Buzz
In Memoriam: Kevin Garcia
Kevin Garcia, who laid down the low end for indie rock outfit Grandaddy, has passed away after suffering a stroke. He was 41 years old. The news was announced by the band on their Facebook page. “There are no accurate words to express what we need to,” the band wrote. “We are absolutely shattered to say that we lost our...
Groove – Episode #29: Chuck Rainey
How does one concisely (and intelligently) write something meaningful about an artist like Chuck Rainey? It’s easy to say that Chuck is an American bassist who was born in Cleveland, Ohio and went on to play with artists like Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Quincy Jones, etc… He’s so much more than that, to those who...
Steve Lawson and Andy Edwards: Over Time
Bassists and drummers always share a special bond, but Steve Lawson and Andy Edwards have an incredible musical camaraderie. The duo recently performed an entirely improvised set at Tower of Song in Birmingham and it’s astounding. Here’s an extended clip of “Over Time”, which will be available to Lawson’s Bandcamp subscribers. “Everything here is live – I’m playing bass and...
Hotone Audio Now Shipping B Station Bass Preamp/DI
Hotone Audio is now shipping the B Station, a bass preamp and DI in a pedal format. Designed for studio and stage, the unit packs in a 3-band EQ, a Drive channel, and an optical compressor as well. The Drive is kicked in via a dedicated footswitch, while the compressor has a simple one-knob control. For further connectivity, the B...
Do I Have To Like Jazz To Improve My Playing?
Q: I’ve read some interviews of yours, and you mentioned that when you started studying jazz, you weren’t actually all that into the music, but you came to appreciate it later through study, etc… I’ve been trying to work through standards, exercises through chord changes and bebop/chromatic-type stuff, but I don’t know what I’m trying to achieve, in a way....
Mr. Big: Next Time Around
How can you not love Billy Sheehan? Besides being a phenomenal bass player, he’s the epitome of cool. Here’s a great clip of Sheehan in the video for Mr. Big’s “Next Time Around,” which showcases his supportive playing with some great licks thrown in for good measure. Be sure to check out the fill at the 2:17 mark.
Reader Spotlight: Russ Webster
Meet Russ Webster, who was first drawn to the low end when he was around 12 years old, thanks to bands like AC/DC, Kiss, and Rush. Today, Russ plays in a successful band in the midwest. Russ is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: My name is Russ Webster and I’m from Indianapolis, Indiana....
Creative Bass Lines: Increasing Fingerboard Knowledge – Part 3: Minor Arpeggios
Continuing our series on increasing fingerboard knowledge, here’s the accompanying Minor Arpeggio Exercises to play all across the fingerboard. This is the same principle as the Major types. I’ve given you a number of variations to try, and you’ll see this gives you more options when playing over a minor chord type. As usual, practice everything slowly, paying partucular attention...
The Other Brothers: Joe Dart’s Isolated Bass on “Boogie On Reggae Woman”
The Other Brothers guitarist John Morrison shared this clip with us after having Vulfpeck’s Joe Dart sit in with them on a performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman.” They recorded the performance and isolated Dart’s bass from the rest of the band. And if that’s not enough, they set it to a Mario Bros. video.
Happy Eighth Birthday, No Treble!
Eight years ago today, we pushed the button and debuted this site to the world. It has been a fun ride – mostly, thanks to the connections we’ve made with you, learning about your music and life through Reader Spotlight, gassing over your Old School gear and sharing your videos. As always, I want to thank our terrific contributors who...
Bass of the Week: Roks Instruments Microtonal Futura
We’ve featured some gorgeous basses from Roks Instruments before, but this one comes with a twist. Luthier Axel Roks collaborated with bassist Sanne Verbogt to create a stunning microtonal bass. “Sanne started to see structure in music at the beginning of her conservatory study, which eventually led to her own music theory method: SV Method,” Roks writes on his website....
Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in April 2017
GAS attack! Here is your monthly dose of the most popular bass gear stories covered by us in April, 2017. Enjoy. 1. Markbass EVO 1 Bass Amp After introducing the prototype last year, Markbass has unveiled the final version of the EVO 1 bass amp. The innovative head unit offers six amp tones over two channels: one clean and one...