No Treble Archive for May 4th

Primus has officially postponed their upcoming Rush tribute tour, which was also set to feature Wolfmother, The Sword, and Battles. Luckily, it seems the band is still committed to making it happen once quarantine restrictions are lifted.

Luthier Roberto Franceschini of RF Musical Instruments paid homage to a classic in one of his latest builds. The drool-worthy bass, which he calls a great love, is modeled after a ’52 P-bass.

Emeline Fougeray often shares some pretty impressive videos on Facebook of her playing along to tunes. She’s also part of the band Panem. This video is the band’s second one in their “Lockdown Sessions,” offering up a chill vibe and some tasty bass lines throughout.

Azusa has released their second album, “Loop of Yesterdays”, which follows up on 2018’s “Heavy Yoke”. The band consists of Dillinger Escape Plan bassist Liam Wilson, Extol’s Christer Espevoll and David Husvik, and Sea + Air vocalist Eleni Zafiriadou.

Rush’s Geddy Lee has announced a Canadian book tour in support of his “Big Beautiful Book of Bass.” It also coincides with a special exhibit at Studio Bell at The National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta, which will run through January.

Last year, Theo Katzman and his band took the stage at BIRD Rotterdam. The always popular Joe Dart was part of the group, and after the crowd chanting his name, he went into one funky intro for the band’s take on The Eagles’ “One Of These Nights.”

In celebration of our 10 year anniversary this month, we’re taking a look back at some of the most popular features in our history. Today, we're kicking off the celebration with the top 10 reader favorite bass transcriptions we’ve shared over our first 10 years.

Peter Iwers has left the ranks of Cyhra, the band has announced. “It’s sad to part ways with Peter as a member, but we are still very good friends and will always be,” Cyhra stated. “He has our full support in this decision and we wish him nothing else than the best in the future.” Iwers issued a Facebook video...

Blues master Joe Bonamassa is releasing a new live album and DVD called British Blues Explosion Live this month, which pays tribute to the likes of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. In preparation, he released this killer take of “Spanish Boots” with Michael Rhodes absolutely tearing up the low end. From his attack to his use of double...

The early days of the New York Dolls have been documented in a new release called Personality Crisis Live Recordings & Studio Demos 1972-1975. The 5-CD remastered box set showcases rare and unreleased music from the lineup of vocalist David Johansen, guitarist Johnny Thunders, bassist Arthur Kane, guitarist Sylvain Sylvain and drummer Billy Murcia. It includes three demo sessions from...

How does one concisely (and intelligently) write something meaningful about an artist like Chuck Rainey? It’s easy to say that Chuck is an American bassist who was born in Cleveland, Ohio and went on to play with artists like Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Quincy Jones, etc… He’s so much more than that, to those who...

Bassists and drummers always share a special bond, but Steve Lawson and Andy Edwards have an incredible musical camaraderie. The duo recently performed an entirely improvised set at Tower of Song in Birmingham and it’s astounding. Here’s an extended clip of “Over Time”, which will be available to Lawson’s Bandcamp subscribers. “Everything here is live – I’m playing bass and...

Time to celebrate the No Treble reader favorite gear stories for the month. In this edition, we’re talking about the top 10 bass gear stories in April. As always, this comes with a warning: may cause GAS. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Sire Guitars Marcus Miller M7 Series Basses Sire Guitars has teamed up with Marcus Miller once...

Q: I was recently listening to your newer album and was really loving the tone you get. Can you talk a little about how make sure to get “your sound” in the studio? Also, any general tips for recording in the studio would be helpful, too. I’m about to record our band’s first album and want to make sure I’m...

Franklin Peredo sent us his latest video, and once again, his remarkable right-hand technique and musicianship is on full display here. Check out “The Romantic Hippo”.

Sixx: A.M.’s fourth full-length studio album has arrived: Prayers for the Damned, Vol. 1. The band, led by bassist Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe), is at its most creative place thus far with the album, according to Sixx. “For James [Michael], Dj [Ashba] and myself, we think it’s the perfect time to release so much quality music to our fans who’ve...

This week we check out a custom Cremona 5 by New York Bass Works. Built by luthier David Segal for bassist Sean Joynes, the instrument is based around a rare wood from central Africa called Moabi. Joynes gave us the scoop: “This new Cremona 5 bass is made of Red Alder with a Moabi Pommele (African Pearwood) top,” he wrote....

The four movements of the left hand fingers necessary for string playing (to paraphrase the great violin pedagogue Demetrius Constantine Dounis) are: Lifting: Raising a finger from the fingerboard/string Dropping: Lowering a finger/Pressing a string to the fingerboard Sliding: Moving a finger along the string so the pitch rises or lowers accordingly Holding: leaving a finger down on the string...

Osmar Oliveira shared his terrific all-bass performance of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”. I love Osmar’s fretless work on the vocal lines, and his emulation of the guitar is impressive too.

Blur has released its first album in 16 years as a four-piece outfit and its first studio record since 2003 for the three-piece version of the British band. The Magic Whip features bassist, farmer and farming columnist Alex James, drummer Dave Rowntree, vocalist Damon Albarn and guitarist Graham Coxon. The music for the album began life while the band was...

Any time you can mention Rocco Prestia, Victor Bailey, Marcus Miller, Flea and Victor Wooten in one sentence, you know things have to be pretty stellar. And that only describes half of this week’s top 10! Here are the most read stories and most watched videos for the week of April 27 – May 3, 2014. Thanks for reading, watching,...

Dunlop is now shipping their Super Bright Bass Strings, which the company designed with slap bass players in mind. The strings are defined by a lighter tension and provide clear highs balanced with a fat fundamental. The sets come in either stainless steel or nickel with options for 4- and 5-string basses with light and medium gauges. They’re available now...

Ron Carter’s birthday is today, and we’re celebrating with this video of his trio performing the classic jazz standard “Autumn Leaves.” The video was filmed during Jazzwoche Burghausen in 2006, with Russell Malone on guitar and Jacky Terrasson on piano. Carter lays some masterful walking lines behind both of his bandmates before taking a walking solo at the 6:47 mark....

Longtime Johnny Cash bassist Dave Roe is holding down the bottom on Ray LaMontagne’s fifth studio album, . It’s the first time Roe, a noted Nashville-based session bassist (Jerry Reed, Charlie Louvin, Mel Tillis, Chet Atkins, Dottie West, Kathy Mattea, Vince Gill, Duane Eddy, Faith Hill, and John Cougar Mellencamp) has worked with LaMontagne, who linked up with new players...

The Fender Custom Shop has rolled out its Spring 2013 offerings, including the Limited Relic 1955 Precision Bass. Mimicking the look of an aged bass, the new model is the Custom Shop’s first to feature a special Black over Three-color Sunburst nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The bass is created by Fender’s master builders with a lightweight ash body and a quartersawn...

Earlier this year, the badass power rock trio of dUg Pinnick, Eric Gales, and Thomas Pridgen teamed up and released their self-titled debut album. Now they have a music video for “Collateral Damage,” which is underpinned by Pinnick’s ballsy bass tone. Dig it.

Bassist Andrew Seward has parted ways with Against Me!, according to a post on the band’s website. Comments from each of the bandmembers suggests that there’s no love lost between the three of them. “No drama here,” Seward wrote. “I reached a point where I need to focus on other things. Respect to [vocalist Laura Jane Grace] and [guitarist James...

Epiphone is unveiling a new version of a classic with the Thunderbird Classic-IV PRO. The bass is set apart from its siblings by being equipped with a pair of Gibson TB Plus Humbucking pickups featuring ceramic magnets, which the company says produce “high gain, smooth tone and high-end definition.” The pickups are controlled with separate volume knobs as well as...

Regular No Treble readers will be familiar with Donovan Stokes from his column, The Lowdown with Dr. D, but you may not be as familiar with his playing. As a professor at Shenandoah University, Stokes is well versed in the classical realm of double bass playing, yet his own compositions draw on an array of genres. His stunning performances often...

Today is bass legend Ron Carter’s birthday, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t celebrate with some of his incredible playing. Here’s the bassist’s Golden Striker Trio, featuring pianist Mulgrew Miller and guitarist Russel Malone playing their namesake tune, originally performed by the Modern Jazz Quartet. Happy Birthday Ron Carter!

Bassist Lloyd Brevett, the pioneering upright player and founding member of the Jamaican ska group The Skatalites, passed away yesterday after being treated for seizures due to a stroke he suffered in March. He was 80. Brevett is one of the central figures in bringing ska music from Jamaica to the world, as one of the original members of The...

Finland-based Darkglass Electronics, a company focused on bass effects and boasts handmade pedals, is the brainchild of Chilean-born Douglas Castro. Castro started the venture to create effects and tones that he heard in his head but couldn’t get with other pedals. The company’s flagship is their Microtubes B3K Bass Overdrive, a compact pedal featuring hybrid JFET and CMOS gain stages....

Q: I have a question regarding power amps and cabinets. There are so many choices out there, and even more when you consider every amp available online (but probably won’t see in a store). How do you go about choosing an amp without just throwing a dart at the board and taking a huge financial chance? A: Unfortunately, there is...

Bassist Danny Fox sent us a few of his videos, each showcasing his musicianship (and cool Zon Hyperbass). This one, “The Meaning of Times Passing” caught our ear especially. Danny writes, “[These songs] are self-composed solo bass tracks and are played on my Zon Hyperbass. I was very honoured to have Michael Manring say that he liked them. [This] one...

Nikki Sixx and his band Sixx: A.M. have just released This Is Gonna Hurt, the album that accompanies his latest book of the same title. The release is a follow-up to 2007’s Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, which peaked at 62 on the Billboard 100. Joined by the Motley Crue bassist, Sixx: A.M. is rounded out by James Michael and DJ Ashba....

Meet Thomson Kneeland, our bassist in the spotlight for May 4, 2010. Bio: Acoustic bassist and composer Thomson Kneeland has established himself as a formidable sideman and leader since moving to New York City in 2003. He quickly found himself working with such established musicians as Ted Rosenthal, Kenny Werner, Billy Drummond, Lynne Arriale, Paul Bollenback, Peter Leitch, Jed Levy,...

Wow! This is the record I was hoping for: John McLaughlin letting rip within a band context. To The One is a passionate sonic blast. McLaughlin, bassist Etienne Mbappe, and drummers Mark Mondesir and Gary Husband set up in one room on the studio for a live recording with keyboard added by Husband. McLaughlin is now playing with musicians who...

Lately, my attention has been brought to a couple of Swedish bands which have then inspired me quite a bit. Via Ste’s playalong, I discovered The Flower Kings, and from there I stumbled upon the Mats & Morgan Band. This is the Mats & Morgan Band playing their tune “Hollmervalsen (Hollmer’s Waltz)” which is dedicated to Lars Hollmer of the...

Alice in Chains, Deftones, and Mastodon are all teaming up for a newly announced fall 2010 trek entitled the “BlackDiamondSkye” Tour. The three bands will make their way across North America in support of each of their newest albums from which the tour name was derived: Alice in Chains’ Black Gives Way to Blue, Deftones’ new Diamond Eyes, and Mastodon’s...

Hal Leonard has released Best of Marcus Miller, an instructional book containing 23 transcriptions of Miller’s work. Transcriptions include: Big Time Blast Boomerang Bruce Lee Could It Be You Ethiopia Forevermore Funny La Villette Lonnie’s Lament Maputo Mountain Dance Nikki’s Groove Panther Power Rampage Rio Funk Run For Cover Scoop Strum 3 Deuces Tutu What Is Hip

TIMBASSIX combines bass and beatboxing in today’s featured video, using his Boss RC-50 Loop Station.

After months of work, we released the new notreble.com this weekend. We’re pretty excited for all the great feedback we’ve received over the last couple of days. The visual changes should be easy to spot. We’ve also added a few new sections and features too: A new videos page is up, featuring videos from our Youtube group (you can add...