Buzz
Andrea Caggiari: James Brown Funk Bass Lines
Bassist Andrea Caggiari emailed me this terrific video where he plays along to seven different James Brown tunes. Of course, this one gets funky, thanks to the original lines by Bernard Odum, Bootsy Collins, Fred Thomas, Gordon Edwards and Sweet Charles Sherrell. Here’s the track list: Cold Sweat Soul Power Super Bad Talkin Loud And Say Nothing Make it Funky...
Opeth Releases “Sorceress”
Swedish progressive metal band Opeth has returned with its 12th full-length studio album, Sorceress. Bassist Martín Méndez is the most stalwart band member, behind the band’s architect, Mikael Åkerfeldt. “I love this album, as does the whole band. I wrote the music during 5-6 months and we spent only 12 days recording it at Rockfield studios in Wales,” Åkerfeldt said....
Weekly Top 10: Memorizing the Fretboard, Bryan Beller Podcast, Top Bass Videos, Gear and More
Thanks to you, we had another great week in the land of No Treble. We love celebrating with your favorites – so here’s the latest top 10. Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Memorizing the Fretboard: A Checklist for Bass Players This week, a reader asks Damian Erskine for advice on memorizing the fretboard. Damian delivers...
Eden Unveils the Astroflange Bass Flanger
Eden Amplification has expanded their pedal lineup with the Astroflange, a flanger designed specifically for bass. It has four controls that allow for dialing in the effect and choosing which frequencies are affected. “Velocity and Altitude controls adjust the overall parameters of the flanging effect, while the Low Cut control allows you to fully control where in the frequency band...
Shaun Martin: Lotus
We always love sharing a clip of Shaun Martin’s band, and music from his album, . Here’s the track “Lotus”, with bassist Keith Taylor laying down some sweet bass. The whole tune is great, but things really get going around the 3-minute mark.
The Pixies Return with Paz Lenchantin on Bass
The Pixies have released their first album in two years and their first with bassist Paz Lenchantin as part of the band’s permanent line-up. Lenchantin toured with the group in 2014 and her work can be heard on the deluxe edition of the band’s 2014 album, Indie Cindy, which was the group’s first without bassist Kim Deal. The new album,...
Eve Guitars Introduces the Lunna Bass
Eve Guitars has unveiled the Lunna Bass, a single-cut model that’s made in the UK. Available in four-, five-, or six-string versions, the bass is described as sitting at the top of the Eve range and “fully customisable to meet your own preference and playing style.” It’s crafted with a quartersawn sapele bolt-on neck topped with a wenge fingerboard, but...
Anthony Crawford: Jazz vs Hiphop
Bassist Anthony Crawford shared this on his Facebook page and it immediately caught my attention. He recorded it as a demo for his Mirura MB-2 bass, and the song is just as stunning as the bass. The story behind the music is incredible, too. “This is a song from my last album, Urban Jazz/My Story,” Crawford explains. “I call the...
Solo Career-Spanning Sting Vinyl Set Released
So, you love yourself some Sting. And you love vinyl. Well, then, The Studio Collection is right up your alley. The 11-LP vinyl box set includes all the bassist-singer-songwriter’s A&M Records studio albums in one collection. The set includes Brand New Day and Sacred Love, which were not previously released on vinyl. Along with Sting, the albums feature the work...
Red Hot Chili Peppers Reveal North American Tour Dates
Flea and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be embarking on an extensive North American tour starting at the beginning of 2017. Starting January 5th in San Antonio, the 24-date outing will take the band through the South, Midwest, and the Northeast before heading west in March. Support on the tour will include Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, featuring bassist...
Talking Style: New Jack Swing
“New Jack Swing” is an era of R&B that mixed jazz, pop and electronic dance music sensibilities with hip-hop production techniques. The “sound”, pioneered by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (former keyboardist and bassist for the Time) and Teddy Riley consists largely of synthesized bass lines, swung hip-hop beats created by the TR-808 drum machine and the SP-1200 sampler with...
Andrea De Donato, Lucia Sargenti and Stefano Ferraro: Let’s Stay Together
Bassist Andrea De Donato sent me this video of a performance he did with vocalists Lucia Sargenti and Stefano Ferraro. The trio perform Al Green’s hit “Let’s Stay Together” with some excellent bass work by Andrea.