Buzz
Ben Shepherd Announces Solo Debut, Preview Track
Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd is preparing to step out on his own with his solo debut album later this summer. His new project, which will be under the moniker HBS, started as a only voice and acoustic guitar, but collaborations with drummers Matt Cameron and Matt Chamberlain quickly expanded the effort’s sonic palette. The album will be titled In Deep...
Portnoy Sheehan MacAlpine Sherinian “Live in Tokyo” Announced
Eagle Rock Entertainment has announced Portnoy Sheehan MacAlpine Sherinian’s Live in Tokyo is set for a September 3rd release. Live in Tokyo features footage from the band’s November 14, 2012 performance at Zepp Tokyo, and includes 16 songs. This is the first release by the super group comprised of bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Mike Portnoy, guitarist Tony MacAlpine and keyboardist...
Hal Leonard Publishes “The Rickenbacker Electric Bass: 50 Years as Rock’s Bottom”
Rickenbacker basses are getting a good detailing in the new book The Rickenbacker Electric Bass: 50 Years as Rock’s Bottom, a 144-page documentation of the company’s 4-string endeavors since the mid-1950s. It offers up info on the company’s nearly forty bass models, including the iconic 4001, with hundreds of color photos and descriptions to help identify each instrument. “I took...
Trampled Under Foot: Love My Baby
Our friend Marsha sent us this awesome video of Trampled Under Foot performing “Love My Baby,” live on the show Kansas City After Hours. The blues trio includes bassist Danielle Schnebelen and her siblings Kris and Nick. Danielle delivers some great lead vocals while laying down the low end.
Richard Davis Among NEA’s 2014 Jazz Masters
The National Endowment for the Arts has announced the 2014 NEA Jazz Masters, which is the nation’s highest honor in jazz. Among the four recipients this year is bassist Richard Davis, who they will be honoring for his “lifetime achievements and exceptional contributions to the advancement of jazz.” Born April 15th, 1930, Davis began singing with his family vocal trio...
Tapestry Audio Introduces Time Traveler Pedal
Tapestry Audio has introduced the Time Traveler, an auxiliary BPM synchronization pedal that syncs up a pedalboard’s time-based effects. The utility pedal sends out preprogrammed BPM presets to any pedal that has an external tap tempo jack, allowing for all of the external effects’ beats per minute to be unified. The Time Traveler has two outputs and offers up to...
Top 10: The Best Bass Lessons and How To’s in June
Lessons and how-to columns are among the most popular features on No Treble. Here are the best of the best for June, based on readership. Looks like the bass community is getting things done! As always, thanks for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Chord Construction: A Guide for Bassists Damian tackles this reader question in this Ask Damian Erskine column:...
Steve Lawson: “Don’t Stop Believing” Solo Bass Cover
Steve Lawson shared this one with us on Twitter saying, “[I] think you might enjoy this solo bass cover…” Well Steve, your hunch was correct.
Bass of the Week: Artisan Bass Works Classic Series
Artisan Bass Works looks at things from a different angle. The Ohio-based company licenses ANSIR Technology, which is a patented neck design that puts the fretboard into a more natural playing position. ABW puts the design to use on their Classic Series to add their own touch to common bass styles. The Artisan Bass Works Classic basses are available in...
Olivier Babaz: Bass & Kalimba Cover of “Message in a Bottle”
Olivier Babaz continues to amaze me with each video he puts out. His specialty is playing upright bass and kalimba simultaneously, and this time he’s putting the combo to use on The Police’s “Message in a Bottle.” Impressive!
Machine Head Announces New Bassist
Three months after beginning an open audition to fill the shoes of longtime member Adam Duce, Machine Head has announced their new bassist is Jared MacEachern. MacEachern has a history with the band, as his previous group Sanctity toured with Machine Head in 2007, during which time the bassist filled in harmony vocals after Duce was injured. His bass playing...
When a Band Member Quits: A Discussion of Music Rights, Replacements and Other Considerations
Q: I play with the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots (Arlington, VA). The only founding member of the band who’s been with the band longer than I have has just decided to call it quits. He was responsible for the riffs on our first album, which is also still under production. Now while I am the band’s primary vocalist/bassist/songwriter, he...