Buzz
The Descendents Release First Album in More Than a Decade
The Descendents have released their first album in a dozen years. Hypercaffium Spazzinate is the band’s seventh album and the first released by the punk band since 2004’s Cool to Be You. Karl Alvarez handles bass on the album, as he has through the band’s existence (and its several hiatuses and reformations) since 1986. The Descendents also influenced a host...
Bass of the Week: Jerzy Drozd Soul IV “Matisse”
Tim Cook sent us a few pictures of his bass, and we were drooling. The Jerzy Drozd Soul IV “Matisse” is a real piece of art, which is fitting since it was inspired by other pieces of art. “Jerzy Drozd monikers his work as ‘Jerzy Drozd, the Bass Art Company’ and fittingly a search for a description of this bass...
Talking Technique: Two-Octave Triads
How about some cool two octave triad fills for your grooves? Playing triads over two octaves is surprisingly difficult to do on the bass. Today we’ll cover how to not only master playing those triads over two octaves, but also how to build some cool fills from that tonal material. An important tip ensures that delivery is right. Be sure...
Cyrille Aimée and Sam Anning: Tricotism
Oscar Pettiford’s “Tricotism” has been a benchmark melody for bassists since the bebop heavyweight wrote it in 1954. Today we’re checking out a superb bass and vocal version of the tune performed by Cyrille Aimée and Sam Anning. Our friend Dylan Kuerschner sent the clip in saying our readers might like it, and I have to agree. Each musician nimbly...
Aidan Hampson Transcribes Oasis and Elton John Bass Lines
Aidan Hampson has turned his bass transcribing ability to the works of Elton John and Oasis in two new downloadable books from Guitar Music Publishing. The majority of the songs covered “Best of Elton John for Bass” had bass lines originally played by Dee Murray, while the bass parts in the Oasis book were originally played by Andy Bell and...
Weekly Top 10: Ra Diaz Interview, Making Arpeggios Musical, Talking Style, Top Bass Videos and More
Here’s your weekly list of the top 10 stories, how-to’s, videos and news from the world of bass – all based on No Treble reader views. Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Nathan Navarro: Super Mario Bass Guitar Playthrough Nathan Navarro is back with another brilliant bass video, and this time he’s playing along with a...
Ibanez Adds New Finishes For Summer 2016
Ibanez has added new finishes to a host of their electric basses, including the Gio series, the SR300 series, and the Talman TMB310. Each of the entry level basses have a pair of new color options. The Ibanez Gio series will now include the GSR200SDL, a Soda Blue 4-string, and the GSR205DVM Deep Violet Metallic 5-string. Each bass is built...
Maddie Jay & The pH Collective: Say You’ll Be There
We’ve featured some videos by Maddie Jay with her band, The pH Collective before. I recently got a Facebook note from Jeannette Lough – Maddie’s mom. “Just wondering if you have had a chance to see this yet (proud mom – I really love this re-imagination),” Jeannette shared. The song is what Maddie calls “a re-imagination of a 1996 classic...
Revocation Releases “Great Is Our Sin”
Death metal band Revocation has released its sixth album, Great Is Our Sin. “I think it’s our best effort, and I’m not just saying that because it’s the new record. I truly believe it’s the group’s best effort for sure,” bassist Brett Bamberger (Publicist UK and River Black) told No Treble in June 2016. While the members of Revocation are...
Birdsong Guitars Introduces Sparrow Bass and SD Curlee Phoenix
The short-scale masters at Birdsong Guitars have taken things a step further by adding the Sparrow Bass to their lineup. Originally introduced as a prototype, the model features an incredibly short 25.5-inch scale. Birdsong explains on their website: “The thought was this – if our 31? scales behave & speak like 34s, could we do a something even shorter that...
Esperanza Spalding: Unconditional Love
Esperanza Spalding recently visited the Skype Live Studio for 101.9 KINK FM’s broadcast and performed “Unconditional Love”. The song appears on Spalding’s fifth album, Emily’s D+Evolution.
Peter Erskine Trio Box Set of 1990s Work Released
The four albums released by the Peter Erskine Trio between 1992 and 1997 are now available as a box set, As It Was, through ECM’s Old and New Masters Series. The trio featured drummer/leader Erskine, Swedish double bassist Palle Danielsson (known for his 1970s-era work with Kieth Jarrett) and British pianist John Taylor, who was also the trio’s primary composer....