Buzz
In Memoriam: Jack Conrad
Jack Conrad, who played bass for The Doors and wrote songs for many artists, has passed away from a massive heart attack. He was 69 years old. Conrad’s diverse musical career started in the ’60s. He recorded for the Petula Clark album I Know A Place in 1965 and started writing songs. He collaborated with Paul Williams for his albums...
Massive FX Introduces the Hypnotik Fuzz Pedal
Massive FX Pedals has released the Hypnotik Fuzz, a hand-wired super heavy fuzz that is suited for both bass and guitar. The unit has knobs for Master Volume and Fuzz Level as well as a two-position switch that toggles between two modes. Classic Fuzz mode is described as a vintage tone with a thinner, “trebly” sound. The second mode is...
Groove – Episode #35: Steve Bailey
Here’s a little known personal fact about me: Steve Bailey’s 2007 album, So Low… Solo, is one my favorite instrumental music discs of all time. Beyond his stunning mastery of the six-string fretless bass, the composition and arrangements on this album are captivating. It’s still on high rotation in my weekly playlist. With that, Steve is more commonly known as...
Matt La Maida: Superstition
Matt La Maida messaged me with a new, killer bass arrangement he worked out. This time around, Matt takes on Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” with lots of bass goodness and other effects. Matt says he has a transcription coming, so be on the lookout for it here. In the meantime, check out Matt’s popular cover of “Ziggy Stardust” from the archives.
Weezer Mixes The Beach Boys and The Clash on New Album, “Pacific Daydream”
The new Weezer album was supposed to be a darker, moodier counterpoint to their last self-titled record referred to as The White Album. However, when the band got together a different mood presented itself. Pacific Daydream is their 11th album and shows a new tonal character for the group. “I’m going to say [it sounds] somewhere between The Beach Boys...
Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in October 2017
Time to celebrate the reader favorite gear stories for the month. Here are your favorite 10 gear stories we covered in October. Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing. 1. Geezer Butler’s New Ashdown Engineering Signature Head of Doom Amplifier Geezer Butler shocked fans this weekend when he shared the news of his new signature amp from Ashdown. The Black Sabbath...
Should I Bother With Modes?
Q: First of all thank you very much for your past reply to my question! Lately while working on improvisation and in particular on linear melody through changes, I started asking myself why I should bother with modes. For instance, if there’s a Fmin7 moving to an Amin7 chord and I want to think about those two chords as F...
Steve Di Giorgio: Bass Playthrough of Gone In April’s “As Hope Welcomes Death”
Six-string fretless bass beast Steve Di Giorgio always brings the heat. Here’s his latest with a playthrough of “As Hope Welcomes Death” by Gone In April. Di Giorgio tears through the song, bringing serious tenacity to the low end. Be sure to check out the drum and bass breaks starting at 5:22.
King Crimson Releases “Official Bootleg: Live In Chicago, June 28th, 2017”
King Crimson’s latest formation is captured in a new official bootleg from this summer. Official Bootleg: Live In Chicago, June 28th, 2017 is a two-CD live release featuring the low-end stylings of Tony Levin, who describes the concert as “One of our best.” The rest of the band includes Mel Collins (Saxes & flute), Robert Fripp (Guitar & keyboards), Gavin...
Reader Spotlight: Jeremy Middleton
Meet Jeremy Middleton, a busy bassist living in the Nashville area who got his start thanks to his dad taking him to gigs as far back as he can remember. Jeremy is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next!) Here’s his story… Bio: I grew up in southwest Ohio with a guitar-playing dad who took...
Stryper Announces New Bassist Perry Richardson
After parting ways with longtime bassist Timothy Gaines earlier this year, Stryper has finally announced their newest member to be Perry Richardson. He is the third bassist in the band’s 34-year career. A founding member of Firehouse, Richardson has been friends with the band for years. “The first time I met the guys in Stryper was in 1985, when my...
Alberto Rigoni: Ghostbusters Theme Song
Alberto Rigoni went all out for Halloween this year with a bass arrangement of the theme song to Ghostbusters. Dressed as the Marshmallow Man, Rigoni lays down the iconic bass line as well as the chords and melody on his 5-string Cort. Happy Halloween!