Buzz
Evan Marien and Dana Hawkins: Encore
Time for a new video by the guys we like to call The Dynamic Duo. This time around, bassist Evan Marien and drummer Dana Hawkins are doing their thing the tune “Encore”, a bonus track on the duo’s . Amazing, as always.
Crowbar Returns with “Symmetry in Black”
Sludge metal band Crowbar has released its 10th studio album, . It’s the New Orleans-based group’s first since 2011’s Sever the Wicked Hand and its first with bassist Jeff Golden, who replaced longtime bassist Pat Bruders after Bruders left to concentrate on work with Down. The album also comes during Crowbar’s 25th anniversary year. But although the guys are older,...
Bass of the Week: HJC Customs Alchemy Fretless 5
Back at the Winter NAMM show this year, we ran into our friend Vuyani Wakaba roaming the floor with a smile from ear to ear. He was overjoyed by his new HJC Customs Fretless Alchemy 5, which is this week’s Bass of the Week. Wakaba teamed up with luthier Harold J. Cagle for the custom creation. It features an African...
Zander Zon: “Lord of the Rings” Medley for Solo Bass
I’m not quite sure how Zander Zon produces such incredible arrangements and performances as often as he does. In this piece he performs music from the Lord of the Rings. He even shared some terrific quotes from people who have watched so far: “One instrument to rule them all!” “Lord of the strings!” So true. Zander is sporting his Zon...
Hal Leonard Publishes “Essential Bass Guitar Techniques…”
Don’t keep faking your way through songs. Learn how those great players created the sounds you love. Usually, it’s all about a technique — like Flea’s slapping, or Jaco Pastorius’ finger-style and harmonics. A new book aims to provide you with need-to-know techniques. is a 74-page book that’s accompanied by library of 86 audio tracks and examples available online when...
Connecting Chords: A Guide to Playing Fluid Bass Lines
Q: I would like to ask about voicing/phrases on bass when it comes to chord progressions. How should I step into the next chord when I’m phrasing the actual one? Should I try walking lines? Are there any standard licks that can bring the feel of translating to a next chord? Or they are all built on the same concept...
Zawinul Syndicate with Gerald Veasley: King Hip (1988)
When we interviewed Gerald Veasley in 2011, he spoke a lot about his time playing music with the late great Joe Zawinul in the Zawinul Syndicate. That’s some great reading, if you want to check that out after this video. Gerald was Zawinul’s longest tenured bassist, which should say a lot. Zawinul prided himself in picking only the great bassists...
Olivier Babaz Releases “Virages”
French bassist/composer Olivier Babaz has released his third album, . Paris-born and now Montreal-based, Babaz usually focuses on working with small, acoustic jazz ensembles, but this 11-song album straddles the line between jazz and acoustic rock. Babaz’s previous recordings include the Akoz Duo record La Lune de Kala and his own Midnight Cafeine. This latest album finds Babaz working with...
Reader Spotlight: Sam Lord
Meet Sam Lord a musician from the UK who has had a bass in his hands pretty much since the day he was born. So it is no surprise he’s been one of the youngest bassists around his local scene. Sam is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of May 26th, 2014. Bio: I grew up in...
Lesson: Funky Slap Bass with Cross-String Hammer-Ons
Here’s a new slap bass lesson for you to try out to incorporate cross-string hammer-ons into your playing. We’ll practice this with a line I put together in the key of E. In the video below, I play the line at full tempo, followed by half speed and finally super slow speed. Follow along with the video and this transcription...
Big Wreck: Ghosts
I love discovering new artists, and it’s even better when a No Treble reader shares something with us. Justin Barker dropped me a line about bassist Dave McMillan of Big Wreck. “Just heard the single ‘Ghosts’ from a band called Big Wreck,” he wrote. “It’s pretty rare to me that a bass player from what I’d consider a ‘mainstream’ act...
The Roots Release “…And Then You Shoot Your Cousin”
The Roots’ latest, is one of the group’s shortest efforts while still being a conceptual piece focusing on self-destructive cycles. With the low end provided by bassist Mark Kelley, the record is a deep, different offering from the group, which is now on its 14th album. The group’s drummer and bandleader Questlove even goes so far as to call it...