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Dywane Thomas Jr. Archives

Ghost-Note Announces New Tour Dates with MonoNeon
Concerts & Tours

Ghost-Note Announces New Tour Dates with MonoNeon

Ghost-Note has announced a new North American tour in support of their latest album, Swagism. Formed by Snarky Puppy percussionists Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth, the band will be filled out by a killer cast including keyboardists Xavier Taplin and Vaughn “V-Keys” Henry, guitarist Peter Knudsen, saxophonist Jonathan Mones, and bass wizard Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas, Jr. The trek will...

MonoNeon Releases New EP for 2017
New Albums

MonoNeon Releases New EP for 2017

Experimental bassist MonoNeon is starting 2017 off with a brand new EP entitled Seflie Quickie 2wooo. The 6-song album is described as “avant-garde funk and hip-hop [that gives] you a sonic glimpse inside MonoNeon’s surrealism brain.” MonoNeon was the last bass player to work with the superstar Prince, and as such you can hear the Purple One’s influence on “It’s...

Prince’s Bassists: Musicology
Bass Videos

Prince’s Bassists: Musicology

Last month, musicians from throughout Prince’s career came together for an official tribute concert in Minneapolis. The star studded event was anchored by five of the Purple One’s bass colleagues: Sonny T from New Power Generation, Ida Nielsen from NPG/3rdEyeGirl, Andrew Gouche from NPG, Josh Dunham from NPG, and MonoNeon. In a beautiful moment, all five bassists performed together on...

MonoNeon on Playing with Prince
Bassists

MonoNeon on Playing with Prince

When Prince died on April 21st, the world lost another legend. The Purple One touched so many lives through his music that he was more than a musician; he was a cultural icon. Besides being a world-class bassist himself, Prince always kept top-notch low-enders by his side. Rhonda Smith, Mark Brown, André Cymone, Larry Graham, Ida Nielsen, Andrew Gouché and...

MonoNeon Releases Five-Song EP
New Albums

MonoNeon Releases Five-Song EP

The name of the latest release of short pieces from bassist/experimental musician MonoNeon (Prince, Ne-Yo), a.k.a. Dywane Thomas Jr. kind of says it all: Selfie Quickie. Three of the five songs on the EP clock in at less than two minutes, while the remaining songs run no longer than 2:55 and 3:11, respectively. Selfie Quickie is a collection of funk,...

MonoNeon on Preparing for Prince
Bassists

MonoNeon on Preparing for Prince

If you’ve been reading No Treble for a while, you’ll recognize MonoNeon. The singular musician pushes the boundaries of his art with a manifesto that includes wearing high-visibility clothing with polychromatic color schemes, and his bass playing will leave your jaw on the floor. MonoNeon, aka Dywane Thomas Jr., has been working with another outspoken musician: Prince. “I was invited...

MonoNeon: Donyea’s Slo-Soul Arrangement of James Brown’s “I Feel Good”
Bass Videos

MonoNeon: Donyea’s Slo-Soul Arrangement of James Brown’s “I Feel Good”

YouTube brings out a lot of collaboration and inspiration in people. Here’s an awesome video by Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas adding his own flourishes to producer Donyea Goodman’s arrangement of “I Feel Good” by James Brown. It’s a totally different groove from the original and brings a new flavor to the song.

MonoNeon Releases “Southern Visionary”
New Albums

MonoNeon Releases “Southern Visionary”

Forward-thinking bassist MonoNeon is kicking off 2013 with a new album called Southern Visionary, available on BandCamp. The effort blends the composer’s unique interests of southern soul and microtonal music to create a completely unique sound. “On this album I’m presenting my minimalistic idea of ‘microtonal-southern soul’ with compositions, ‘Micro-Johnnay Taylor’ and ‘Micro-Staple Sangus’,” MonoNeon writes. “The title track, ‘Southern...

Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas, Jr. Releases Down-to-Earth Art
New Albums

Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas, Jr. Releases Down-to-Earth Art

Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas, Jr. has released Down-to-Earth-Art, the bassist’s new album featuring his unique blend of soul and avant garde. The six-track collection includes two that feature what he calls “microtonal-southern soul,” and while some of his music seems out of this world, Down-to-Earth Art is named so for its concept. “The reason this album is called Down-to-Earth Art is...

New Albums

Dywane Thomas Jr. Releases “Aleatorick and Indeterminacy”

Bassist Dywane Thomas Jr. has released his second solo album, Aleatorick and Indeterminacy. The CD includes six original compositions, performed by Dywane on bass and piano. The compositions are influenced by John Cage, avant-garde/experimental music and structured improvisation. Dywane also played on GospelChops Bass Sessionz Vol. 1 DVD with Hadrien Feraud, Janek Giwzdala, Damian Erskine and others. Preview and download...

Reader Spotlight: Dywane Thomas Jr.
Reader Spotlight

Reader Spotlight: Dywane Thomas Jr.

Meet bassist Dywane Thomas Jr., our player in the spotlight for October 20th, 2009. Bio: I started playing bass at 4 years old, playing a right-handed bass upside down (lefty). I grew up listening to down home blues and funk, playing along with songs on the radio and different albums was how I practiced. I taught myself how to play...