Buzz
The Rolling Stones: Miss You
Ever since a new Darryl Jones documentary was announced, I’ve been listening to lots of the bassist’s work on YouTube. Here’s a great extended take of “Miss You” taken from 1995, just two years after he joined the Rolling Stones. Jones carries the groove throughout with rock solid time and feel while Mick Jagger gets into his stage antics.
Giraffe Tongue Orchestra Debut Available
Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, featuring Alice in Chains frontman William DuVall and members of Mastodon and Dillinger Escape Plan, has released its debut album, Broken Lines. The band’s bassist is Grammy Award-winner Pete Griffin (Dethklok, Zappa Plays Zappa), a Los Angeles-based player who studied jazz and classical at Northwestern University, who also teaches bass in person and online. Check out the...
Bass of the Week: Versoul Swan 8
It’s not often you see an 8-string fretless, but this one takes the cake. This week we’re checking out the Swan 8 by Finland’s Versoul, which the company describes as having traditional looks with an innovative body construction. “Solid Finnish Aspen flat top on solid Alder sides, a flat back and the long scale neck (34″) create an exceptionally mature...
Talking Technique: Drills for Fills – Applied
In episode 22, we introduced a way of practicing scales that uses intervals rather than going up and down the scales themselves. We went over thirds, which gives you great materials for runs, fills, and solos. Someone asked in the comments if I could give some examples of how to use the material in a chord progression, so that’s what...
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...