be Happy” has to be one of the catchiest tunes of all time. Once you hear it, it’s stuck in your head. That’s one of the reasons why bassist Thomas Laffont decided to channel the song through his bass. Another reason is that he’s a huge Bobby McFerrin fan. Accompanied by drummer Arthur Billès, Laffont puts a little...

For musicians needing some extra protection while flying, Thunder Case has introduced the Flight Case Compact Vault. The case/stand is only 14 or 19 inches wide and can hold up to four basses (or guitars). It’s built with a military-grade outer shell coating and a foam inner lining. “The Thunder Case shell is made out of wood reinforced with inner...