Archive for 2018 - Page 36

For the next few weeks, we’ll be going over some more lesson oriented topics. I’m kicking off the series with a look at percussive techniques on the bass, specifically using your plucking hand. There are some easy techniques to approach as well as some more difficult ones. Work on these slowly with a metronome starting with the basic patterns before...

Marcelo Hormaechea sent us this video, saying “This is my little tribute to Jaco on one of my favorite tracks he recorded with Michael Colombier. This video is one of a series of demo videos from the music school where I teach.” We always loved this track, and Marcelo nails it.

Tank and The Bangas took the internet by storm when they won the 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Concert contest. Their blend of R&B and hip-hop is brought to life by the band’s infectious energy with vocalist Tarriona “Tank” Ball leading the charge and bassist Jonathan Johnson leading the groove. The band has just announced a fall tour that will take...

Meet Jonathan Alvear, a student of bass who also spends his time outside of school as a studio and solo bassist. Jonathan is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: I’m currently a bachelor bass performance student at Musicians Institute. I play mostly 6 string bass. My specialty is playing looped solo bass compositions as...

Tedeschi Trucks Band paid tribute to Aretha Franklin with the first tune of their 2018 LOCKN’ Festival set. They nail a soulful performance of “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)” with Tim Lefebvre laying down the low end. RIP, Queen of Soul.

Death Cab For Cutie has released their ninth studio album, Thank You For Today. The album is a shift for the band as it is the first not to feature guitarist Chris Walla while being the first to feature touring members Dave Depper and Zac Rae. Like every other album, it is anchored by bassist Nick Harmer, who weighed in...

Jerzy Drozd creates some fantastic instruments. Alongside his regular line, he also goes out of his way to create some over-the-top beautiful basses. This week we’re checking out the Orion, a bass created from his Soul VI model that is decked out in moissanite gems. The bolt-on, six-string bass is built with a swamp ash body attached to a one-piece...

With producer and mentor Chas Chandler in control, and holed up in Olympic Studios in London, the early sessions for the album had been relatively straightforward, and the band had recorded basic versions of “Crosstown Traffic” and “All Along the Watchtower” before setting off on their early ’68 North American tour. On a break from their schedule, a short recording...

Alex Bershadsky recently shared this 2013 video on his Facebook page, and I was knocked out. Joined by drumming legend Dennis Chambers and soprano saxophonist Shlomi Cohen, here’s the trio’s performance of Bershadsky’s original tune, “Babous.”

Polish double bassist Wojtek Mazolewski has released a new album with his Quintet called Polka Worldwide Deluxe Edition. The album contains his 2014 album Polka with a new bonus track, “Theme de Yoyo”, as well as the follow-up Track, “London.” The UK capital is also where the inspiration for his album came from. “I stumbled upon a beautiful invitation to...

After Derek Engemann left the band in January, death metal band Cattle Decapitation has announced a new bassist plus a new guitarist. Olivier Pinard, who has also played with Cryptopsy and Neuraxis, will hold down the bottom end for the band while Belisario Dimuzio will be the new second guitarist. The band made the announcement along with the teaser for...

Boveda has announced a new humidity control system for acoustic stringed instruments including acoustic bass and guitar, upright bass, ukulele, and more. The device prevents warping and cracking while requiring no maintenance. “The humidity control system is unique in that it responds to ambient temperature and moisture by adding OR removing humidity to regulate the pre-determined RH% engineered into each...