Buzz
George Speed Releases “Vivaldi Sonatas”
George Speed has been performing Vivaldi sonatas for several years, and now he’s released an album of them. The Oklahoma City Philharmonic principal bassist performs all six of the Italian baroque composer’s works for cello in arrangements for double bass and piano. Speed has a clear, beautiful tone on the recordings, which also feature lush accompaniment by pianist Se-Hee Jin....
Parquet Courts Announce More Tour Dates, New Music Video
Parquet Courts has announced a new batch of tour dates for the winter in support of their new album, Wide Awake. After wrapping up the festival circuit, the band will head to Europe in November. The new dates range begin November 30th at Spirit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and wrap up December 8th at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City....
How Do You Deal With Performance Anxiety
Q: Do you ever get scared? How do you deal with performance anxiety? A: I’ve written a fair amount about various types of musical situations I’ve found myself in, related anxiety, and how I’ve navigated it but this may be the first time I’ve written purely on fear. I’ve mentioned in the past that I spent quite a while living...
May Patcharapong: Run For Cover
This is one awesome cover. Bassist May Patcharapong took the stage at the Saxophone Pub and Restaurant with his band and performed Marcus Miller’s “Run For Cover.” So groovy.
Rare Earth Music Introduces Magnetically-Powered Pedal Board
Rare Earth Music has unveiled the Earthboard, a magnetically-powered and designed pedalboard that they say decreases the hassles and limitations of conventional designs. “The patented Earthboard next-gen design incorporates rare earth magnets (the strongest magnets available), a steel-rail system and a long-lasting rechargeable battery that together, provides power and sound to effects pedals and removes the messy cobweb of adapter...
Reader Spotlight: Steve Burke
Meet Steve Burke, who grew up around lots of musical instruments, taking him on the path from drums to guitar to bass. It was in high school when he started focusing more on bass, which eventually took him to Berklee. Steve is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: Through middle school and high school,...
Notes From The Bandstand: Timekeeping
In 2005 I traveled to Zurich for my first gig with an iconic jazz pianist (out of respect for his privacy, he’ll remain nameless). We haven’t rehearsed. We haven’t spoken about what we’re going to play. I’m told we’ll go over everything at the sound check but said pianist never shows up. We have a quick 10-minute talk before hitting...
The Midnight Hour: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
On July 18th, The Midnight Hour recorded this episode of NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk Concert.” The band features A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and his awesome purple P-Bass. NPR shares the background: “After years of produced releases and jam sessions, A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad and composer Adrian Younge formed The Midnight Hour in 2018 and...
Don Was Joins Bob Weir and Wolf Bros For Fall Tour
Grateful Dead fans will want to check out the new tour from Bob Weir and Wolf Bros, a new trio featuring the Dead guitarist alongside former Primus drummer Jay Lane and bassist Don Was of Was (Not Was). Was, who is also a prolific music producer and the current president of Blue Note Records, helped to kick-start the project. “Wolf...
Bass of the Week: AJR Guitarmods Swift Lite Lightweight Bass
We’ve featured a couple of instruments by AJR Guitarmods over the past couple years, and now we’re checking out their lightest bass yet: the Swift Lite 34-inch four-string bass. The inspiration came to luthier Andy Rogers while thinking of the first time he picked up a bass. “One of the things that surprised me the very first time I took...
Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book Of Bass Available for Pre-Order
In what promises to be one of the best books of the year, Harper Collins has announced they will be publishing Geddy Lee’s Big Book of Beautiful Bass this December. The Rush bassist will chronicle his personal collection of basses that range from the 1950s to the 1980s with commentary on each piece. “It’s not surprising that sooner or later...
Kevin Floyd: Tears in Heaven
No Treble reader Kevin Floyd sent us this video, and we were impressed not only with the performance but also the story behind it. “My drummer friend, Jon, suggested I try this song. I’m always up for a challenge. In between my day job and gigs with my main band, Sexy Monster, it took me about six months of spare...