Buzz
All-Star Concert to Celebrate Jack Bruce’s Music Set for Fall
Almost a year to the day after Jack Bruce’s death, musicians will gather at London’s Roundhouse to celebrate the music of the late, great bassist best known for his work with Cream. Bruce’s influence as a rock bassist and songwriter can’t be overestimated. He wrote Cream songs like “White Room,” and former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters once stated in...
TC Electronic Announces Ditto Stereo Looper
TC Electronic has added to their lineup of looper pedals with the Ditto Stereo Looper. Continuing the simplified design of the original Ditto, the new pedal adds three features: stereo input and output functionality, nine-volt battery power, and loop importing and exporting. The Ditto Stereo Looper features a compact design with a single level knob and a single footswitch to...
Points North, Featuring Uriah Duffy: Ignition
Instrumental power trio Points North is releasing their sophomore self-titled album this month, and if this video of “Ignition” is any indication, it’s going to be a great one. The band is anchored by bassist Uriah Duffy, who brings the fire with rock solid groove and interesting countermelodies. He gets some time to shine at the 2:47 mark with some...
Sonic Youth Album Reissue Features Four Bonus Tracks
Sonic Youth’s second full-length LP, 1985’s Bad Moon Rising, has been re-released. The new release features bonus tracks— “Flower,” “Halloween,” “Echo Canyon,” and “Satan is Boring.” The trio of songs are available via download card with the LP. With Kim Gordon on bass, the album’s American gothic sound, inspired by dissolution of hippie ideals in late 1960s Southern California, is...
Solving Bass Hum Problems (Grounding vs. Shielding)
Q: Why does my bass hum when I touch the strings and play in the rehearsal studio? I use SVT, Digitech multi-effects pedal and a Ibanez Roadstar II with big humbucking pickups. A: There is some confusion out there between what happens when you have a grounding issue vs. when you have a shielding issue. You have a grounding issue....
Inside Geddy Lee’s Bass Guitar Collection
Geddy Lee may be known for his association with two types of basses, but this clip from a recent episode of That Metal Show proves that they aren’t his only axes. The Rush bassist took the TMS crew into his bass lair to show some of collection and talk about the instrument’s evolution. “I’ve tried to recreate the history of...
Peter Hook to Perform All of Joy Division’s Songs at Special May Show
Former Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook and his band, The Light, will conclude its short spring touring schedule with a May 18 performance of every track ever recorded by Joy Division. The date is significant in Joy Division history — it’s when, in 1980, lead singer Ian Curtis took his own life. The remainder of the band eventually became...
Reader Spotlight: Sean Geist
While in the earlier part of his life, Sean Geist knew his dad was a bass player, but he didn’t exactly know what that meant. Fast forward to middle school, a band was formed without a bass player. Sean decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps, and the rest is history. Sean is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for...
Williamscot Basses Launches with Gagliano, Panormo and Da Salo Models
The double bass and electric bass are two quite different instruments, but bass builders Thomas and George Martin are bringing their 30 plus years of double bass making into a new electric bass company called Williamscot. The company, which was launched in January, builds each bass by hand in the UK without the use of CNC machines or PIN routers....
Kevin “Brandino” Brandon: Where is the World Going
Seven-time Grammy winning bassist Kevin “Brandino” Brandon has worked with artists ranging like Outkast and Justin Timberlake, but his first break was in jazz with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Here’s a clip of Brandino showing his musical roots on a five-string double bass performing the original tune “Where is the World Going” with pianist Andy Langham.
Swedish Death Metal Band Reviews Career on New Live Album
Melodic death metal band Soilwork has released a 2 CD/1 Blu-ray set documenting a March 21, 2014 show at Circus Club in Helsinki, Finland. Live in the Heart of Helsinki features bass work from Ola Flink, which, according to a review in Ghost Cult, is clearly heard in the mix. The show also hits on all the stages of the...
Bass of the Week: Prometeus Guitars Kirlian 8
Prometeus Guitars has a way with creating interesting body shapes that still function well. They also have a knack for extended range basses. Both of those features are showcased on their Kirlian 8, a multi-scale eight-string bass that will stop you in your tracks. The Prometeus is built around a padouk neck and wenge fingerboard with fanned frets. The strings,...