No Treble Archive for November 25th

Happy Turkey Day!! Eric Lawson is back with another funky video! This year, we ALL have things to be thankful for. Taking on the “U Name It” challenge a while back, he put his own twist on it.

One of the biggest obstacles for musicians is the dreaded odd-time signature. That’s why Marek Bero decided to expand his “Bass Gym 101” series with a new book on the topic.

The Jimi Hendrix Estate has released another live performance from the vault. “Live in Maui” combines a new documentary with two full sets from July 30, 1970. The guitar legend was backed by drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox.

Scary Goldings is one of my favorite bands right now. Here’s the band, with Tim Lefebvre on bass, performing “Bondgirl”. Tim is laying it down on his De Armond Star Fire bass. (And I just want to say how much I dig the B3.)

Doug Lubahn, who played bass on three albums by the Doors, has passed away. He was 71 years old. The band shared the news on their social media accounts.

This week we’re taking a look at the insanely intricate bass luthier Ivan Mulia calls the “TTT Bass” Misery 3030. The bass features finely detailed, acid-etched aluminum plates for the body top and back, as well as the fretless fingerboard.

Add LOCKN’ to my calendar for next year. After watching so many great videos from the festival, I’m hooked. Here’s a clip of Steel Pulse with The Soul Rebels and Marcus King performing a cover of the Grateful Dead tune, “Franklin’s Tower.”

Geddy Lee has added a trio of new book signings to his “Official (Yet Kind of Random) Big Beautiful Book of Bass Book Tour.” The “East Coast Hat Trick Leg” will see the Rush bassist heading to Pittsburgh, New York City, and Halifax through December.

MXR has introduced a new power supply for your pedalboard with an emphasis on saving space. The Mini Iso-Brick Power Supply offers noise-free DC power while “taking up less space than a candy bar.” It has five fully-isolated outputs, four of which supply 9-volts at 300mA. The fifth can dish out either 9 volts or 18 volts at 800mA. If...

This one is all pocket. Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles took the stage at Frankfurt Jazz in 2017, with Sharay Reed on bass, and performed their groovy version of the Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive.”

Chase Bliss Audio has expanded their line of pedals with The Dark World, a dual channel reverb that is their first fully-digital effect circuit. The effect is a collaboration with Keeley Electronics and Cooper FX that they say celebrates classic and ultramodern reverb engine. “Its dual channel format transcends what most people think of as a reverb pedal, moving freely...

High On Fire’s Jeff Matz has a new signature bass from Dunable Guitars. The JM Bass is the product of several years of custom builds for the bassist, leading to an instrument with his exact specs. “Basically, [Matz wanted] what would be his dream instrument, fit for both tracking a High On Fire record, as well as touring on it...

I love it when Leonid Vorobyev shares a new video with his band, Leonid & Friends. In this video, the Chicago tribute band takes on “Questions 67 & 68,” which appeared on the 1969 album, Chicago Transit Authority. As always, they nail it.

Bryan Beller has announced that he’ll be joining guitar icon Joe Satriani for his G3/What Happens Next tour in 2018. Alongside bandmates Mike Kenneally and Joe Travers, the bassist will provide backup for Satriani and fellow guitarists John Petrucci and Phil Collen as the G3 State-side, with Uli Jon Roth replacing Collen on the European leg. “[Joe Satriani is] a...

Lake Street Dive have announced an extensive US tour slated to start in February. The tour will kick off February 16th in Boston, Massachusetts before covering the East Coast and heading west to end up in Los Angeles, California on March 21st. The band, anchored by bassist Bridget Kearney, will be continuing their trek in support of their latest release,...

If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s traffic. Anyone living in, visiting, or planning to move to Nashville has become burdened by the time wasting, frustrating, 4-hour rush hour that is seemingly inescapable. I’m no stranger to the woes of metropolitan areas, the growing pains of urban development, and the high concentration of oversized vehicles, but this city has...

Bassist Joy Anthony M shared this video with us, and it is a beautiful tribute. “Beautiful and cool sunrise at Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain. Felt appropriate to do this video,” Anthony shares. “A personal tribute to two late greats, Victor Bailey and Jaco Pastorius. Hope you dig!”

Erik Scott has released his fourth solo album, In The Company of Clouds. The former Alice Cooper and Flo & Eddie bassist has expanded on his own personal style that mixes his past rock influences in with new age, jazz, and world styles. Scott weaves ambient soundscapes that highlight his sweet fretless bass as the center point. “The CD you’re...

Q: I loved the column on giving guidance to students. Do you have suggestions for guiding teachers in bass teaching? I struggle keeping my beginning students interested when I have them “eat vegetables” – like scales and note reading and rhythm practice. How do you find the balance between serving vegetables and meat with potatoes and even dessert as a...

This year has been a year of firsts for bassist Zander Zon, including his first ever collaboration video (with KJC), adding a new bass to the mix (a Chris Larking custom made acoustic bass guitar), and his first collaboration with a bassist (Miki Santamaria). Now he’s teamed up with another bassist we’ve featured here before, Josh Cohen. And I do...

Technical death metal band Revocation has re-released its debut album, Empire of the Obscene. Only 1,000 copies of the record were pressed back in 2008, and the re-released version is also newly mixed and remastered. In addition, it features revamped cover art and a 2006 demo for the song “Summon the Spawn.” Anthony Buda, who was with the band from...

Meet Michele della Malva, a bass player who hopes to play for 1,000 years. Michele’s dad got him his start with music and playing, and though it was the wrong instrument (guitar), it paved the way for Michele to find the bass. Michele keeps busy playing in a variety of bands and is wrapping up work on his on solo...

Anaconda Basses has expanded their range of basses with the Super J, which luthier Andrew Taylor-Cummings calls his take on a classic J-style. “I didn’t want to do yet another straight copy, but rather build and improve on a classic,” he writes. “The body is downsized and more sculpted, allowing for better ergonomics and comfort. I wanted to add a...

Here’s a great clip of Spare Parts jamming on their song “Watch Your Step” live at Warehaus West in Chicago. The band grooves hard thanks to bassist Colin Scott, who utilizes fingerstyle, slap, and some intense strumming with effects to keep you on your toes.

Fans getting an itch to hear new music from JJ Grey and Mofro don’t have long to wait. The band has announced that its upcoming album, Ol’ Glory, is due out Feb. 25, 2015, and a tour to support the record will begin earlier that same month. If the trailer’s anything to go by, the new album features the deep...

Les Claypool is never one to stand still, a fact that is evidenced by his many musical groups. Now his latest project, Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang, has announced that their debut album Four Foot Shack will be released on February 4th via ATO Records. Claypool is joined by longtime friend and guitarist Bryan Kehoe for the group. Together the...

Or Lubianiker joined forces with Project RnL to make the band’s very first live video. The band describes their music as a “strange, yet mysteriously appealing blend” of genres, and we completely agree. “Another One” is a bass-heavy tune and starts with a duet between Lubianiker and vocalist Ray Livnat. The rest of the group kicks in and things take...

In the summer of 2012, Rush released their 20th studio album, Clockwork Angels. In what has been a busy year and a half for the band, the trio hit the road for tours across North America and the world. Both tours ended up making the top 100 (#33 in North America and #69 Worldwide). There was a notable addition for...

Here are the most read bass stories, lessons, videos and more, for the week of November 18-24, 2012. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Electro-Harmonix Announces Deluxe Bass Big Muff Pi Electro-Harmonix has unveiled their latest bass specific pedal with the Deluxe Bass Big Muff Pi. Building on its predecessor, the Deluxe has the same Volume, Tone, and Sustain...

Bass icon Marcus Miller was injured in a crash early Sunday morning in Switzerland after his tour bus tipped over on the A2 highway. The bus driver was killed, while Miller and 11 other passengers were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Police say the cause of the accident is still unclear. Miller’s manager Bibi Green issued an update on...

A little over two years ago, we shared a video of Pipoquinha, a young bassist from Brazil. In that video, Pipoquinha was just 13 years old, but played (and sang) well beyond his years. That video ended up being the most watched and most shared videos of the year on No Treble. Facebook friend George Wagner just shared a new...

As part of the band’s 50th anniversary celebration this year, the Rolling Stones have released a mega compilation, Grrr!. The set spans the group’s five decades together, starting with their first single – a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Come On,” – released in 1963. Two new tracks, “Doom and Gloom” and “One More Shot”, recorded in August of this year,...

While this bass may conjure images of ZZ Top, the idea for the Bas-Extravaganza Fluffy actually came to proprietor Bas Wittenberg on a trip through IKEA. The luthier saw a rug and immediately decided to put it to use as a “finish.” “This is a real party bass,” he writes. “Women love it, and men want to shave.” Measuring at...

The Blues Scale. Why do so many players talk about this as the quintessential soloing tool? Have you ever wondered why the blues scale doesn’t always sound good while being played over a blues progression? Aren’t you looking for something more “realistic” in terms of an approach for soloing? Although this column is starting to sound like an infomercial proposing...

When we saw the title of this video (“The Best Bass Guitarist in NYC”), we of course had to check it out. And Li’nard blew us away. The video description went on to say, “Li’nard is a New York City legend. He is recognized as a genius in the art of dynamic, live performance and as a versatile bass guitarist,...

Rush is having one busy November. Following the release of Time Machine 2011 – Live in Cleveland, the trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart are reissuing their first fifteen albums from their 14-year run with Mercury Records. Sectors is broken down into three separate six-disc box sets, each including five CDs in release order, with a bonus...

Bassist Nikolai Fraiture has announced that the Strokes are heading back into the studio. The news came via his Nickel Eye Twitter account: “While the guys are in L.A., I went to scout some studios in NYC with [Strokes manager] Ryan [Gentles] today for what looks like Jan. recording.” This will be the first new Strokes album in three years,...

Q: I often feel like I’m not sure what I should be working on (although I know there’s plenty). Should I just grab a lesson with someone or is there a way to motivate one’s self? A: Everyone hits this wall. (At least I hit this wall constantly!) Grabbing a lesson with someone is never a bad idea, although it...

Wow, check out pianist Kenny Barron with his trio performing “New York Attitude” live in 2007. Barron is joined by bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Victor Lewis.

The Canadian Rockies Bass Bash, a clinic and jam session with some of the leading bassists from around the world, has been scheduled April 10, 2010, in Calgary, Alberta. The clinic is featuring artists such as Benny Rietveld, Adam Nitti, Scott Nickless, Sheldon Dingwall (of Dingwall Guitars), and Hansford Rowe. There are scheduled clinics with each visiting artist, as well...