Buzz
The Lightbulb Moment: A Week In The Life
Every now and then, a fellow bass player asks me what it’s like to write the “Bass Players To Know” column for No Treble. My mind immediately goes to the moments of researching, writing, and editing… the hours sitting in front of my computer screen, the obsessive re-readings, and the wildly diverse Spotify searches. Once I snap out of the...
Widespread Panic & Tedeschi Trucks Band: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
I love how the Tedeschi Trucks Band loves to collaborate with other artists and bands. Here they are performing the Stones’ classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” with Widespread Panic in Birmingham, Alabama last year. Bassist Dave Schools lays down the perfect groove behind the tune, with some great musicianship all around.
Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in August 2017
August was an exciting month for new bass gear, as evident by all the traffic this news generated. Here are the top 10 most popular bass gear stories for the month of August 2017. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Sire Guitars Marcus Miller P7 and V9 Basses The popular Marcus Miller line of basses by Sire Guitars is...
Earthquaker Devices Now Shipping the Data Corrupter
Earthquaker Devices has released the Data Corrupter Modulated Monophonic PLL Harmonizer. The pedal features three voices starting with a square wave fuzz that is multiplied, divided, and modulated with a master oscillator. “The Master Oscillator is the central nervous system at the heart of the Data Corrupter’s cyberpunk hive mind,” Earthquaker writes. “The three-position switch on the Master Oscillator control...
Smoke On This: An Interview With Rex Brown
Rex Brown has traveled the globe playing bass in some of the world’s greatest metal bands, but that’s only one facet to his musicality. Now fans are able to hear another side of the musician on his debut solo album, entitled Smoke On This. The record draws on Brown’s early influences from the ’70s and showcases his abilities as a...
KNOWER: Overtime
KNOWER has returned with a new live band version of their track “Overtime”, and it’s a killer. The duo of Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi are joined by keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte, saxophonist Sam Gendel, and bassist Sam Wilkes. Wilkes (who No Treble readers may remember from the Scary Pockets version of Creep) is an absolute beast in the clip. He...
Electro-Harmonix Now Shipping the Cock Fight Plus Wah/Fuzz
Electro-Harmonix has upgraded their Cock Fight to introduce the Cock Fight Plus. The tradition rack and pinion style filter features two distinct wah sounds with a switchable and adjustable fuzz. Its Wah toggle selects between the Crying Tone and the dual formant filter of the Talking Pedal. Bassists will appreciate the Bottom control, which blends in clean bass frequencies to...
Playing Outside the Harmony
I often get the question about how to play “outside” the changes. There’s no easy answer to this, but I do have several tips to keep in mind. This week I made a video to dig into how to create tension and release by playing outside of the harmony.
King Crimson: Heroes
In 2016, King Crimson performed at the Admiralspalast in Berlin. They included a cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes” in the set. Robert Fripp had this to say about the performance: “King Crimson performed Heroes at the Admiralspalast in Berlin as a celebration, a remembrancing and an homage. The concert was thirty nine years and one month after the original sessions...
Reader Spotlight: Stefan Sandman
Meet Stefan Sandman, a musician who started on guitar before switching to bass to be like his dad. Stefan is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you can be next). Here’s his story… Bio: I’m a musician who enjoys wearing the hats of performer, teacher, and session player. The bass has been my main instrument for about ten...
Seymour Duncan Unveils Alex Webster Signature Pickups
Cannibal Corpse bassist Alex Webster has teamed up with the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop to introduce a new signature set of bass pickups. The Alex Webster Hammer Smashed Bass pickups are based on the company’s active Blackout soapbars but have been voiced to match Webster’s “aggressive attack and expressive tone”. “As a founding member of Cannibal Corpse, Alex Webster’s monstrous...
You Bred Raptors?: Lux Aeterna
You Bred Raptors? recently wrapped up a tour in support of their new album, . While out on the road, they made this killer cover of “Lux Aeterna”, which many will recognize as the theme song to Requiem for a Dream. The trio tackles the haunting song with bassist Peat Rains laying down several parts of the song, building it...