Buzz

This week, we’re taking a look back at the top 10 most popular bass videos from April, 2011, based on the number of views by No Treble readers. 1. Paul Young with Pino Palladino: I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down (1984) Our Facebook friend Jeff Kerestes shared this video with us, with Pino Palladino working his magic on the fretless,...

Crash Kings: Evolution of Guitar – With No Guitar

Brothers Mike Beliveau (bass) and Tony Beliveau (keyboards and vocals) formed the trio The Crash Kings with drummer Jason Morris. But they approach it with a twist: to “create a band that once and for all could be ‘The Big Rock Sound’ without guitar.” The two brothers trade handling the guitar-like duties, with Mike hitting the tube overdrive and Tony...

Bob Marley Bass Play-Along

Hal Leonard’s 38th book in their Bass Play-Along series, Bob Marley: Bass Play-Along, features eight songs by the legendary singer/songwriter. Each song is presented in tab format. The book ships with an accompanying CD, which can be played in any CD player. The CD also runs on Windows and mac, allowing the player to adjust the recording’s tempo without changing...

Marcus Miller Throws Concert to Benefit Japanese Tsunami Relief Efforts

Marcus Miller is holding a special concert to benefit Japanese Tsunami relief efforts. The event, to be held at New York City’s Highline Ballroom on May 15 at 7:30pm, features a host of talent, including performances by Raheem DeVaughn, Robert Glasper, Sean Jones, Angélique Kidjo, Gregoire Maret, Raul Midon, Q-Tip, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Kaoru Watanabe, Louis Cato, Alex Han, Federico...

An Interview with Bryan Beller

Bryan Beller is a difficult bassist to classify. A quick check of the list of projects finds him spanning all sorts of genres, all sorts of gigs, and a healthy travel itinerary. Perhaps best known now for his work on Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse show as the bassist for Dethklok, Bryan has a strong foot in rock, jazz (or as Bryan...

Nathan Navarro: Electronica Bass

Last time we featured Nathan Navarro, it caused quite a stir (in a good way). Here, Nathan shows off his skills and creativity with a tune he wrote, aptly named “Electronica Bass”.

Gear Review: Darkglass Electronics Microtubes B3K

Finland-based Darkglass Electronics, a company focused on bass effects and boasts handmade pedals, is the brainchild of Chilean-born Douglas Castro. Castro started the venture to create effects and tones that he heard in his head but couldn’t get with other pedals. The company’s flagship is their Microtubes B3K Bass Overdrive, a compact pedal featuring hybrid JFET and CMOS gain stages....

Choosing an Amp

Q: I have a question regarding power amps and cabinets. There are so many choices out there, and even more when you consider every amp available online (but probably won’t see in a store). How do you go about choosing an amp without just throwing a dart at the board and taking a huge financial chance? A: Unfortunately, there is...

Danny Fox: “The Meaning of Times Passing” Solo Bass

Bassist Danny Fox sent us a few of his videos, each showcasing his musicianship (and cool Zon Hyperbass). This one, “The Meaning of Times Passing” caught our ear especially. Danny writes, “[These songs] are self-composed solo bass tracks and are played on my Zon Hyperbass. I was very honoured to have Michael Manring say that he liked them. [This] one...

Sixx: A.M. Releases “This Is Gonna Hurt”

Nikki Sixx and his band Sixx: A.M. have just released This Is Gonna Hurt, the album that accompanies his latest book of the same title. The release is a follow-up to 2007’s Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, which peaked at 62 on the Billboard 100. Joined by the Motley Crue bassist, Sixx: A.M. is rounded out by James Michael and DJ Ashba....

Reader Spotlight: Mina Burnside

Meet Mina Burnside, a 14 year old bassist from Nashville, TN and our player in the spotlight for May 3, 2011. We first featured Mina and her impressive take on Jaco Pastorius’s “Portrait of Tracy” a couple of months ago. Bio: I picked up my first bass on June 16, 2007, and performed in the Freedom Middle School Jazz Band...

Esperanza Spalding To Perform with Prince’s Welcome to America Tour

Esperanza Spalding is scheduled to open Prince’s tour on Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7, as part of Prince’s residency-style “Welcome 2 America” tour. The tour is a 21-date event in Los Angeles that began on April 14th at the Forum. Spalding has recruited keyboardist Raymond Angry, saxophonist Joe Lovano, guitarist Jef Lee Johnson and drummer Terri Lynne Carrington...