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Bass Transcription: Bruce Thomas’ Bass Line on Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ “Oliver’s Army”
British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello has had a long and varied career, and although his early hits were in the new wave era, with songs such as “Watching the Detectives” and “Pump it Up”, he could also create subtle ballads (“Alison”), cover jazz standards (“I Don’t know What to do With Myself”) and would later release an album of country standards...
Evan Marien: The One Who Bares Fangs At God
Evan Marien has released a new video for his performance of “The One Who Bares Fangs At God,” a song composed by Yasunori Mitsuda for the Xenogears game soundtrack. The performance features Julian Pollack on synths, Isamu McGregor on piano, and Devin Collins on drums, all contributing to a rich texture of sound and rhythms. The track is also available...
Hotone’s New XTOMP mini: 140 Classic, Vintage & Modern Effects for Guitar, Bass & More
Hotone Audio’s XTOMP mini pedal is the lean, mean core of Hotone’s flagship XTOMP Bluetooth Modeling Effects Pedal. With a smaller, more pedalboard-friendly footprint than its big brother, this solid aluminum stompbox can be transformed into over 140 different classic, vintage and modern effects for guitar, bass and more. The XTOMP mini uses a mobile app (iOS and Android) via...
Preparing for Multiple Gigs
Q: What advice do you have for making time for all the different gigs that you have to prepare for? I freelance with more than 20 different groups ranging from standards on the upright, to a wedding band (lots of pop soul tunes to learn accurately), to original music and sometimes orchestral reading concerts. It’s difficult to be prepared and...
Rush: La Villa Strangiato Live at Pinkpop Festival 1979
Our friend Tim Fletcher shared this on our Facebook group of Rush performing “La Villa Strangiato” live at the Pinkpop Festival 1979. “The audio is much better than previously [released],” Tim shared. We agree. Epicness. And Geddy Lee’s tone!
Warwick Updates Rockboard RBO LT XL Power Supply
Warwick’s W-Music Distribution has updated the RockBoard Power LT XL power supply for 2017. The mobile unit is fitted with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to supply effects pedals for up to 50 hours with hum-free 9V DC current. It has two 9V DC outputs as well as a USB output for charging smartphones. It can be turned on and off with...
On the Road with Peat Rains from You Bred Raptors?: Part 4
Part 4 – Tallahassee/Atlanta/Chattanooga/Charlotte/Louisa Tallahassee, FL – The Wilbury Our original tour routing didn’t include Florida. But like the songs we play, the original concept greatly varies from the final product. We had heard so many mixed reports of touring in Mississippi and Alabama from other musicians, as well as some close comedian friends. Half of them said to skip...
HAVOK: Intention To Deceive
Nick Schendzielos is one of my favorite metal players. His innovative style never fails to get me headbanging. A great example of that is this video from his band Havok for the song “Intention to Deceive”. The bassist rips it up, alternating between laying on the groove and adding tasty fills. Havok will be on tour with Darkest Hour for...
Bass of the Week: Rikkers Guitars Treeline
This week we’re checking out a unique instrument made by Rikkers Guitars. Made in the Netherlands, the Treeline is a lightweight single-cut design derived from their Powerline model. “The Treeline is a tribute to wood as a natural product. No trees no life – let alone custom basses,” Rikkers writes. “The single-cut construction allows for optimal energetic transmission of the...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (June 2017)
Here’s something to help start your week off right: the top 10 No Treble reader favorite videos of the month. Thanks for watching. 1. Jeff Berlin: Shenandoah Jeff Berlin recently shared this video on Facebook, and it knocked me out. “While filming some lesson videos, I decided to improvise a rendition of the American classic, ‘Shenandoah,’” he shared… 2. Thundercat:...
New York Gypsy All Stars: Cloud Nine
I love genre-bending music, and the New York Gypsy All Stars are kings of blending styles from around the world. It also helps that Panagiotis Andreou is a monster bass player. Besides an unshakeable groove, Andreou has a way of finding some of the nastiest effects to propel a song. Here’s a live clip of the band playing “Cloud Nine”...
Q-Tuner Expands Transparent Q2.0 Bass Pickups
Q-Tuner has expanded their bass offerings with new transparent, red-coiled pickups. Available now in 4, 5, and 6-string versions, the pickups are described as producing a “tight, clean and life-like bass sound loaded with harmonics.” They are created with neodymium magnets in a unique alignment for dynamic range. “There are many steps in making these pickups and we are actually...