Buzz
Motörhead Shows from Late 2015 Released on CD/DVD
Two of the final shows performed by legendary metal bandleader and bassist Lemmy Kilmister have been released in audio and video formats. Lemmy led Motörhead for 40 years and continued performing even as his health began to fail him. The shows captured on Clean Your Clock occurred on Nov. 20 and 21, 2015, in Munich, Germany, just a bit more...
Roy Vogt Presents the 6th Annual Thunder Row Bass Invitational at Summer NAMM 2016
Roy Vogt’s Thunder Row Bass Invitational is back for its sixth year. The two-day event will be held in Nashville, Tennessee at the Douglas Corner Café on June 23rd and 24th to coincide with the annual Summer NAMM show. This year’s event will have an incredible roster of bassists. Thursday night will showcase Anthony “Smooth Groove” Joyner, The Interludes with...
Great Is Our Sin: An Interview with Brett Bamberger
When I had the pleasure of working on a Profiles in Tone interview with metal legend Alex Webster, he sent me a few examples of his favorite bass tones in metal. If I can trust anyone’s ear for metal bass, it’s Alex’s. One clip that particularly caught my ear was a video of a band doing a playthrough of their...
Rebecca Johnson Band: Come On Come Over
We’ve featured Rebecca Johnson before. In fact, we’ve featured her playing Jaco Pastorius’ “Come On Come Over” too. But this one is a newer version, with a new lineup – and a new bass. And it is too good not to share again. “Thought I’d send you a new link from a killer gig we did last week,” Rebecca shared...
Paul McCartney Releases 67-Song Set
Just a little before his 74th birthday, rock/pop icon Paul McCartney has released a retrospective set called simply, Pure McCartney. The set, in its deluxe form, includes 67 songs from all eras of the post-Beatles career of the bassist, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and singer, featuring his work as a solo artist, member of Wings, and with the Fireman. However, deluxe...
In Memoriam: Mike Chapman
Nashville session bass ace Mike Chapman has passed away after battling an aggressive form of cancer. He was 63 years old. Chapman was an absolute staple of country music. Born in Alabama, he began his career playing in nightclubs “6 nights a week, 5 sets a night for the biggest part of a decade,” his biography states. He decided to...
String Gauge vs. Speed
Q: I had a major breakthrough in part inspired by our visit. For the first time in years I’m playing normal, not light strings. I guess I thought all the pro virtuosos used G=40 strings. Victor does I think. Anyway when I stopped feeling like that was my path I tried the stiffer strings and paradoxically I can play faster...
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra: This is the Last Hurrah
Jody Miller shoots some impressive videos. He shared this one with this note: “This is the second installment of Jonathan Scales Fourchestra from their stop through Chicago. I met Jonathan last year when I shot some video with bassist Cody Wright… Jonathan is an extremely talented Steel Pan player who is traveling the world with some of the baddest players...
Brad Mehldau Trio Releases “Blues And Ballads”
The Brad Mehldau Trio has released Blues and Ballads, its first album since 2012. The trio, led by pianist Mehldau, features highly respected contemporary jazz bassist Larry Grenadier, who is also known for his past trio work with guitarist Pat Metheny. Jeff Ballard is the trio’s drummer. Blues and Ballads sees the trio, as it did on 2012’s Where Do...
Reader Spotlight: Eric Messihi
Meet Eric Messihi, a bassist and Berklee grad who keeps busy playing and teaching music. Originally trained on piano, Eric heard Primus and that was that. Eric is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: Eric graduated from Berklee College of Music where he earned his BM in Bass studies and Professional Music. While at...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (May 2016)
Clear your calendar, because it is time for the top 10 bass videos for the month. Here are the No Treble reader favorite videos for the month of May, 2016. Thanks for watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Rush: Working Man (Live, 1974) In April 1974, Rush took the stage at the Laura Secord Secondary School in St. Catharines. Here’s a...
Stuart Clayton: Giants of Bass – Billy Sheehan
Stuart Clayton is working on a major update of his book, Giants of Bass. One of the bass giants he’s featuring is Billy Sheehan, who has done a lot in his career since the first version of the book. In this video, Stuart explains the update and the story behind this new track for the book.