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Bass Players To Know: Bob Babbitt
While the first bassist featured in our Bass Players You Should Know series was Southern soul master Duck Dunn, this one takes us above the Mason Dixon line to the industrial city of Detroit. Commonly recognized for his work at Motown’s Hitsville Studio A, Bob Babbitt’s career as a session player took him to a wide range of places, including...
Kenneth Dahl Knudsen Orchestra: Light Unfolds
When Flemming shared Kenneth Dahl Knudsen’s video of the tune “Tucked In”, I became an instant fan. Kenneth has just shared a video of his new large ensemble in a live performance of “Light Unfolds”. So so good.
Big Sir Releases “Digital Gardens”
Big Sir, the avant-pop experimental group anchored by bassist Juan Alderete (The Mars Volta, Racer X) and vocalist Lisa Papineau, is back with with its first album in two years, , which is primarily a digital hardcore take on 2012’s Before Gardens After Gardens. The only completely new song on the album is the track “Foucault’s Gold.” Alderete says on...
Bass of the Week: MonoNeon’s Microtonal Bass
Most No Treble readers will recognize MonoNeon as a forward thinking bassist with a unique style that blends R&B with modern experimental music. He often plays with microtonality, meaning he uses quarter tones in addition to semi-tones that are created on fretted instruments. “My fascination with microtonality is ‘casual’, similar to my fascination with Dadaism, Color Field, and other visual...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (April 2014)
Holy smokes… No Treble’s servers were sweating in April thanks to record traffic. These top 10 videos in April most certainly helped. Thanks for watching, sharing and commenting. Enjoy! 1. Alissia Benveniste: Holdin’ On The first time we featured Alissia Benveniste, her video was the most watched (in February). Alissia once again takes the top spot in April. Check out...
Michael League, Cory Henry, and Nat Townsley: Creepin’
We’ve featured the trio of bassist Michael League, organist Cory Henry and drummer Nathaniel Townsley before (see their performance of “Continuum” after you watch this one). Here they are performing a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Creepin’”. Oh yeah.
Restrung Documentary on Wyn Guitars Coming Soon
“There’s a reason why a singular artistic vision has a value to it,” says Randall Wyn Fullmer of Wyn Guitars, in the trailer for Restrung, a documentary about Fullmer, whose hand-crafted electric basses are beloved by some of music’s top players. The film by Mike Enns (who also plays bass) tells the story of Fullmer, who walked away from an...
Kala Brand Music Introduces USA Acoustic-Electric Exotic Wood U-Basses
Ukelele company Kala Brand Music made heads turn five years ago with the introduction of the U-Bass, a ukelele sized bass with proprietary polyurethane strings. The company is now celebrating the five year milestone by introducing the USA Acoustic-Electric Exotic wood U-Bass series. Built in Petaluma, California, the new models feature figured bodies of either Hawaiian Koa, Flame Maple, or...
Soloing on Bass: What Do You Think About?
Q: What should one be thinking when soloing? Do you simply hum the melody in your head or do you think of the solfege/scale degree at the same time? I try to sing the solfeggi, but when it comes to some scalar sequences or faster phrases, I feel like my head might explode. But if I stop singing the solfeggi,...
Hugo Doyon-Karout: Playthrough of Brought By Pain’s “Guided by Fear”
Metal bassists don’t often get the credit they deserve. Here’s a video of Hugo Doyon-Karout playing through his bass line on “Guided by Fear” by Brought by Pain. The Montreal-based progressive death metal band delivers crushing riffs, which the bassist runs through with ease. Warning: Death metal vocals ahead.
Judith Owen and Leland Sklar Announce Free Tour
What’s better than seeing legendary bassist Leland Sklar perform with a super talented songwriter? How about seeing them for free? Sklar will be joining singer/songwriter Judith Owen on her upcoming “Ebb & Flow” tour across the United States. Each show on the duo’s tour will be free, with a suggestion that if you’d like to support the tour, you do...
Reader Spotlight: Chris Kollias
Meet Chris Kollias, a versatile, busy and humble bassist from Greece who has a great story to share. Chris is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of May 5, 2014. Bio: I was born on December 8, 1986, and I live in Athens, Greece. I took the first steps in music at the age of 9 by...