Buzz
New York City To Honor Walter Becker With Street Name
The world lost a musical icon in September 2017 with the passing of Walter Becker. A founder of Steely Dan, Becker played bass on much of the band’s work including the songs “Reelin’ In The Years,” “Dirty Work,” “My Old School,” “Deacon Blues,” and more. His musical legacy is cemented, but now his legacy will be further strengthened in his...
Where We Stand: An Interview with Adi Meyerson
Bassist/composer Adi Meyerson has taken the opportunity of her debut album to take a musical snapshot of her life. Where We Stand is a testament to her time as a working bassist in New York City as well as our times. “Music is a way of telling one’s life story and that’s what I try to do every time I...
Robben Ford & The Blue Line: You Cut Me to the Bone
While scrolling through Facebook last night, I saw a post by our good friend Steve Lawson (in a discussion with Cody Wright). Steve shared this video of Robben Ford & The Blue Line performing “You Cut Me to the Bone,” with Roscoe Beck on bass. “It’s unbelievable – Roscoe’s signature bass was the first decent B string Fender ever made....
Andrew Seward Rejoins Against Me!
Five years after leaving Against Me!, bassist Andrew Seward is taking up his place in the band again. Inge Johansson, who has been the bassist since Seward’s departure, will step down. The news was broken by vocalist Laura Jane Grace on Instagram. “As some people may have noticed there’s been some change happening within Against Me! recently and the shows...
Zorg Effects Announces the Small Basstar Overdrive Pedal
France’s Zorg Effects has introduced a simplified version of their flagship Glorious Basstar pedal called the Small Basstar. Designed for bass and guitar, the multi-band overdrive splits your signal into bass and treble bands with a three-way switch to the frequency that separates them. Zorg says on bass it offers “precision, gnarl, huge gain, big sound and superb attack clarity.”...
Best of Ask Damian Erskine: 2018 (So Far)
Editors Note: Damian has been traveling extensively lately, performing and educating all over the place. So for this week’s column, we’re giving him a much-needed break. Damian’s columns are read by thousands of people every week, so we thought we’d do a recap of the most popular ones he’s published so far in 2018. Enjoy. 1. Is Rhythmic Tapping Okay...
Ralf Gauck: DiClemente
Ralf Gauck sent us this beautiful solo bass performance featuring his new Franz Bassguitars signature bass. “[I’m] playing the song ‘DiClemente’ solo, without a looper, without slap bass, without a voice… just ten fingers on four strings,” Ralf said. That’s just fine with us.
In Memoriam: Garry Lowe
Bassist Garry Lowe, who played in Canada’s rock/reggae band Big Sugar, has passed way after a two year battle with cancer. He was 65 years old. The new was shared by Gordie and Alex Johnson on the Big Sugar Facebook page. “We lost our dear brother and sweet friend Garry this morning,” they wrote. “He was my greatest musical collaborator,...
Reader Spotlight: John W Lauler
Meet John W Lauler, who has an interesting tale in his path to picking up the bass (more on that below). John stays busy in the Chicago music scene, performing a range of styles almost every night of the week. John is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: I’m a bassist living in Chicago,...
Boss Introduces WL Series Wireless Systems
Boss has announced the WL Series of wireless systems for bass, guitar, and other electronic instruments. The line has three models – the WL-20, WL-20L, and WL-50 – that the company says offer “ultra-low latency and rock-solid stability.” Each unit has a built-in rechargeable battery in the transmitter that allows for up to 12 hours of continuous playing time. The...
Lake Street Dive with NEC Gospel Ensemble: What I’m Doing Here
The members of Lake Street Dive met in the early 2000’s at the New England Conservatory. NEC had the group visit the campus as part of the conservatory’s ongoing concert series, in support of the band’s new album, Free Yourself Up. Here’s the group – featuring once again the terrific bass lines and backing vocals of Bridget Kearney – performing...
Todd Strange Leaves Crowbar
After returning to the fold two years ago, Crowbar bassist Todd Strange is once again leaving the band. Crowbar made the announcement on social media. “Crowbar will be performing Odd Fellows Rest 20th anniversary show at Southport Music Hall August 4th,” they write. “We did it at Roadburn Fest in The Netherlands, and want to share this classic in our...