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Reader Spotlight: Miles Burger
Meet Miles Burger, who might be the busiest gigging bassist in high school we’ve ever seen. He’s also a “doubler” – performing on both upright and bass guitar. Miles is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: I’m an 18 year old high school senior living in Philadelphia. As my friends and family like to...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (March 2016)
It’s that time… time to celebrate the top 10 reader favorite videos of the month. Which is also our excuse to watch them all again. Thanks for watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Dirty Loops: Over the Horizon It has been a while since we’ve seen a video by Dirty Loops. The wait is over. Here’s the band – anchored by...
George Porter, Jr.: How to Play “Cissy Strut” (and More)
George Porter, Jr. sat down with NYC Radio Live’s David Ellenbogen for their podcast. During the session, Porter discusses how most bassists play The Meters’ “Cissy Strut” incorrectly (and shows how it is really done). He also covers other lines and shares his thoughts on music, life and more.
Deftones Return After Four Years With “Gore”
Alternative metal band Deftones has released its eighth album, Gore. The record – the band’s first in four years – is the third to feature the work of bassist Sergio Vega (Quicksand). Vega tells Rolling Stone in a recent interview that any reports of tension in the band, or of a battle between melody and metal, are untrue. He also...
Bass of the Week: Hot Wire Blues Bass
Hot Wire Basses took a page out of the old school with their Blues Bass. Modeled after the early fifties Kay Electric Bass, the Blues Bass is a vintage-style hollowbody, which the company notes was often played by four-stringers backing up Blues legends like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. While the design imitates an old Kay, Hot Wire made some...
Talking Technique: Killer Dead Note Grooves
Dead notes are percussive effects that can really liven up a groove. There are a variety of ways to create them, including left-hand muting, right-hand percussion, and left-hand percussion. For this lesson we examine how dead notes (and silence) affect the groove. As is often the case, a good way to begin practicing them is by utilizing scales. We’ll be...
Ben Harper: When The Levee Breaks
I’ve been listening to Ben Harper’s latest album, Call It What It Is, and loving it – especially with the return of the Innocent Criminals and Juan Nelson. That got me digging around for more, which brought me to this excellent cover of “When The Levee Breaks”, performed live at Jazz à Vienne on July 5, 2013. Harper’s Relentless7 bassist...
Brad Russell Releases New EP
Prolific bassist Brad Russell (Pat Travers, Ric Derringer, Peter Cetera) has released a new EP, Daily Shred. The six-track, 20-minute instrumental EP also features drummers Gregg Bissonette and Jason Furman and includes a take on the pop classic, “Wichita Lineman,” made famous by Glen Campbell. Daily Shred is available as a digital download ( and ). Listen to how he...
Weekly Top 10: Jaco at MI, Practicing Slow & Fast, Jack Casady Podcast, Top Bass Videos, New Gear and More
The week is up, which means it is time to celebrate the top 10 reader favorites on No Treble this week. Another great week is in the books. Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Gracie and John Patitucci: I’ve Just Seen A Face I love bass and vocal duets, but this one is special. John Patitucci...
New York Bass Works Introduces Reference Series Basses
New York Bass Works has announced the Reference Series, a line of basses that bring together luthier David Segal’s custom work with the classic J-bass platform. “The Reference Series Basses are instruments infused with the DNA of nearly 20 years of custom bass projects, complex renovations, and pain-staking repairs of nearly every brand of instrument,” the company writes. “The empirical...
Louis de Mieulle: Nanobot
Louis de Mieulle, a French bassist/composer living in NYC, just released his second album, Stars, Plants & Bugs. He sent us his video of the track “Nanobot”, which was filmed live during his in studio session in Brooklyn. We dig it!
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals Are Back With Wide-Ranging Album
The inimitable Juan Nelson is back on record with Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals on the band’s first album in nine years, Call It What It Is. The band, which reunited to tour in 2015, recorded the album in a number of sessions over the course of a year. The resulting record covers subject matter ranging from aging to...