No Treble: Recent Episodes
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Bootsy Collins reflects on his legacy, working with George Clinton, and the deep groove that made him one of funk’s most iconic bassists.
Explore 15 of Jerry Jemmott’s iconic basslines—played with Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, and more—in a new transcription book with artist commentary.
Bass legend Carol Kaye says no to the Rock Hall, rejecting the “Wrecking Crew” name and standing by her identity as a studio musician
Jazz and classical legend Charles Burrell, the first Black musician in a major U.S. symphony and a Colorado icon, has died at 104.
Tony Kanal anchored No Doubt’s 1996 TV debut with his Yamaha BB, a GK head, and the bass tone that helped launch a band.
Jinjer bassist Eugene Abdukhanov shares why he switched to Mayones and how the Jabba Bassic VF fits into his evolving sound.
Learn the iconic funk groove from James Brown’s “Cold Sweat” and how to use it as a foundation for building your own bass lines.
Bass legend Stanley Clarke performs at NPR’s Tiny Desk, highlighting his upright and Alembic bass work in a dynamic, genre-spanning set.
Gov’t Mule marks 30 years with a 2025 tour featuring bassist Kevin Scott, returning to the road for a milestone run across the U.S. and Canada.
Bakithi Kumalo shares how a call from Paul Simon led him from a South African garage to recording one of pop music's most iconic fretless bass solos.
Phil Jones Bass introduces the C-17, a compact 13 lb. cabinet with a 7” woofer and 3” tweeter, offering portability and tone in a Seafoam Green finish.
This unearthed 1975 live clip features Alan Gorrie and Average White Band performing “Work To Do,” with Gorrie driving the groove on his Fender P Bass.
Christian McBride’s new album "Without Further Ado" features a partial Police reunion with Sting and Andy Summers, plus a roster of jazz vocal stars.
Alusonic’s Doom 4 bass features a headless, multi-scale design with an aluminum top, Graphitex fretboard, and a lightweight 6.8-pound build.
Kevin Scott brings deep groove and motion to a soulful bass cover of Johnnie Taylor’s “What About My Love” using his 5-string Moollon.
Fallujah returns with Xenotaph, a sci-fi-themed album featuring Evan Brewer on bass and a new lineup pushing melodic and technical boundaries.
Fender’s 2025 Squier Classic Vibe basses include Telecaster and Jazz designs with vintage aesthetics, modern features, and multiple finish choices.
Evan Marien performs live at Nublu with Dana Hawkins, blending groove-driven jazz fusion, octave effects, and his Ken Smith bass into a standout set.
This week’s top bass stories include Laura Lee’s Fender debut, a new Doobie Brothers album, a Spalt bass feature, and Father's Day gift suggestions.
Bakithi Kumalo shares the story behind his iconic fretless bass work on Paul Simon’s Graceland and how music changed the course of his life.
Laura Lee plays her new Fender Jazz Bass in a Khruangbin session, showing off the tone, feel, and design behind her signature model.
Marcus Miller joins the 2025 DC JazzFest lineup alongside Ron Carter, Corcoran Holt, and a stellar roster of jazz legends performing in the nation's capital.
The AccuGroove 210 Maximus brings studio-level clarity to a 2x10 cab, with an isolated 4-way system and 900 watts of power in a portable format.
Esperanza Spalding plays fretless bass with Robert Glasper in a creative live take on Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” at the Polar Music Prize.
Oteil Burbridge’s Fall 2025 tour features Oteil & Friends with Melvin Seals, Steve Kimock, Jason Crosby, and more across the East Coast.
We first shared this “God Only Knows” cover by Consider the Source for its emotional power. After Brian Wilson’s passing, it feels even more resonant.
Nordstrand introduces the Acinonyx V, a short scale five-string bass featuring a PolyVox pickup and custom shop build by Carey Nordstrand.
Phil Mann wraps up his 11-year “Chord Tone Concepts” series with Volume 4, focusing on triad pairs, voice leading, and melodic phrasing for bassists.
This Bass Gym lesson shows how to build a groove around the B string using slap, strumming, and double-stop techniques.
John Cowan Brings Vintage Jazz Bass Tone to Doobie Brothers’ “Listen to the Music” Performance on Colbert
KLOS Guitars launched their first bass back in 2021 with the Apollo. Now, the company has expanded its low-end lineup with the Apollo Custom lineup. The series features a wooden body with a carbon fiber neck in four-, five-, and six-string models.
Gilad Ephrat sent us the second video from his duet album "Bassolin." Joined by mandolinist Shmuel Elbaz, the duet perform "Desert Land."
This week’s top 10 reader-favorite articles includes plenty of gear, a video by a band of Oompa Loompas, our interview with the legendary Avery Sharpe, and new music.
HeadRush has expanded its line of products with three new tools for bassists and guitarists: the Flex Prime multi-effects processor, FRFR Go portable amplifier, and the ReValver Amp Cloner.
Snarky Puppy is dropping "We Like It Here (Remixed + Remastered + Reimagined)" on December 6, 2024, and they’re giving us a taste for what’s to come.
Shinedown's Eric Bass is stepping out front by announcing his debut solo album, "Eric Bass Presents: I Had A Name." He is giving fans a preview of the project with a video for the first single, "Mind Control."
Lusithand Devices has updated another of its products with the Ground & Pound MKII. The new stompbox “greatly improves” on the original, they say, by adding two modes that can be toggled with a mini switch.
Evan Brewer shows his awe-inspiring bass line for Entheos’s “New Light” in this bass-centric playthrough. If you know Evan, you know this one will be a wild ride.
Widespread Panic has been having a year of ups and downs. They’ve started rolling out dates for 2025 and have just released another album. "Hailbound Queen" is another EP with five songs the group calls fan favorites alongside new standout tracks.
Avery Sharpe may be best known for his longtime association with jazz legend McCoy Tyner, but his musicality can’t be pared down to one style. He discusses his new album, technique, and lessons learned from Tyner in this interview.
Teodoras Balciauskis sent us the video for his latest tune, “Solar Dawn,” with guitarist Waxamilion.
Dave Holland says "the world needs unity more than ever." That’s the theme of his new album "United," with Lionel Loueke.
Tiny Tone has teamed up with Bartolini to introduce the TCT Stompbox, which puts Bartolini’s legendary on-board bass preamp from the ’80s into a pedal format.
“The Bass Whisperer” Ed Friedland shared some old school cool on his Facebook page that’s a piece of bass history. Joe Maphis was country guitarist known for his flashy style, but in this clip he’s on bass to support a young Larry Collins.
Primal Scream has returned with their first album in eight years. “Come Ahead” features a blend of funk and fire with the most personal songs that frontman Bobby Gillespie has ever written.
Dunable Guitars has collaborated with High on Fire bassist Jeff Matz once again for a new version of his signature bass. The JM5 is the fifth bass in the series and offers further refinements to the design.
Cory Wong and his band went all out at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Halloween. Here’s the band performing “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (Wongka Suite),” with a killer bari sax solo followed by a bass solo!
Saddle up, because bassist Will “Mustang” McGee has just released an EP called It’s Mustang Time! The Nashville-based artist wrote the songs in his own blend of retro rock, blues, and country.
The Mayones Custom Shop pumps out some masterful instruments. This week, we’re checking a custom short-scale version of their Comodous model built for young bass phenom Ellen Alaverdyan.
Bassist Daniele Camarda shared his new video with us for the song “Madaal,” which features his six-string Manne Multi Bass. The duo with guitarist Nguyên Lê is improvised with ethereal soundscapes for a floating feeling.
Keith Jarrett is a master of interpreting jazz standards. One of his many examples is the 1994 album “Live at the Deer Head Inn.” Now, 30 years later, the remainder of that 1992 performance has been released as “The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn.”
We're wrapping up our week at NT HQ as we always do by looking back at the best from the bass world.
Zander Zon is once again revisiting music from his catalog with new videos. This time, he performs “Mediation in E,” which appeared on “Sonorous.”
Xlson Audio has announced a new microphone system designed specifically for the double bass. The new model is a follow-up to Chuck Israel’s signature microphone and builds upon its predecessor in a whole new way.
Harley Benton has unveiled a new compact and mobile bass amp. The 10-watt JAMster Bass is fitted with a custom-voiced 5-inch speaker and is “designed specifically for low-end tones, perfect for the mobile bassist.”
Rebecca Johnson just dropped another video of her band in a live performance. Filmed on October 26th live at The Builders Club, here’s the band getting down on The Meters tune, “Just Kissed My Baby.”
The Bad Plus has returned with “Complex Emotions,” marking the band’s second effort with the new quartet lineup of bassist Reid Anderson, drummer Dave King, guitarist Ben Monder, and saxophonist Chris Speed.
Brubaker Guitars has launched the NBS Headless Bass Series, a line of four- and five-string basses available in both 34-inch and 30-inch scales.
Mery’s Key is back with another new song. “Breadcrumbs” was recorded at Urban Recording Studio in Trieste, Italy, with the duo of Mery Bertòs and Kevin Reginald Cooke being joined by drummer Christian Leale.
Pops Magellan’s has released “Misunderstood,” from her upcoming EP “Damage.” “Deep Thoughts” that blends “Brazilian maracatu melodies, live and electronic drums, and funk infused with rock and spacey soundscapes.”
Emma Anzai, known for her dynamic bass playing with both Sick Puppies and, more recently, Evanescence, is our guest for this month's podcast.
JavaJazzFest dropped this excellent video of Incognito performing at the festival this year. Here’s the band tearing through “Colibri” and “The Bass & Keys/Supersonic Lord Sumo.”
Peter Hook and his band The Light have announced a 2025 tour of North America with his son, Jack Bates, sharing the bass duties.
Learn how to begin improvising a bass line for a rock song or country song. In this lesson, we cover the steps to learning how to improvise a great bass line to support the song.
Alex Bershadsky memorialized his late father in a song called “Jacob’s Dream,” and today we’re sharing his video for it. The music is beautiful and uplifting for a wonderful tribute.
Brazilian bassist Sérgio Bartolo has released a cool new EP called “Galaxicografia,” which tells an unusual story in an instrumental form. The bassist and composer, known for his work with bands like Karnak and Funk Como Le Gusta, took inspiration from a story his grandfather wrote.
Meet Randy Landau, a long-time bassist with a seriously impressive resume. Randy is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story…
Late last year, Mission Engineering and Fender announced the return of Sunn Amplifiers. They’ve re-issued some of their most popular amps and now they’ve introduced a new cabinet called the DoomBox.
ZZ Top has unveiled a set of spring dates for “The Elevation Tour” that will take That Little Ol’ Band from Texas across the Southeast and Midwest United States. The trio, now anchored by bassist Elwood Francis, will begin March 5th in Dothan, Alabama.
This week, we’re checking out the Vola Guitars 5 STM J1, a signature model they designed in collaboration with Steve Tréguier of The Dali Thundering Concept. Its curvy ash body has a sandblasted Olympic White matte finish to show off the wood’s grain.
Tony Senatore's newest video was four years in the making. Joined by violinist Joe Deninzon and pianist Bob Quaranta, here's their performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise."
Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes has returned with a new solo album entitled “Million Voices Whisper.” The powerhouse guitarist and vocalist’s first solo effort in nearly a decade is a special one with guest appearances from Derek Trucks, Lukas Nelson, Jamey Johnson, and more.
This week’s top 10 list includes an old-school video with Bobby Vega and the Paul Butterfield Band, the next installment in our Billy Sheehan interview series, Brittany Frompovich’s look at look at Toody Cole's work, bass gear, and more.
Ellen Alaverdyan joined Leah Harris for a live studio session at WUNY Studios. “Don’t Blame Me” features some seriously impressive bass work by Ellen!
Darkglass Electronics is best known for its gritty, overdriven tones. However, it’s “come clean” with the new Luminal Booster Ultra, a bass-specific pedal that combines the tone of its Harmonic Booster with parallel compressions, a 6-band EQ, a gain reduction meter, and IR capabilities.
Dirty Loops is back! Henrik Linder, Jonah Nilsson, and Aron Mellergård just dropped this video for “When The Time Is Right,” and they’re joined by Calle Schönning on guitar and the Stockholm Studio Orchestra.
In Part 3 of our interview with Tony Levin, he reflects on one of Ned Steinberger’s first fretless basses as well as discusses whether he'll do a solo prog rock record in the future.
Originally introduced in 1973, the Gibson Grabber was a staple of the decade thanks to its use by KISS bassist Gene Simmons. It would find a new life in the ’90s as players like Krist Novoselic and Mike Dirnt put it to use. Now it’s reborn in a new version from Epiphone.
To say I was thrilled to spot a new video by House of Waters is an understatement. “Improv 9” kicks off with Moto Fukushima leading the way before Max ZT and Antonio Sanchez join in.
Ron Carter will give 40 performances in October during his residency at Birdland Jazz Club. He will perform with his New Jazz Trio, the Foursight Quartet, his Great Big Band, and in duo with pianist Bill Charlap.
All the time, we hear stories of how music today is nowhere near as good as in the “good old days.” If we pick an example of the best artist that proves this wrong, it would be either Vulfpeck or The Fearless Flyers. And if there’s a bassist who proves it wrong, then it’s the almighty Joe Dart.
Marcus Miller is a masterful clinician, and he and his band shared some time and wisdom at Montreux Jazz Fest in Switzerland.
Nearly two decades into their career, The Lumineers have released their first live album, “Live From Wrigley Field.” The album and concert film were recorded to an enormous crowd two years ago. The album and concert film were recorded to an enormous crowd two years ago.
We love new gear, and based on how popular bass gear stories are here, we know you do, too. Here’s the top 10 reader favorite bass gear list for September 2024.
Fernando Molinari just shared his latest single with us, and it’s one you’re gonna want to check out. “Netuno” features some monstrous low end, with the bassist making great use of his fifth string.
After Aerosmith’s big farewell tour was canceled, bassist Tom Hamilton opened up about the situation and even mentioned he had been playing with another group. Now, Hamilton has announced his first show with the band.
Jens Ritter just wrapped up exhibiting at Guitar Summit 2024 in Mannheim, Germany, where he showed off some spectacular instruments. One bass that caught our eye is an R8-Singlecut Concept model dubbed the “Sound of the Deep.”
For Zander Zon’s latest video, he enlisted George Baldwin. Zander said, “Watch out, Polyphia. This is ENIGMA.”
Forq’s new album, “Big Party,” is perfectly named. The funky set of songs not only evoke good vibes, they’re created by a huge cast of musicians. At the center of the party is Forq leader Henry Hey.
Coroner bassist and vocalist Ron Broder has a new signature instrument from Solar Guitars called the A1.4 Coroner. The news comes as the Swiss metal mainstays are working on their first album in over 30 years.
Charles Berthoud is back with another video with Bernth. “Labyrinth” is an impressive tune by two impressive musicicans.
This week’s top 10 reader-favorite list is once again heavy on the gear, which is never surprising. But we had more bass goodness to share, including Ryan Madora’s latest “Keep it Groovy” lesson, Brittany Frompovich’s look at Danielle Nicole, Vulfpeck’s complete Jazz à Vienne concert, and more.
Harley Benton has introduced the HB-50, a bass they describe as a “semi-acoustic body meets an archtop.” Inspired by designs of the 60s, the instrument comes in Cherry Red and Vintage Orange finishes.
Leonid Vorobyev and his band, Leonid & Friends, continue to stretch out and shared a surprising (and excellent) cover. Here they are covering “I Say a Little Prayer,” with help from vocalist Ksenya Buzina.
Sixteen years after their last album, The Cure have announced the details of their next. “Songs of a Lost World” is slated for release on November 1st. The band has shared the first sounds of the album with “Alone.”
Cort has announced the GB-Fusion Bass series, which they say builds upon their GB-Modern series to be innovative yet affordably priced. The J-style bass comes in four- and five-string models and features a new pickup design.
Nenad Vasilic sent us this video for “Bass Boogie,” which is one of the tracks on his new album. “Solo Live” is the bassist’s 15th album and will be released in October.
Metallica is extending its M72 World Tour into 2025 with a new set of North American dates. The band will be supported by Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies, Limp Bizkit, and Ice Nine Kills.
Danielle Nicole has built a name as a soulful blues vocalist, an exceptional bassist, and as a bandleader for the Danielle Nicole Band. Danielle is the focus of this month’s “Wonder Women.”
Frowin Ickler hit us up with a new video, and this one is killer. He calles it a “slap attack” version of “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen.
British session legend Mo Foster died last year at the age of 78, leaving behind an incredible catalog of music. His life and legacy will live on through his music as well as a new documentary called “Four Strings Good.”
In your endless, tiring Google searches for the best bass songs for beginners, you’ve most likely encountered “Fire” by Ohio Players. This 1974 funk classic, featuring Marshall “Rock” Jones on the bass guitar, is a great choice for beginners.
Adam Neely dropped an exciting new video recently by Sungazer performing the tune “Cool 7.” The song appears on their new album, Against the Fall of Night, which they recorded at UFO Sound Studios in Berlin on July 16, 2024.
Richter Straps has teamed up with Green Day’s Mike Dirnt to create a new signature bass strap. The handmade straps are crafted with genuine Nappa leather from Italy, which they describe as smooth and breathable.
After teasing the instrument back in June, Les Claypool and Pachyderm Instruments unleashed a production version of the Whamola on September 19th. They promptly sold out within the day, but a new batch will be on the way.
On July 16th, Vulfpeck performed at the 43rd edition of Jazz à Vienne on the Théâtre Antique stage. Joe Dart and the band got the crowd going with a nearly 2-hour performance, which you can see in its entirety here.
Corrosion of Conformity bassist and founding member Mike Dean has announced his departure from the band. Dean, who co-founded the group 42 years ago, shared the news on social media.
It’s always hard to part ways with a bass that you know may never come back. Bassist Andy Oliver went through that ordeal, but he found a creative solution to get the magic back. His Drake Bass Custom Fretless 4-String is our Bass of the Week.
Gilad Ephrat sent us his latest video for his new project, “Bassolin.” The first track, “Bread & Butter,” is a wonderful conversation between two stellar musicians.
311 has announced their first full-length album in five years with “Full Bloom.” Due on October 25th, the album is being previewed with a new track, “Need Somebody.”
We could call this “Tony Levin Week.” The bass legend has been busy – kicking off the Beat tour, releasing his solo album, and interviewing. Next up is gear, the story about Billy Greer leaving Kansas, our interview with TikTok sensation Bret Crow, and more.
The Brecker Brothers were in top form in this 1992 performance at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Michael and Randy Brecker were joined by Mike Stern on guitar, George Whitty on keyboards, James Genus on bass, and Dave Weckl on drums. Here's the complete concert.
Deftones has announced a new U.S. Tour for 2025 that will mark their first headlining trek since 2022. The band will be joined on the road by The Mars Volta and Fleshwater
Neural DSP has added a new pedal to its arsenal called the Nano Cortex, a more compact take on the Quad Cortex released in 2020. The new unit, designed for both bass and guitar, packs a digital amplifier, cabinet simulator, and effects processor all in one.
FORQ released “Big Party” in August, and as expected, it is a terrific album. Now they’ve released a video for “Into Bright.” James Genus is featured prominently with some serious groove.
Earlier this year, vocalist Maynard James Keenan threw a 60th birthday bash that evolved into a sold-out month-long tour featuring Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, and Primus. The party returns in 2025 with Sessanta 2.0, which will see the three bands embark on another U.S. tour.
You might not recognize Bret Crow’s name, but if you’ve spent any time scrolling TikTok in the last few years, you’ve seen his face, and you’ve heard his bass playing. Here’s his story.
From the 1972 Montreux show, Steve Gadd and Tony Levin are throwing down on a sweet groove. This was filmed during their performance with Chuck Mangione.
Sharay Reed has released a new album called “Autumn Electric,” which serves as a fall counterpart to his summer-themed “Evergreen.” Like his previous release, he composed the album to accompany his morning walks.
In a strange twist of events, Jane’s Addiction has released a new single just days after an on-stage fight that led to their reunion tour being canceled. “True Love” joins “Imminent Redemption” as part of the first new music from the band’s original lineup in 34 years.
Here’s Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather performing New Morning in 2001. Joined by bassist Chris Kent, drummer Gary Ferguson, and organist Rick Jackson, here’s 5-plus minutes of the band having fun while performing “Room 335.”
Consider The Source has returned with “The Stare,” a five-song album written and recorded during the pandemic. The trio enlisted the help of producer David Prater, who is well known for his work with Dream Theater.
You’ll find so much goodness in this month’s roundup of the top 10 videos on No Treble. Kicking things off is “Ready” Freddie Washington.
Charles Berthoud shared another video showcasing his impressive skills, saying, “This is what a completely unedited bass solo sounds like.” The song is “Yesterday” by The Beatles, and it is a beautiful solo bass arrangement.
Jazz bass legend Chuck Israels has teamed up with Sher Music to publish “Bass Foundations: Principles of Jazz Bass Line Construction.” The 123-page book includes three main sections – “Principles of Jazz Bass Line Construction,” “Transcriptions with the Bill Evans Trio,” and “Transcriptions and Arrangements” – broken down into smaller lessons.
For Tony Levin, a bass guitar is an endless playground. However, in our recent interview, he revealed a surprisingly simple way of testing whether a bass guitar is good.
The folks at Zycopolis TV keep bringing the good stuff, like this 2004 performance of the Billy Cobham band performing “Spectrum” in 2004.
Orange Amplification has upgraded their AD200 bass head and speaker cabinets for 2025. Their flagship bass rig has been used for decades and some new updates show they’re planning to have bassists use it for decades more to come.
Aston “Family Man” Barrett kept The Wailers going the rest of his life and they still continue today under the leadership of his son, Aston Barrett, Jr. They’ve just released their new album, “Evolution.”
It’s always an exciting day when a new Evan Marien x Dana Hawkins video drops. This one offers up some awesome music and some hilarious moments. “Current” is a new tune from their upcoming album. The tune was written by Marien and features a synth solo by J3PO.
This week we’re checking out the Amitra Woodworm Michael League Signature bass by Bacci Guitars. The Italian-made instrument is crafted with an alder body that’s been affected by wood-boring insects.
Consider the Source has returned with their first new single in years. “Mouthbreather” is a monstrous headbanger that marks the first release from an exciting upcoming album.
Lusithand Devices has revamped its lineup once again with the Double NFP MKII and the Double NFP-Special MKII filter preamps. The company says each model has been “re-invented, re-designed, and reborn.”
This week’s top 10 list of reader-favorite articles on No Treble is a good one, with Leland Sklar and The Section, Tony Levin (twice), a new bass lesson, “From The Bottom” episode, Wonder Women, and more.
Ernie Ball has introduced a new artist session video series called “Big Sound” that features up-close studio sessions. They launched it with a three-song set by Texas-based instrumental masters Polyphia captured during rehearsals for their summer tour.
Tim Sway of New Perspectives Music has unveiled a new upright bass pickup that he says he’s been “dreaming about making for decades.” The pickup mounts to the back of your fingerboard with a simple system, while the height of the four ceramic magnets can be easily adjusted.
With August coming to a close, it is time for the latest bass gear roundup here. Gear stories got a ton of views this month, and these made the reader-favorite top 10 list.
Primus was joined by Puddles Pity Party in Big Flats, NY, earlier this month. Youtuber metal4head20 captured this video of the band performing Dio’s “Holy Diver.”
Pentatonic scales are some of the most commonly used scales in music, but their familiar patterns can often lead to uninspired ideas. Jimmy Haslip has just released a new book to help you unlock the secrets of the scales to create dynamic, engaging solos.
Spector has announced a new collaboration with Anthrax bassist Frank Bello, who has joined their artist roster. The new partnership will result in a signature bass for him that is under development and slated for release in 2025.
This video recently hit my radar, and this is my kind of music. "Sinchronicity" was written by guitarist Evgeny Pobozhiy, who performs the tune with Tomasz Bura on keyboards, Anton Davidyants on bass, and Nathaniel Townsley on drums.
Aerosmith announced that their farewell tour was once again canceled and that they were retiring. It was a sad end to the band’s touring days, but Tom Hamilton says there may be more in store.
In this edition of Wonder Women, Brittany Frompovich continues exploring the backstory of Melissa Auf der Maur, bassist and vocalist for Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins.
Art of Trio is a guitar power trio that also features guitarist Luca Mantovanelli and drummer Elio Rivagli. Their first video for the song “Bluex” grooves hard thanks to the pocket between Feliciati Feliciati and Rivagli while Mantovanelli shreds on top.
This bass lesson is here to get you working through the key of E. We’ll dig into two-octave E Major and E minor scales so that you can feel confident working through the most comfortable key on the bass.
Rush’s “The Camera Eye” is not only one of my favorite tunes on Moving Pictures, it’s up there for me with their entire catalog. YYNOT performed it in July during their stop in Kansas City.
Touring can have plenty of highs and lows, which is something You Bred Raptors? bassist Peat Rains knows all too well. The band was back on the road again this summer. Peat concludes this tour diary with Part 3.
Epifani has introduced a new pedal called the Boost Da Bass Preamp DI, which they say was “meticulously engineered to ensure that your bass tones are rich, full, deep and harmoniously blend with the other instruments.”
Zander Zon is back with another collab video. In this one, he teams up with Tommy Lee Depp for a two-bass performance of Zon’s tune, “Heartbeat Lyrics,” which was on his “Saturn Return” album.
After over two decades with the band, bassist Peter Hughes has left The Mountain Goats. The news was shared in a post on the band’s social media.
This week, we’re checking out another fabulous instrument from the collection of Bass Upfront founder David Sutkin. This custom scroll bass from Mana Basso is a four-string with an extra-long 35-inch scale.
We’re forever grateful to the folks at the North Sea Jazz Archive for dropping so much content from their archives. Here’s one they recently shared, with Marcus Miller and his band performing at the festival in 2013.
Los Angeles-based fusion group King Llama has released a new album called fata implexis that defies genre boundaries. The group, which is the brainchild of guitarist/songwriter Ryan T. Bailey and drummer Luis Briones, underwent some changes after the COVID lockdown.
Here’s your weekly roundup of No Treble’s top 10 reader-favorite stories from the world of bass.
Recorded live at the Morris Civic Auditorium in South Bend, Indiana, in 1973, here’s The Section’s complete performance.
Zeal & Ardor scored one of the most acclaimed releases of 2022 with their self-titled album. Now, they’ve followed it up with “Greif.”
In this episode, I’m breaking down my favorite Tower of Power song: “Soul Vaccination” (1973). We’ll dive into how each member of the band (including the late, great Rocco Prestia) serves a function to create an iconic groove.
Tony Levin has released his first video from his upcoming album, “Bringing It Down to the Bass,” which is super cool. The album's lineup is amazing. This track includes Manu Katché (drums), Dominic Miller (guitar), Pete Levin (keyboards), and Alex Foster (sax).
Modest Mouse celebrated the 20th anniversary of their hit record, “Good News For People Who Love Bad News,” with a reissue earlier this year. Now, the indie icons will take the show on the road on a 21-date tour.
After unveiling a new line of bass pedals earlier this year, Trickfish Amplification has announced the Bullhead 3K bass amplifier. The powerful amp features a Mike Pope-designed preamp and a four-band switchable EQ.
Herbie Hancock recently performed at The Hollywood Bowl to commemorate the 50th anniversary of “Headhunters.” Here’s the band (with Marcus Miller) performing “Chameleon.”
The Black Crowes were set to tour with Aerosmith this fall, but they had to switch it up when the group announced they were retiring from touring. Now, they’ve revamped their tour to keep their “Happiness Bastards (The Reprise)” tour going.
We got a chance to sit down with Oskar Cartaya during Gerald Veasley’s Bass Bootcamp this year, and it was an amazing conversation. Oskar’s path and career are as interesting and inspiring as his music.
Touring can have plenty of highs and lows, which is something You Bred Raptors? bassist Peat Rains knows all too well. The band is back on the road again this summer and we’re happy to share his tour diary along the way. Here's Part 2.
Travis Dykes conducted an interesting experiment. He turned to Fiverr for a gospel bass challenge.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have released their 26th album, “Flight b741,” which they call a “back to basics” rock album. The group is known for their boundaryless experimentation and complex arrangements, but they stripped it all back for a bluesier sound.
Sterling by Music Man has launched two new instruments in their Intro Series, including one bass: the Intro Series StingRay. The new series aims to bring the classic bass design to a highly accessible price.
Victor’s Places shared this exciting video of Al Di Meola and his band performing live in Berlin. The clip features three tunes by the band, which includes Philippe Saisse on keyboards, Mike Pope on bass, Gumbi Ortiz on percussion, and Luis Alicea on drums.
The Mingus Big Band has been keeping bassist/composer Charles Mingus’ legacy going ever since his passing. The group celebrated what would have been his 100th birthday in 2022 with an album called “The Charles Mingus Centennial Sessions Vol. 1,” and now the second edition is available.
EBG Instruments is already preparing for the Guitar Summit and the NAMM Show by assembling an arsenal of instruments. That includes this four-string EBG-4 Jigsaw in a Cerulean Blue Metallic finish, which is their signature body shape.
Ulysses Owens Jr. does cool things with songs. Drumeo offered up a new challenge for him: take Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” and perform it with a jazz ensemble.
It’s a big year for Tony Levin. He’s gearing up for the highly anticipated BEAT tour, but he’s also just announced that he’s releasing a solo album next month, too. “Bringing It Down to the Bass” marks the bass icon’s seventh solo album and his first since 2007.
Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” is always a favorite tune for bassists to cover. Charles Berthoud does his thing with the bass line and a whole lot more.
This week’s top 10 reader-favorite list on No Treble includes plenty of bass gear, a full concert by Vulfpeck, Ryan’s latest “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Peat Rain’s 2024 tour diary, and more.
The Jaco Pastorius Archive dropped another live recording, and this one is special. Recorded in Italy in 1980, here’s Jaco performing his famous “Slang” solo. This one is different from a lot of versions you’ve heard.
Divinity Roxx has returned with a new album the whole family can love. “World Wide Playdate” is her second album geared toward kids, following up on 2021’s “Ready Set Go!”
Fender has unveiled a new line of pickups called the Cobalt Chrome Bass Pickup sets. Designed by tone expert Tim Shaw, the sets feature a proprietary blend of FeCrCo magnets for a rich tone.
It is always exciting to hear new music from FORQ. They just dropped the video for “Song For Jim,” which is on their upcoming album, “Big Party.”
This year marks the centennial of James Baldwin, whose writing and activism influenced generations to come. One artist that has been deeply affected by his work is bassist, singer, and composer Meshell Ndegeocello. The musician has celebrated his life and legacy with her new album, “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin.”
Paul Thompson breaks down one of the biggest R&B hits from the 80s and the song that made DeBarge famous with Randy DeBarge’s blazing bass line on “I Like It.”
Recorded at University Aula in Oslo, Norway in 1966, here’s Thelonious Monk performing “Blue Monk,” with Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Larry Gales on bass, and Ben Riley on drums.
Esperanza Spalding first heard of Brazilian singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento while she was a student at Berklee College of Music. Now the duo has collaborated on new album, “Milton + esperanza.”
In this lesson, we’ll explore ways to add some rhythmic panache to our walking bass lines. One great way to do that is with dead notes!
Steve Bailey shared this on Berklee Bass Department’s Facebook group from the 1996 NAMM show. Steve put on quite a performance at the Aria booth!
ISP Technologies has introduced two new noise reduction pedals, the Decimator X and the Decimator X G-String. Each is designed with “fast response times, versatile routing options, and durable construction.” They build upon the company’s previous Decimator series by utilizing new circuitry.
Phil Jones Bass has added to their best-selling Double Four combo amp with the Double Four Plus. Aka the BG-80, the 90-watt single-channel bass combo amp features two four-inch speakers and a three-band EQ.
Victor’s Places shared this excellent video of pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Dave Weckl in a live session in Berlin. So great to see these cats at work!
Touring can have plenty of highs and lows, which is something You Bred Raptors? bassist Peat Rains knows all too well. He’s back with a new tour diary for 2024.
Gerald Veasley’s Bass BootCamp just wrapped up a weekend of incredible bass clinics, masterclasses, and performances. No Treble’s Corey and Isaac were on the scene to cover the show and the Philadelphia Bass Gear Expo, where Corey fell in love with the Ibanez SRD905F fretless bass.
Cory Wong visited Fender Japan for their “Sessions” series, and put on quite a show. The band was joined by guitarist Rei and played “Flyers Direct,” “Team Sports,” “Airplane Mode,” “Blue Bird,” “Gumshü,” and “Lunch Time.”
Earthquaker Devices has introduced Silos, which they call a “multi-generational time reflection device.” The pedal offers three delay modes – Digital, Analog, and Tape – each offering up to one second of delay time.
Here’s your weekly roundup of the top stories on No Treble, including gear, tour news, new music, our “Tips and Inspiration from 14 Bass Greats,” and more.
Vulfpeck dropped their entire concert from France. Enjoy 1 hour and 48 minutes of Joe Dart and the gang.
Hans Zimmer has written some epic film music, including some epic bass parts. The composer has announced a North American tour that will feature Juan Garcia-Herreros (aka Snow Owl) filling out the low end.
Electro-Harmonix has unveiled the POG3, marking the latest generation of its Polyphonic Octave Generator pedal. The company calls it the most powerful pedal in the history of the series.
John Ferrara and his band Mono Means One have unveiled their fall tour dates, which will cover the East Coast from New Hampshire all the way to Georgia.
Happy Friday. Here’s a playlist to get you through the end of the week – aka the top 10 reader-favorite bass videos of the month.
Rick Suchow just dropped another recording from a 1981 performance by Jaco Pastorius. Here's the band, featuring Michael Brecker, performing “Fannie Mae.” Jaco dials up the distortion to 11 on his solo.
In August 1974, Paul McCartney took his band Wings into Abbey Road Studios to film a documentary. The project got an official release back in June as “One Hand Clapping” and now the film portion is coming to movie theaters.
The road to greatness is rough and rocky. Playing the bass is one thing, but be become a better musician is to follow a crooked path that’s often littered with pitfalls and plateaus. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of tips from the greats to provide insight, perspective, and inspiration to rekindle your spark.
Donny Benét visited the KEXP studio in May for a session. Here’s one of the clips, with Benét and the band performing “American Dream.”
The prog rock supergroup PAKT is gearing up for a set of tour dates in the Mid-Atlantic region. Comprised of Percy Jones, Alex Skolnick, Kenny Grohowski, and Tim Motzer, the group focuses on improvising in the moment, making each performance a fresh experience.
Jack Casady has had a signature Epiphone semi-hollow bass for many years, but the rock legend has shaken things up with a fretless version. The Epiphone Jack Casady Fretless Bass is described as the culmination of the bassist’s years of experimentation.
NPR doesn’t post many Tiny Desk (At Home) concerts these days, but I’m glad they made an exception with this performance by Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding.
We were lucky to catch up with Pops Magellan, aka Poliana Magalhães, this summer, where she gave us the scoop on her upcoming debut album. Damage doesn’t have a release date set yet, but the bassist has just dropped the first single, “Misunderstood.”
Gamechanger Audio has launched a new line of effects pedals called the AUTO Series that includes a Reverb unit, a Chorus, and a Delay model. The three pedals are said to introduce a new layer of parameter automation that responds to the player’s touch, dynamics, and note choices.
Our friend Tony Senatore sent us his latest video, covering “Won’t Let You Down” by BLT (Jack Bruce, Bill Lordan, Robin Trower). The group also includes Alan Lo Presti on slide guitar, Andy Rothstein on guitar, Tom Cottone on drums, and Joe Deninzon on violin.
After releasing the epic album “Cometh The Storm” earlier this year, High On Fire has announced a 23-city tour to celebrate the record as well as their 25th anniversary.
Eight years ago, we got the scoop on an awesome fretless bass made by AMJ Guitars. The sleek four-string is owned by Deryl Gallant, who wrote us again to share that it has a new fretted sibling.
I discovered the band Eilidh today, and I was glad I did. They released videos from “Na Casa,” described as “a series of live intimate concerts in [the] ambiance of a very cool grandma’s house.” Here’s “No Hay Presupuesto.”
Willow is getting ready to hit the road with Childish Gambino. The outing will be a great opportunity for fans of Mohini Dey to see her in action, as the bass virtuoso will be laying down the low end for Willow.
Time to wrap up the week, which we do with a top 10 list. This week’s reader favorites include some gear, a Warwick RockBass Star Bass walkthrough, our podcast episode with Marcus Miller, new albums, and another top 10 list inside.
We recently shared the official video for “Love,” from Meshell Ndegeocello’s new album, “No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin.” Now, we get to see a live performance. This took place at Jazz in Marciac 2024.
Get ready for a sonic shindig. Forq has announced a new album called Big Party that brings all good vibes. A press release describes its as “sonically wild and wonderfully funky” with a “thrift shop’s worth of zany cultural references.”
Coney Hatch bassist Andy Curran has revisited his 1990 solo debut, “Whiskey & The Devil,” with a special 30th Anniversary reissue, and a documentary.
Charles Berthoud grabbed the fretless bass (and guitar and piano) for this beautiful version of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication.”
Warren Haynes is ramping things up with his solo band this fall with a new album and a tour to boot. “Million Voices Whisper” has yet to have an exact release date, but the guitarist/vocalist stated he hopes to have it out in late September or early October.
Becos FX has redesigned one of its compressor pedals to announce the CompIQ Twain Pro MK2. The dual-band/stacked compressor pedal is made for bass, guitar, and any other electric instruments.
In this video, Ready Freddie Washington speaks on a multitude of subjects and also breaks down some of his most iconic bass lines.
MonoNeon has returned with a new album called “Quilted Stereo,” which sees the funk visionary continuing to hone his craft and songwriting. The album features two megastar contributions from MonoNeon’s living influences: George Clinton and Mavis Staples.
We’re all bass gear nerds here at NT HQ. It is clear that many of you are the same. Our bass gear coverage always ranks high on the site, and these ten stories ranked the highest among readers for July.
Dave Weckl shared this video of him performing with John Patitucci and Joey Calderazzo in Cremona, Italy this year. The trio performed “Chickmonk,” which Patitucci wrote for Chick Corea and Thelonius Monk.
When word got out that Marcus Miller would be a featured artist at this year’s Montreal International Jazz Festival, I pounced at the chance to (finally) meet him for a conversation for this podcast. The good news is that this interview happened.
We’re keeping it groovy today by checking out the Warwick RockBass Star Bass. It’s a medium scale, semi-hollow body instrument with a unique tonal range.
Here’s The Zawinul Syndicate performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 1997, with Richard Bona on bass. The other members of the band included Gary Poulson on guitar, Manolo Badrena on percussion, and Paco Sery on drums.
The Allman Betts Band has announced the dates for the 8th annual Allman Betts Family Revival, which will see the band celebrate the music of the Allman Brothers with an all-star cast of guests.
Positive Grid has introduced the Spark 2, a new iteration of their practice amp and Bluetooth speaker designed for guitar and bass. The updated amp includes a new speaker design, enhanced amp models, a built-in creative looper, AI-powered tone exploration, and smart jam features.
On November 22, 2023, Billy Cobham took the stage at the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival. Cobham was joined by Gary Husband on keyboards, Rocco Zifarelli on guitar, and Christian Galvez on bass. Here’s their performance of “Crosswinds.”
Jazz guitar giant Mike Stern has announced a new album called “Echoes and Other Songs,” which promises to be a killer record. Aside from Stern's great compositions, the music is brought to life by a lineup of monster musicians.
It’s hard to beat a simple concept done well. That’s something that luthier Dan Strack strives for – and something he attained – with this P-style bass made from reclaimed wood.
Juliaplaysgroove adds plenty of extra funky goodness (and great lines) to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
The Black Crowes released Happiness Bastards earlier this year, breaking a 15-year hiatus from the studio. After wrapping up a supporting tour in June, the group has unveiled a new set of dates called the “Happiness Bastards Tour (The Reprise).”
Here's your weekly roundup of the top 10 articles on No Treble. Bass gear, bass news, bassists... you get the picture.
Lake Street Dive’s new album, “Good Together,” is full of groovy tunes. Here’s the band performing “Help Is On The Way” at Racket.
Virtuoso saxophonist Jeff Coffin is a member of the Dave Matthews Band and a former member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. As such, he’s befriended some of the most talented musicians in the world. That’s clear on his new album, “Only The Horizon.”
Neural DSP has updated its Parallax bass plugin with a new iteration called Parallax X. The plugin adds new capabilities and enhancements to its feature set.
Joe Osborn’s work on Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Only Living Boy In New York” is a masterpiece. Here’s Paul Simon performing the tune with the great Bakithi Kumalo, whose beautiful playing honors the original.
Dead & Company still have another run of dates at The Sphere in Las Vegas to wrap up, but founder Bob Weir is already planning a run with the Wolf Bros in the fall. The band – officially named Bobby Weir & The Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack – are collaborating with symphonies again to reimagine songs from his career with full orchestration.
JTEX Electronics has teamed up with Sean Fairchild, aka Combinator, to introduce the Distiller CE. The unit is a small, onboard low-pass filter with a three-way resonance control.
I’m digging Kinga Glyk’s new album, “Real Life,” so it was cool to see her drop this live video of her band performing “Unfollower.”
It’s another sad day for the bass world. Former Spiritbox bassist Bill Crook has died of undisclosed causes. His friend and A Textbook Tragedy bandmate Kai Turmann shared the news.
In this edition of Wonder Women: Stories From The Women Who Play Bass, we explore some of the backstory of Melissa Auf der Maur.
Kevin Reginald Cooke sent us a follow-up video for Mery’s Key’s new single, “My Own Way.” This one is the acoustic version, which Kevin says is “without all the bells and whistles of the studio production.” I love Kevin’s bass work on this version.
Metallica’s online museum, called The Metallic Black Box, has just moved to its official website, and it has launched its first exhibit. “Orion: A Tribute to Cliff Burton” is an online exhibit that honors the life and legacy of the band’s iconic bassist.
UK-based PJD Guitars has introduced a new four-string model called the St. John Bass. Based on their St. John guitar, the bass has an offset obeche body with a belly cut and armrest contours.
Charles Berthoud put together another creative and entertaining video. In this one, he takes on the theme to “Mission Impossible” in a way you’d expect from the bass guru.
The Breeders frontwoman and former Pixies bassist Kim Deal has released a new single called “Coast,” marking her first new solo music in a decade.
Spector’s Euro line of basses have some new additions with the Euro CST and Euro LX basses. Both lines are fitted with the all-new Spector Legacy preamp, which was developed with Darkglass Electronics.
Vulfpeck took the stage at the Super Bock Super Rock Festival in Lisbon on July 20th. Joe Dart and the gang keep the crowd going with their hour-long performance.
Deep Purple has released a new album. “=1” follows their late career run of number 1 albums “Whoosh!,” “inFinite,” and “NOW What?!.” The rock legends once again worked with producer Bob Ezrin to craft an album that “evokes the pioneering band’s classic sound, without relying on nostalgia.”
Luthier Tim Sway of New Perspectives Music has been experimenting with his Apeiron Bass model, leading to this fretless version of the Apeiron Classic. The 32-inch scale bass has an extended fingerboard and a 20-inch fingerboard radius.
Norah Jones visited NPR’s offices for the first time to record a Tiny Desk Concert. She and the band performed songs from her latest album.
STS9 is one of the most influential bands in the live electronic scene. The band’s incredible on-stage energy has been captured for a new album called “Chromalight.” Recorded at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, the performance was an exploration of “the synergy between sound and light.”
After 55 years of business, Japan’s Fernandes Guitars has filed for bankruptcy. The company made the announcement on its website.
Red Rocks shared this incredible “Trail Mix Session” with Cory Wong jamming on acoustic. Yohannes Tona brings it!
This week's top 10 reader favorite stories on No Treble include Jason Newsted's Reverb Artist Shop, Elwood Francis sharing thoughts on playing with ZZ Top, Ryan Madora's latest "Keep It Groovy" lesson, Paul Thompon's look at the work of Charlie Haden, and more.
Aguilar Amplification has announced a third iteration of the NYC edition of its Tone Hammer preamp pedal. The Limited Edition NYC Gold Skyline Tone Hammer, which is hand-serialized and limited to 100 units, pays tribute to the company’s roots in New York City.
The Jaco Pastorius Archive has another gem for us. Recorded 45 years ago this month, here’s Weather Report’s concert in Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, France.
The great Lemmy Kilmister has been gone for nearly nine years, but his stories live on. Now fans can enjoy some of those stories with a new book called “No Remorse: The Illustrated True Stories of Lemmy Kilmister and Motörhead.”
Here’s a great playlist to get you through the day – aka the top 10 most-watched videos on No Treble for the month of June 2024.
This amount of joy in this video is almost too much to handle. The Emmet Cohen trio and the amazing Cyrille Aimée take the beautiful ballad “La Vie en Rose” and liven it up with a beat.
Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris has announced a run of international tour dates with his side project, British Lion. The outing includes 11 dates with stops in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the United States.
In this “From the Bottom” episode, Paul Thompson honors the late, great jazz bassist Charlie Haden on the 10th anniversary of his passing.
Reverb has teamed up with many artists to help them sell their gear, but their upcoming collaboration will be one of the most epic. Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted will be selling off basses and guitars from throughout his career starting on July 24th.
This lesson adds a new song to your blues repertoire, but don’t worry, it’s not another 12-bar. “She Caught The Katy” by Taj Mahal is simply a great tune with a funky bass line. We’ll dig into the chord progression, work through the different sections of the song, and get you playing in no time.
The Fusion Solution dropped this video of the late Dean Brown and his band performing in 2013. Joined by Hadrien Feraud, Bernard Maseli, and Marvin “Smitty” Smith, here’s 26 minutes of their performance to enjoy.
Redd Kross have been at it for decades. The band features brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald, who first got into the L.A. music scene when they were just 15 and 11, respectively. They released their first album as “Red Cross” with a self-titled EP in 1980, and 44 years later they’ve released a self-titled double album.
We’re sad to share the news that luthier Harry Fleishman has died. The instrument designer and builder was reportedly battling cancer.
David Sutkin and Wojtek Pilichowski have impressed us with their videos over the years, and they’ve just dropped another. Joined by Michelle Kuban on lead vocals, Jana Neumann on backing vocals, Lukas Kuban on drums, Adrian Maruszczyk on bass, they perform The Beatles tune, “Rain.”
Over thirty years since their formation, Medeski Martin & Wood are still revered as some of the best and most creative improvisors on the planet. Now fans will get a little better understanding. The 2019 documentary “Not Not Jazz” will finally be available to the public.
When we last checked in with Adal Guitars, they shared their Lobella Series 5-string bass featuring some highly figured top wood. This time they shared the Black Beauty, a bass with a simpler yet timeless look.
Rebecca Johnson shared a new video that she simply labeled “FUNK.” The tune is Jon Cleary and The Absolute Monster Gentlemen’s “Mo Hippa,” and we can confirm it was properly labeled.
Big Thief has announced that after nearly a decade in the group, founding bassist Max Oleartchik is no longer a member of the band. The news was shared in a Facebook post citing “interpersonal reasons,” although the change is made with love.
Dusty Hill picked Elwood Francis to take his position in ZZ Top. Francis recently shared his thoughts with Guitar World.
North Sea Jazz just dropped another fantastic concert from their archives: George Duke & Chaka Khan live in 2009, Jeflee Johnson on guitar, Mike Manson on bass, Ronald Bruner on drums, and Shannon Pearson on backing vocals.
This week's top 10 list once again includes plenty of bass gear. It also includes the latest Talking Technique bass lesson by Ariane Cap, some news, and another epic video by Charles Berthoud.
Panda Audio has once again refined the Future Impact with a fourth revision. The highly versatile pedal gives you synthesizer sounds as well as an octaver, chorus, flanger, phaser, distortion, envelope filter, wah-wah, tremolo, reverb, and more.
The folks at North Sea Jazz just dropped Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles’s full concert from 2017. Of course, a huge added bonus is the bass work of Sharay Reed.
Geddy Lee only had one solo album. “My Favourite Headache” was released in 2000 during the iconic prog-rock trio’s four-year hiatus following tragedies in drummer Neil Peart’s life. It was rereleased on vinyl in 2019 as a limited edition Record Store Day Exclusive, and now it’s being pressed again.
Since Fender launched the Player Series basses in 2018, it’s been one of their most successful lines. They expanded on it with the Player Plus models, but now they’ve revamped it with the Player II Series.
Juliaplaysgroove broke out the fretless bass (“to enhance the 80s vibe of the song”) on Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”
The jam band heroes in Phish have returned with their 16th studio album, entitled “Evolve.” The follow-up to 2020’s “Sigma Oasis” is described as “rocking out with a sense of urgency” as they blend genres.
In this 75th episode of Talking Technique, we’ll break down the epic Joe Dart bass line to “Lost my Treble Long Ago.” This tune has some cool dead notes, trills, and more.
Jojo Mayer continues releasing videos from his Patreon vault. The latest is this studio recording of “Ghosts of Tomorrow.” This session was filmed in December 2019.
The Messthetics have announced their tour schedule for the next few months, and it looks like they’ll be keeping busy. The band, which features former Fugazi members Joe Lally and Brendan Canty with guitarist Anthony Pirog, will be traveling coast to coast as they perform headlining shows, festivals, and support slots for Mdou Moctar.
Digitech has updated its JamMan series of loopers with the JamMan Solo HD, which builds upon the Solo XT model. The stompbox has an onboard memory that allows for up to 35 minutes of stereo looping with an additional 200 slots and up to 16 hours of recording time.
When I saw Tiny Desk Concert’s latest video, I wasn’t sure who Julius Rodriguez was, but I clicked anyway. I was glad I did. The entire performance was so enjoyable, I’m going to listen to it again.
John Taylor and Duran Duran have an annual Halloween concert at Madison Square Garden, but this year they’re building an East Coast tour around it.
Fender has expanded the Squier Affinity Series with three new basses: the Affinity Active Jazz Bass, the Active Jazz Bass V, and the Jazz Bass VI. The entry-level lineup makes it easier for bassists to acquire an active bass and a six-string.
Charles Berthoud put together another highly entertaining video – in every way. Check out his ripping version of “Eye of the Tiger.”
Back in May, Gerald Veasley announced that his incredible Bass BootCamp was returning for 2024 on August 9th through the 11th. Veasley has just revealed the faculty lineup this year and it’s stacked.
This week, we’re checking out a unique instrument called the NBSG Bass from Natasha Guitars. Although it has a minimalist look, the lightweight, silent-style bass has a lot going on.
I just discovered this performance by MonoNeon at North Sea Jazz 2023, and I’m glad I did. Here’s 25+ minutes of funky, smooth goodness for you.
Kasabian has released Happenings, marking the British band’s eighth studio album. The ten-song set is a concise collection of anthems with bassist Chris Edwards digging into disco-inspired rock lines. “These songs on this album are much more… you get them quick,” he told NME. “It’s not like you’re going to need to live with them for four or five months...
Cort has added to its Artisan line of basses with the C4 and C5 Deluxe. The Artisan C Deluxe model, available in four- and five-string versions, is built with bolt-on construction and features a lightweight poplar body, a hard maple neck, and a 24-fret jatoba fingerboard.
Our friend Marcelo Yakko sent this playthrough video for “El mejor dia es hoy” (“The best day is today”), from his new album, “Yakkosonics.” The track has both fretless and fretted basses.
Your weekly roundup of the top 10 stories from No Treble is here. This week, we have had a lot of bass gear, a great new blues lesson by Ryan Madora, our podcast episode with Michael Devin, and more.
Ashen Amps has announced a compact bass amp called the APG700.4. They say it was designed to deliver “pristine articulation and punch, catering to the discerning needs of professional bassists worldwide.”
Cory Wong and Metropole Orkest worked on a new album together. “Starship Syncopation” is available for pre-order. Now, we get to hear a preview of what's to come with this "strings winds session" video for "Quotidian Fields," with Bruce Hornsby.
Several months ago, Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals announced they would be performing the album “Malibu” in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl on September 24th. Due to the fan excitement, they’ve decided to make it into a full tour.
In this episode of “From the Bottom,” Paul Thompson is celebrating one of the greatest - yet unsung - bass players to ever do it: Dennis Belfield. Paul breaks down his top 5 Belfield bass lines.
James LoMenzo recently spoke with Jorge Botas from Portugal’s Metal Global to reveal that Megadeth is working on the follow-up to 2022’s “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!”
Michael Devin, an accomplished bassist and may be most well-known for his stint with classic hard rock legends, Whitesnake. His journey in music, however, extends far beyond his tenure with the iconic band. He’s our guest for this episode of Groove - the No Treble Podcast.
Brazilian bassist Michael Pipoquinha is such an amazing player. His chops on a 6-string bass blow my mind! In this clip, he performs at Elgia Cafe in Brazil with his trio.
Tom Fowler, known best for his time with Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, has died of undisclosed causes. He was 73 years old. The news was shared in part by fellow Zappa alum Arthur Barrow, who paid tribute to Fowler.
In this Keep It Groovy bass lesson, Ryan Madora walks us through how to play a blues shuffle by practicing along to drum backing tracks.
Nate Navarro started the description of this video with “Let’s settle this once and for all.” Nate covers fingerstyle, pick, and slap bass, and of course, we dig it all.
Fender is upping their bass pedal game this year with a full Bassman line of pedals. The five new stompboxes include the Driver, Fuzz, Compressor, delay and reverb models.
Fuchs Audio has expanded its bass cabinet lineup with a new 1×12? unit. The FAT112 features a ported design and can be ordered with either a Neodymium or Ferrite-style speaker.
Gilad Ephrat sent us a video from his new string ensemble project. As always, we’re impressed. Here's the ensemble performing "Walking By."
The Wood Brothers have announced a new set of tour dates to close out 2024. The band, anchored by bass great Chris Wood, will be playing 17 concerts this fall across the Eastern Seaboard and the South.
Harpy Instruments is a company that describes itself as a family of musicians who enjoy building unique, playable basses. Harpy's Toucan is our Bass of the Week. As cool as it looks, the design centers around its pickup configuration.
Meshell Ndegeocello dropped an exciting new video today. “Love” is the second song to be released from her upcoming album, “No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin.”
Bass gear got a lot of attention in June. Here's your monthly roundup of what was popular on No Treble.
Ernie Ball Music Man has unveiled the 2024 Bongo Bass Collection, which includes four-, five-, and six-string models. Each bass model includes stainless steel frets and is available in four colors: Stealth Black, Titan Gray, Blood Orange, and Mantis Green.
Zander Zon is back with another original solo bass composition. Here’s the video for “simplicity is beauty.”
This week's top 10 list is loaded with bass goodness. This week's reader favorites include new bass gear, Remco Hendriks's latest bass (and video), new music from Bootsy Collins, Lake Street Dive, and Krist Novoselic, our Wonder Women video interview with Becky Baldwin, and more.
For the first time in nearly a decade, former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has announced a new studio album. “Drive My Car” will arrive on August 9th to mark his first ninth solo effort.
Yannis Papadopoulos sent us a video of a jazz guitar trio he has with two friends, guitarist George Dafnos and drummer Panagiotis Themas. Here's their version of the bossa nova song “Meditação,” written by Antônio Carlos Jobim.
One of the most exciting tours of the year is BEAT, which will feature Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Danny Carey, and Steve Vai performing music from King Crimson’s ’80s era. The band scheduled a run from September 12th to November 10th, but now they’ve announced a whole new leg due to popular demand.
Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has had several projects over the years, and now he’s unveiled a new one. His new group, Bona Fide Band, features himself on bass with Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel, vocalists Jillian Raye and Jennifer Johnson, and guitarist Kathy Moore.
The Playing for Change Band took the stage at the Byron Bay Bluesfest and performed a remarkable cover of “When the Levee Breaks.”
Whenever Tim Lefebvre, Nate Smith, and Jason Lindner get together, it’s magic. The experimental trio’s sonic explorations are pushing the envelope of improvised music. That’s why you’d better be sure to catch them on their upcoming tour.
Welcome to the final chapter of our Wonder Women interview series with Becky Baldwin. Becky discusses her recent Mercyful Fate tour, explores her evolution as a musician, uncovers the intriguing story behind her main bass, and much more!
Saxophonist Randal Clark paid tribute to the great David Sanborn, who passed away on May 12th. Clark enlisted bassist Jimmy Haslip, keyboardist Scott Kinsey, and drummer Zach Danziger to perform “A Tear For Crystal,” written by Sanborn and Marcus Miller.
After the tragic passing of bassist Trish Doan in 2017, Kittle drummer Mercedes Lander stated she was unsure of the band’s future. The resurgence of nu metal a few years later would bring them back together. Former bassist Ivana “Ivy” Jenkins (née Vujic) is back in the fold.
Get ready to work up a sweat, because Joe Hubbard has launched a new instructional book. “Intense Bass Warm-Up Guide” aims to help elevate your technique while getting you ready for the gig.
Remco Hendriks got a new Stradi bass, and he’s clearly digging it. Plus, he’s giving us a first-hand look with this new video.
Lake Street Dive has released their new album, “Good Together,” which expands on their sound as each member contributed to the music in its earliest stages. They gathered in drummer Mike Calabrese’s Vermont home to work together from the beginning.
A decade after its introduction, Kala’s California U-Bass is getting a facelift. The solid-body, ukulele-sized bass has been updated to a “more adjustable version of the instrument that maintains its stylistic and tonal integrity.”
It’s always a good day when a new Aaron Gibson video hits the feed. Here’s his new tune, “Breadcrumbs.”
Bassist and composer Orlando le Fleming has released a new album with his band Romantic Funk called “Wandering Talk.” The project continues to pay homage to the fusion of the ’70s and ’80s while bringing modern sensibilities.
GV Guitars has a cool bass model called the Jules, which has a cool and funky body shape. They also built one for a customer called the Jules Black Hole, which has a killer black sparkle finish and some cool features.
mega cat is not a band I was familiar with, but I’m digging their sound. (I’m always a sucker for a band with horns.) Here’s the band performing “Rat Fight,” which took place during their visit to the studio in April 2024.
Karina Rykman is heading out on the road again this fall for a headline tour that will run from September 20th into December. The dates will be punctuated by festival appearances and support slots for My Morning Jacket.
This week's Top 10 reader favorites list includes a great new lesson, a deep dive on the covers of Prince's "I Feel For You," new albums, tour news, and our bass of the week.
Ralf Gauck sent us this video, which is a touching tribute to Ove Bosch. Joined by Lars Lehmann, the duo performs “Don’t Give Up.”
Ola Englund’s Solar Guitars has so far only had one bass style, but they’ve just fixed that the introduction of the Type E Bass. Available in four or five-string versions, they call the new axe “the most brutal bass ever crafted.”
Kinga Glyk dropped a live video yesterday, and we’re digging the groove. “Who Cares” is a song from her new album, “Real Life,” which is out now.
Bootsy Collins has announced a new solo album. “Album of the Year #1 Funkateer” will mark the funk legend’s 23rd studio record.
Lao Tizer sent us this video, and while we were already excited to check it out, we saw that Anthony Crawford is a part of the band, which took it up a notch. “Down” is the first video release from the band’s upcoming album, AMPLIFY, which drops on August 23rd.
After releasing Origin Story back in April, Derek Frank is taking his show on the road. The bassist, who is also known for his work with Gwen Stefani and Shania Twain, will be leading his band in a run of dates that will focus on the West Coast.
Summer school is officially in session. So I’m handing out grades for five different takes on Prince’s “I Feel For You” from 1979-1984.
Tiny Desk Concert keeps upping their game. This episode features the great Meshell Ndegeocello and her band performing music from her upcoming album, “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin,” and other songs from her catalog.
Acoustic Hot Tuna is setting out on another tour across the U.S. this summer, stretching from July to October. The masterful duo of Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady have been playing together for seven decades, and the bond has only deepened.
In this lesson, we do our best Duck Dunn impression and learn the bass line to the Otis Redding classic, “Down In The Valley.”
Bassist/vocalist Adi Oasis visited the KEXP studio and put on quite a performance. It was so good, I decided to share the entire session.
A new piece of Paul McCartney’s archives has been unveiled fifty years after it was created. In August 1974, the former Beatle and his band Wings went to Abbey Road Studios to film a documentary and record a live studio album that never made the cut. That project has now gotten an official release as “One Hand Clapping.”
Magical Mystery Doors performs some of the most impressive mashups I’ve seen. In this one, they blend Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” and The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Bassist, composer, and bandleader Avery Sharpe has released a new album called “I Am My Neighbors Keeper.” During our turbulent times, Sharpe composed the set of music as a reminder to come together and help each other out.
This week, we’re checking out a stunning bass from the Paris-based manufacturer Belforti Instruments. This Model 3 from the M Series features an incredible one-piece flamed eucalyptus top over its roasted ash body.
Juliaplaysgroove always adds something special to her bass cover videos. In this one, she plays along to Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather.”
Rock supergroup Black Country Communion has returned with their fifth studio album, “V.” The record continues their blend of British blues-rock and American soul, with former Deep Purple member Glenn Hughes delivering top-notch vocals and bass lines.
System of a Down’s Shavo Odadjian has been working with some side projects over the past few years, and after months of teasing we get to hear some of it. He’s just released the first single with his latest band, Seven Hours After Violet (S.H.A.V.).
Julia Hofer is back with another play-along video. This time around, she grabs a P-bass with flats and a pick, and takes on The Bee Gees’ “Night Fever.”
Bassist/composer Jake Leckie has released his third album as a leader, entitled Planter of Seeds. The album sees the return of his ensemble The Guide Trio with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow. Leckie then augmented the instrumentation with pianist Cathlene Pineda, saxophonist Randal Fisher, and trombonist Darius Christian.
Our friend Huw Foster sent us the latest in his “5 Bass Lines” series, and this one focuses on the master, James Jamerson. Huw shares five Jamerson bass lines (and how to play them).
Mr. Big has been winding down ever since the loss of drummer Pat Torpey. However, they clearly still have something to say as they’ve announced a new album called “Ten” that will be released on July 12th.
There have been many great Tiny Desk Concerts, but this time, they took it up several notches with the great Chaka Khan.
On the 30th anniversary of their chart-topping album “Purple,” Stone Temple Pilots have announced a tour to celebrate their iconic release.
Pops Magellan, aka Poliana Magalhães, has spent her career playing behind some of the biggest names in popular music: Willow, Adam Lambert, Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, and more. But no matter the situation, she’s always been true to her own musical voice. Now she’s gearing up to share more of it with a solo album.
The Jaco Pastorius Archive shared this cool video, thanks to bassist Tomás Merlo. Tomás is the bandleader for the Jaco Pastorius Legacy 5tet, who recorded this rehearsal of “Dania.”
Here's a great playlist for your day, AKA the monthly top 10 reader favorite bass videos list.
Ellen Alaverdyan just celebrated her 12th birthday, and she continues to impress us all. That extends to bassist Billy Sheehan, who challenged her to get a top 10 list of metal and hard rock tunes to play. Challenge accepted.
Harley Benton has added a new line of basses called the MV series, which includes six models that take their cues from the P-Bass, the Jazz, and the Mustang. As with most of the company’s offerings, the new basses aim to be available at prices ranging between $207 and $225.
In this amazing new video created by Dunlop Bass Strings, Marcus Miller and Robert Trujillo sit down to discuss how they carved their own path.
Sasha Ristic of Ristic Guitars has shared their latest bass creation: the BK4 David Sutkin Signature II. Built for the Apollo’s Ghost bassist and Bass Upfront founder, the elegant axe features neck-through construction, a 5-piece wenge and purpleheart neck, walnut body wings, and a jaw-dropping Indian laurel top.
From the WDR Big Band's August 2023 performance during the Bonn Jazz Festival, here's their complete concert dubbed "The Prince Experience."
The Omnific has returned with their second studio album, “The Law of Augmenting Returns,” which sees the Australian prog rock trio expanding on their sound.
This week's top 10 reader favorites include new gear, a wild bass of the week, Ryan's latest "Keep It Groovy" lesson, our podcast episode with John Ferrara, new music, and more.
Kevin Reginald Cooke sent us a new video from his project, Mery’s Key. Here’s Kevin and vocalist/composer Mery Bertòs’s video for their new single, “My Own Way.”
Queens of the Stone Age have announced the final run of “The End is Nero” tour dates for 2024. The tour currently has them in Europe and will wrap up in the U.S.
Electro-Harmonix has introduced the Lizard King, an octave and fuzz pedal based on their Lizard Queen but optimized for bass.
Hovak and Ellen Alaverdyan are back with another father and daughter jam, and this time, Ellen is adding keyboards to the mix.
Get your wallets ready, because it looks like Les Claypool is gearing up for a release. Though it hasn’t been confirmed, it looks like he’ll be selling a production version of the Whamola.
DR Strings has expanded its coated string line with Dragon Skin+, which is available for guitar, mandolin, and bass. The new design upgrades the core and wrap wires to be “exceptionally musical, balanced, and loud.”
This one is short but sweet. YouTuber Antonio Plays Bass grabbed his Carl Thompson 32? Bass and proceeded to groove.
Back in March, Pixies announced the departure of Paz Lenchantin and the introduction of Emma Richardson. The new bassist has already completed a European tour with the band and apparently they’ve already hit the recording studio.
John Ferrara, a bassist and composer, has made a name for himself with his innovative tapping bass playing style and his work with his world fusion band, Consider the Source. He's our guest for the June episode of Groove.
I discovered this “NEE Jam” video today, and I was blown away. The performance is great, as is the story behind it. In this clip, the band performs a very cool take on The Police’s “Walking on the Moon.”
Back in 2020, Earthquaker Devices and Death By Audio collaborated for a limited edition pedal called the Time Shadows Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator. The highly sought-after unit is now back in production with some new features.
In this lesson, we’ll keep it groovy with a classic country bass line. We’re featuring “Jolene” by Dolly Parton and how this relatively easy bass line still requires us to be aware of many musical concepts.
Charles Berthoud grabbed a fretless bass (and acoustic guitar) for this hauntingly beautiful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence.”
Colin Trusedell has just released “The Places We’re Taken.” The jazz bassist, an active-duty U.S. Air Force musician, says the music is “inspired by the twists that life throws at you as well as musical flavors from different regions of the world.”
Funk goddess Nik West is has added a slew of new dates to her “Catch Me If You Can” tour. After her European leg this summer, she'll be covering the Midwest and West Coast supporting songstress Joss Stone.
Endea Owens throws down some straight fire for her break on “Big Country” with Louis Cato & The Late Show Band with Bela Fleck.
Tom Kennedy has returned with a new solo album called “New Start” featuring nine original compositions. The powerhouse jazz fusion bassist is joined by an equally incredible cast of musicians to flesh out his songs.
This week, we’re checking out the Crayfish bass built by Martin Epding of Inverse Guitars. Epding, who first started experimenting with headless designs in 1982, says his basses offer fresh ideas without sacrificing standard features.
KEXP dropped some great videos by BALTHVS, a band described as “World Psychedelic Funk,” and a band I hadn’t heard of before today. I’m digging their sound, especially in this performance of “Johanna’s Dream.”
Walrus Audio has introduced four new power supplies to their Canvas series. The models are differentiated by the number of outputs (five, eight, fifteen, or twenty-two) that deliver up to 500mA of isolated, clean 9-volt power.
Back in March we interviewed Pete Griffin about his new solo EP, “Pete Griffin and His Lab Rats.” The four-song collection is incredible, but the groove for “9th Floor Walkup” is one that stuck with me, so I was pumped to find this playthrough video.
For the past 15 years, original Sublime members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh have been performing with guitarist Rome Ramirez for a project aptly named Sublime With Rome. That band is winding down to a close with a farewell tour that will not include Gaugh and Wilson. Instead, they’ve returned to the O.G. Sublime format with the late Bradley Nowell’s son Jakob on vocals.
Here’s your monthly roundup of the most popular gear stories. This top 10 list is for the bass gear we covered in May 2024.
The REO Brothers continue to demonstrate their chops with another excellent cover. Their love for The Beatles shines through on this performance of “I Am The Walrus.”
If you’ve ever played a single gig on the double bass, chances are you’ve been asked, “What do you call that thing?” A new children’s book called “Catalina Plays the What?” helps clear things up for youngsters while inspiring them to love the instrument.
For the first time in 14 years, Jane's Addiction will be hitting the road with their original lineup of Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins. The North American run will begin August 9th in Las Vegas, Nevada, and cover most of the U.S. with a single stop in Canada.
Zander loves Jason Newstead’s bass intro from “My Friend of Misery,” so he created his own rendition with a bass tuned DGDG.
Ambiente Solstice has just released “Short Stories,” featuring Sean O’Bryan Smith, Michael Manring, and Vail Johnson, and co-produced by Rich Krainak.
Here’s part two of our “Wonder Women: Stories From the Women Who Play Bass,” interview with Becky Baldwin.
Scott Mulvahill is one of my favorite upright bass players, so when he announced he had a new group called Slap Dragon, I was all in. However, Mulvahill went the opposite direction for the project and picked up a U-Bass to dish out some acoustic funk.
Music history professor and bassist Brian F. Wright has written “The Bastard Instrument: A Cultural History of the Electric Bass,” exploring the importance of the electric bass throughout the years.
The chorus of “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith features a cool pentatonic riff with slides that we can build on for cool-sounding variations. Buckle up for fretboard fitness, finger acrobatics, and rocking riffs!
Neon River is a new band formed by bassist Matteo Mazzù of The Netherlands, keyboardist Chaerin Im from South Korea, and drummer Pedro Nobre from Portugal. Today, we’re sharing their first video, which is a live session for the song “Pinkamen.”
Paolo Cattaneo (aka CATTANEO) and Andrea Lombardini have been working together since 2016, but for their latest release, they added the magic ingredient we call Tim Lefebvre. “Hypersphere” is an EP from the trio that morphs bass, guitar, and synthesizers.
In this episode, I’m breaking down one of the most iconic sounds in music – the Music Man bass and the 10 greatest recorded bass lines that used it. From punk, to funk, to rock, to hip hop, to jazz, I’ll break down MY Top 10.
Dual-bass prog trio The Omnific is releasing a new album, “The Law of Augmenting Returns,” on June 7th. Leading up to the launch, they’ve posted a video for their song “Will-O’-The-Wisp,” which they say proves to be their most progressive song to date.
Violent Femmes will be heading out on the road this fall to perform their first two albums (1983’s ”Violent Femmes” and 1984’s ”Hallowed Ground”) in full.
Vuorensaku brought this bass to the Umeå Guitar Show earlier this month, and I’m fairly certain it could be called a showstopper. The T.Family Jesper Bass is a collaboration with artist Jesper Eriksson, who took their four-string and gave it an amazing aesthetic.
After blowing us away with their cover of “Hysteria,” Ellen Alaverdyan and friends are back with another. Here’s their performance of Boston’s “Peace Of Mind.”
Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson reunited for a surprise performance on Thursday, May 23rd during a concert celebrating the late Gordon Lightfoot.
The great Marcus Miller has more goodness from his stint at SF Jazz. In this video, we catch Marcus giving an instructional lesson for all skill levels.
Gerald Veasley’s Bass BootCamp is returning for 2024! Registration for the event, which will be held August 9th through the 11th, is now open.
Phil Jones Bass has introduced the X2C, a dual compressor and effects loop pedal designed to optimize your tone. The pedal’s dual crossover features divide your signal into frequency bands ranging from 100Hz to 500Hz to ensure clarity and dynamics.
Frowin Ickler is getting down with George Michael's “Freedom! 90” and what he calls “TBBJ” (Totally Busy Bass Jam).
Sad news to report today as Train bassist and co-founder Charlie Colin has died. He was 58 years old. The band shared the news with a tribute to Colin on Instagram.
Animals as Leaders guitarist Tosin Abasi launched Abasi Concepts to further his vision of ergonomic instruments. After showing a prototype several years ago, the company has introduced the first commercially available Larada Bass.
MonoNeon is gearing up for a new album called “Quilted Stereo,” and he’s giving fans a sneak peek. “Segreghetto” is the bassist/vocalist’s brand new heat, featuring his signature bass styles underneath clever rap verses about unity.
As modern bassists, we stand on the shoulders of giants and it’s important we honor their memory as we build our own legacies. Peter Dominguez and just this year alone is a perfect example of this. We caught up with Peter to discuss this and more.
The Band Geeks are celebrating a decade of music and memories. As they look back on their journey, they've reposted their very first video and their cover of Supertramp's "Logical Song."
This is a serious bass lesson. We’re digging into triads… different positions, using our pinky, major and minor shapes, the whole shebang!
Davie504 is taking us down memory lane with this new video. Covering 17 years, Davie focuses on “three OG bass players on YouTube,” including Viaceslav Svedov, Miki Santamaria, and David Caraccio (aka Davidsinsrock).
Fuzzrocious Pedals has introduced the Big Fella, which expands on their Li'l Fella overdrive/distortion/fuzz box. The new pedal, housed in a 1590BB enclosure, packs an overdrive, distortion, gated fuzz, and feedback into one unit.
Aguilar has updated its product lineup with a new generation of the Tone Hammer and AG series amplifiers. The revisions include the introduction of the Aguilar Cabinet Suite, dual XLR outputs, expanded connectivity, and power section upgrades.
The Steve Gadd Band band took the stage at Blue Note Tokyo earlier this year, and thankfully, cameras were rolling. Here they are performing “Party Guy.”
Back in March, longtime Styx bassist Ricky Phillips announced his departure. It was just before a tour, and the group had Terry Gowan sit in, and now they’ve made him an official member. “It is within an honor and somewhere beyond a dream come true to be joining JY, Tommy, Chuck, Will and my brother Lawrence — and to be...
Meeting other bassists is one of my favorite things about being on the road. Sometimes, I’m even lucky enough to try out their basses, which is exactly what happened after a show when I got my hands on the MBJ Guitars “Chewy” Bass.
North Sea Jazz Archive just dropped a full concert video from their archives, with D’Angelo and The Vanguard’s full performance in 2015.
Another jazz bass giant has left us with the passing of Palle Danielsson. He is perhaps best known for his stint as a member of Keith Jarrett’s “European Quartet.”
At NAMM this year, we got a sneak peek of Doug Wimbish’s signature basses from the Spector USA Custom Shop. Now, the DW-4 and DW-5 have been officially launched.
The Main Squeeze dropped another cover video, and this one is impressive. The band took The Beatles’ “She Loves You” and made it their own.
This week's reader-favorite list is a gear-heavy one. But it also includes some other bass goodness.
Alberto Rigoni has teamed up with luthier Gaetano Costanzo to create a signature bass called the VPR5. Handmade in Italy, the bass is a five-string with 30 frets and a Seymour Duncan MM-style pickup.
Charles Berthoud is going on tour with Bernth and Ola Englund. To give us a preview, he shared a live video he dubbed “Charles Berthoud STUNS Jazz Fans With ROCK Bass Solo.”
Broughton Audio has introduced the Fliptop, a pedal that combines the magic of the B15 amplifier with a more portable unit. The JFET preamp is modeled after the iconic amp, with gain staging and EQ sections that give the feel and response of a vintage tube amp.
Orlando le Fleming has a new album coming out on June 21st with his band Romantic Funk called “Wandering Talk.” The bass guru has shared a studio video for the first single that has us excited for the rest of the record.
Actor and bassist Jason Momoa has a knack for collecting incredible instruments. On his show On the Roam, he visited craftsmen of all sorts, including instrument makers. He’s now offering a selection of instruments from the show in an auction to raise money.
Little Big Beat Studios drops some great content on their channel. Here’s Incognito performing “1993,” with the excellent bass work of Francis Hylton.
Soften the Glare, featuring Mudvayne bassist Ryan Martinie, has just released their third EP, aptly entitled “EP III.” The three-song collection sees Martinie, guitarist Bon Lozaga, and drummer Mitch Hull continuing their progressive songwriting with unique compositions and soundscapes.
In this episode, I'm diving into my latest musical discovery - J-pop music - and one of its greatest bands, Zutomayo. I'll break down one of the most incredible bass lines I’ve heard recently from groove, to amazing fills, to the jaw-dropping bass solo 90 seconds in, on "Study Me."
The amazing Nik West dropped a new video of her taking on the Prince classics “Head” and “Kiss.” Complete with an excellent band and vocal solos, each member shines bright on stage!
John Ferrara’s newest project, Mono Means One, has just released its debut album, entitled “Listless Playthings of Enormous Forces.”
Music Man has revamped the DarkRay for 2024 with two new finishes for both the four- and five-string models. The bass, crafted in partnership with Darkglass Electronics, will come in Dark Rainbow and Gold Bar colorways.
Rebecca Johnson and her band always brings the funk. Here’s a new video she’s posted from a gig, where they take on Sly & The Family Stone’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).”
Luthier Nino Valenti recently shared one of his builds in the No Treble Facebook group, and it got a lot of attention. Valenti’s T21-P4 is his take on the timeless P-bass style. It features a traditional full-sized P body with a rounder 1/2-inch body edge radius.
Once again, this week’s top 10 list of reader-favorite articles on No Treble is a gear-heavy affair.
Kids Rock For Kids produced this video with 11-year-old Ellen Alaverdyan, 13-year-old vocalist Vinya Chhabra, 14-year-old drummer Yoyoka Soma, 9-year-old guitarist Bay Melnick Virgolino, 14-year old guitarist/vocalist Charlotte Milstein, and 16-year-old vocalist Ella Milstein rocking out on Muse’s “Hysteria.”
Grammy-winning bassist Paul Bryan has a wide musical palette that allows him to play in just about any situation. Now he’s expanded his palette even further with a new solo album called “Western Electric.”
Canada’s Wee Thunder Amps has unveiled the Blood Orange, a preamp pedal featuring a 12AX7 tube and a three-band EQ. The circuit is based on a classic Orange bass amp.
The Jaco Pastorius Archive keeps bringing some special gems, like this 1976 solo by Jaco, which includes “Portrait of Tracy,” "Chromatic Fantasy,” and more.
Oteil Burbridge just announced a fall tour with his solo band, Oteil & Friends, and dropped a new single, “Love and War,” live from the 2024 Dead Ahead Festival in Cancun, Mexico.
Eastwood Guitars has teamed up with Gorillaz bassist Seye Adelekan for the Classic 5 Seye Signature Bass.
Today is our good friend Bakithi Kumalo’s birthday, and we’re celebrating with one of his all-time great bass lines. Here’s a live clip of “You Can Call Me Al.”
After three decades at the helm of the WDR Big Band, John Goldsby has announced he’s retiring from the group. The jazz bassist, educator, and author will be seeing the year through before stepping down.
Origin Effects has updated its Cali76 line of compressor pedals with the Cali76 FET Compressor and the Cali76 Bass Compressor. The two new units replace the Cali76 Compact Deluxe and Cali76 Compact Bass.
I always loved the band Elephant Gym. They recently visited the KEXP studios and performed “Games.” KT Chang’s playing is so impressive.
Graph Tech has added a new set of tuners to their popular RATIO Total Control Machine Heads designed specifically for left-handed bassists. Available in 2+2 or 4-in-line configurations, the new set is made to fit left-handed basses.
In this lesson, we’ll explore the world of Soul and R&B bass lines and how major triads are used to create memorable parts. Bass players, including Duck Dunn, David Hood and more have used this approach to write iconic bass lines for songs we know and love.
Robyn Adele Anderson records some unique covers, and this recent one is a Latin cover of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.”
Jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington has returned with his fifth studio album, “Fearless Movement,” with Thundercat, Miles Mosley, and Ben Williams on bass.
Cosmodio Instruments is a new pedal and electronic instrument manufacturer that just launched its first product: the Pet Yeti distortion/fuzz pedal. The all-analog device can produce a wide variety of distortion sounds.
Leland Sklar’s YouTube channel has so much incredible content. Last week, he posted this video, sharing some personal stories and then playing along to James Taylor’s “Mexico.”
Primus faced a dilemma last week at the Sick New World Festival in Las Vegas. The band’s gear was stranded in a snowstorm. Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde didn’t think twice – they ran to the nearest guitar shop and bought a pair of matching Fender instruments. Now, they’re auctioning the Fender guitars to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
King’s X bassist and vocalist dUg Pinnick is renowned for his huge tone. That comes partly from his instruments, including this 12-string artist model bass from Schecter.
Zander Zon posted another “Bass Battle” video with Charles Berthoud, and this is a short, but wild ride. The video includes a “tapping round,” a “fingerstyle round,” and a “pick round.”
If you’re a classic thrash metal fan, get ready to mark your calendar. Testament and Kreator have teamed up for another leg of the Klash of the Titans tour.
Great Eastern FX has announced the XO Variable Crossover pedal that, although designed for both guitar and bass, will be especially notable for bassists.
If you are a bass player who struggles with finding the key or hearing the right keys of the song, this video by Jermaine Morgan is for you. Here are a few tips on how he’s developed his ear.
Bass gear dominated this week’s reader-favorite list on No Treble. Add a great video of Felix Pastorius, Ryan’s latest “Keep It Groovy” lesson, our latest Groove episode (with Mark Egan), and Deep Purple news, and you have this week’s top 10.
Zoom has updated its MultiStomp lineup with the MS-60B+, a stompbox loaded with 11 amp/cabinet models, 11 preamp emulations, and 75 bass effects.
Lake Street Dive recorded this video of “Better Not Tell You” live at The Bridge Studio in Brooklyn, NY. Bridget Kearney is sporting a Fender bass this time and anchors the band perfectly, as always. This is a preview of their upcoming album, “Good Together.”
Its been a quarter of a century since Slipknot released their self-titled debut album, which catapulted them into the spotlight in 1999. Now the nine-piece band is celebrating with the “Here Comes the Pain” tour.
Ernie Ball Music Man got Joe Dart fans excited when they launched his signature basses, but the limited numbers and price point kept some players from getting one. Now, Sterling by Music Man is picking up where EBMM left off with the Joe Dart Artist Series Bass.
Remco Hendriks got together with Red Hot Chili Peppers founding drummer Jack Irons for this epic jam. He calls it "Heavy Fretless Rock Bass."
Gov’t Mule bassist Kevin Scott’s discography is a long list that includes albums with John McLaughlin, Jimmy Harring, Gary Husband, FORQ, Donny McCaslin, Col Bruce Hampton, and many more. However, he’s just released his first album as a leader with the self-titled debut from WAXpaper.
Mark Egan, a legend in the world of electric bass (including a Grammy!), brings his rich history and deep passion for the instrument into his latest album, “Cross Currents.” He’s our guest for episode #113 of Groove - the No Treble Podcast.
When NPR dropped this Tiny Desk Concert with Ne-Yo, I let it play in the background while I worked. I found myself going back to the video frequently. I love everything about this, including the incredible work of Justin Raines on bass and bass keys.
Today is No Treble's 15th birthday. I had high hopes when I pushed the button on May 2nd, 2009. Over the years, this site has surpassed everything I imagined.
Let’s dig into one of the truly great James Jamerson bass lines, the Motown classic “How Sweet It Is” by Marvin Gaye. This lesson will string together descending arpeggios, the blues box pattern, and root-fifth movement.
His last name is Pastorius, but he has definitely carved his own footprint. In today’s video, we have Felix Pastorius. This live performance at The Cave is reminiscent of that 70’s and 80’s fusion!
April was a surprisingly great month for bass gear news. This month’s Bass Gear Roundup includes the most viewed in our gear category and overall on No Treble.
Genzler Amplification has expanded its amp lineup with the Kinetix 800, an 800-watt head unit that combines a Class A all-tube preamp with a high-output Class D power amp.
Black Hole Constellation’s Michal Jahoda sent us this “bass ballad recorded in medieval underground” video. Michal plays throught the ending of “The Outsiders Saga II,” which is on Black Hole Constellation’s album, “Garden of Deception Delights.”
New Orleans bass hero Nick Daniels III has died of complications from multiple myeloma. He was 68 years old.
Atticus Lazenby has shared another prototype of a production model bass for his latest project called CUTEbass. CUTE is an acronym for Comfort, Utility, Tone, Ergonomics.
John Ferrara’s latest project is a trio called Mono Means One, and they’re gearing up for their debut album and a tour. We’re happy to help premiere the studio video for “Enormous Forces.”
Deep Purple hit a burst of creativity about a decade ago when they began working with producer Bob Ezrin. Now the iconic rock band has announced "=1," a new album with Ezrin again at the helm.
Valkenburg has teamed up with David Pastorius for a new signature bass. The “Proto Bass” is the first of their Innovator Series and combines “modern options and styling with a retro-distressed feel.”
Here’s your weekly roundup of what’s trending in the world of bass. This week’s list includes new bass gear, a great new column by Paul Thompson, Brittany Frompovich’s latest “Wonder Women” interview, new albums, and more.
Boss has added a new floor unit for bassists called the ME-90B Bass Multiple Effects. They call it a “free-flowing processor filled with pro performance tools for bassists.” It has 61 effects optimized for bass and 10 preamps to choose from.
The talented Playing For Change Band performed this incredible medley of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up” and Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy” at the 2024 Byron Bay Bluesfest.
Recently, Fishbone posted some shocking news on their social media, saying the band would no longer include founding members “Dirty” Walt Kibby or bassist Norwood Fisher. Fisher has now weighed in on the situation.
We got a sneak peek of the new Mane Custom Bass model at NAMM this year, and now we have the full scoop. The KJ5 Standard is based on their KJ5 Signature model but utilizes different woods to offer a competitive price without compromising quality.
I love the Scott Devine’s and Ian Allison’s videos where they break down songs and bass lines. In this episode, they take on one of the greatest of all time: Tony Levin’s work on “Sledgehammer” – and more.
Swedish prog metal legends Opeth will return to North America this October for a tour. The band, anchored by the mighty Martin Méndez, will start in Wisconsin before crossing into Canada, then down the East Coast and across the South to wind up on the West Coast.
In this edition of “Wonder Women: Stories From the Women Who Play Bass,” I caught up with rock bassist Becky Baldwin. She is the current bassist for heavy metal bands Mercyful Fate and Fury, as well as teaching bass online and running a Patreon page.
One of my favorite Brian Bromberg tracks is “10 West,” from the “Magic Rain” LP. Here, we catch him playing the tune live for an instructional video.
Megadeth will be taking North America by storm again on the “Destroy All Enemies” tour. The 33-city outing will have stops from coast to coast with special guests Mudvayne and All That Remains along for the ride.
It’s time to revisit the banned list! Here are 10 more bass lines guaranteed to get you kicked out of your next bass lesson! (All your favorites including Tool, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Primus, Symphony X, The Stranglers, RATM, Black Sabbath, and more.)
Tony Senatore sent us this touching video, which he recorded as a tribute to Leona Semioli and Carla Bley. He chose Stevie Wonder’s “Too Shy To Say.”
The upright bass gets a reputation for simplicity, especially in bluegrass and folk music. However, Nate Sabat has put the instrument in the spotlight on his new album, “Bass Fiddler.”
Ampeg launched the Venture Series late last year. After introducing a new cabinet earlier this month, the company announced that the lineup’s mid-level amplifier is now shipping.
I love when Charles Berthoud reimagines songs on the fretless bass. In this new video, he takes on the Red Hot Chili Peppers tune, “Under The Bridge.”
Pearl Jam connected with producer Andrew Watt last year at the legendary Shangri-La Studios in Miami. Facing each other in one room with their instruments, they were struck with a burst of inspiration and the album “Dark Matter” was created in just three weeks.
This week, we’re checking out a custom Jarius bass from Anka Custom Guitars & Basses with a streamlined design. The 33-inch-scale bass pares things down from the standard Jarius design, which has a pair of single-coil pickups.
Zander Zon titled this video, “Is this the most ethereal JAZZ melody ever?” The bassist took on Janek Gwizdala’s “American Elm,” adding helpful information throughout.
Time for your weekly roundup of the most popular articles from the world of bass. This week’s list includes plenty of gear, a great Jaco Pastorius solo transcription, tour news, and more.
Today is No Treble Managing Editor Kevin Johnson’s birthday, and we’re celebrating with some good stuff from The Plate Scrapers.
High on Fire has returned with “Cometh the Storm,” marking their first studio album since 2018’s “Electric Messiah.” Riff masters Matt Pike and Jeff Matz are joined by Coady Willis.
Since launching Esopus Guitars, Stuart Spector has focused on making acoustic guitars. Now he’s back to building basses. The Tailwater bass is a 32-inch scale instrument handcrafted by the legendary luthier.
I absolutely love Snarky Puppy’s work with the Metropole Orkest. So it was exciting to see them drop a new video, which came with an announcement. Here’s an alternate take of “The Curtain.”
Ghost-Note has released their third album, “Mustard n’Onions,” which – as you can imagine from the title – is a funky affair. That's thanks in part to bassists MonoNeon and Marcus Miller.
Boss has released a few bass combo amps in the Katana series, but now they’ve unveiled the first head unit in the lineup. The Katana-500 Bass Head was introduced alongside the new Katana Cabinet 112 Bass.
Usually, when we share a video by Josh Cohen, he’s playing the bass. But in this one, he’s out front, scatting his way through a medley of “Donna Lee/Indiana.”
Alex Lofoco dives into Jaco Pastorius’s solo on “The Days Of Wine And Roses,” including the bass transcription and the background for the solo.
Steve Lawson has a new album out, and he shared the video for the title track with us. This groovy track was improvised live at the Warehouse Cafe in Birmingham in February.
Opeth bassist Martin Méndez has announced the third album from his band White Stones. “Memoria Viva” follows in the footsteps of the first two albums, but it takes a different approach by being sung all in Spanish.
Spector has revealed the second volume of their Woodstock Custom Collection featuring 12 handcrafted, one-of-a-kind basses made by the company’s master luthiers. Each bass is built in their Woodstock, New York workshop and builds upon Spector favorites while trying new things.
I always love it when Cory Wong drops a new video. Joined by Alexander 23, here’s the band performing “On My Mind,” with Yohannes Tona on bass.
In this “Keep It Groovy” episode, we’ll channel the power of George Porter Jr. to get our funk on. Check out this lesson Ryan Madora created around “Cissy Strut” by The Meters.
I love it when YYNOT drops videos from their concerts. Of course, I also love their Rush covers. Here they are performing “Something For Nothing” live at the Sherman Theater.
It’s a big year for bassist Moto Fukushima. After releasing a solo album in August, his band House of Waters has returned with “On Becoming.” The album features drummer Antonio Sanchez, guitarist Mike Stern, and vocalist Priya Darshini.
EBG Instruments has introduced a new bass model called the Devon, which they describe as a “skelective, modern and unique design.” Featuring a multi-scale neck, the bass is constructed with mixed materials.
Earth, Wind & Fire performed live from SiriusXM’s studios in late 2013. Here’s the clip of the band performing “September” with Verdine White’s bass coming through loud and clear.
In April, AC/DC announced they would perform at the Power Trip Festival in October, marking their first concert since 2016. It will be the first live return of vocalist Brian Johnson, and now we’ve learned that bassist Cliff Williams is coming out of retirement for it.
Rick Link of Beardly Customs shared one of their latest builds, and even he’s not sure what to call it. The four-string bass was ordered to mimic the unusual instrument used by a famous bassist.
Playing For Change released a special treat a couple of days ago. Here’s Jackson Browne, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and multiple musicians from around the world performing “Doctor My Eyes.”
Bass and drum duo Royal Blood have just dropped their fourth album, “Back to the Water Below.” The rock revivalists hunkered down in their home studio in Brighton, where they opted to produce the record themselves.
Happy Sunday! It’s that time – time to look back at the best of bass for the week in the form of the top 10 reader-favorites on No Treble.
TWA has released the Krytical Mass, a reactive octave fuzz that pays homage to the vintage Maestro Bass Brassmaster. Using a unique set of EQ and voltage manipulation controls, the new pedal captures its predecessor’s “aggressive yet warm & organic edge.”
Jojo Mayer’s Nerve recorded this video live at The Bunker Studio in December 2019. Originally released for Patreon supporters, it is now public. I love the sounds created by this band!
Christian Fabian has returned with a new trio album called “Hip to the Skip.” Fabian plays a variety of styles (he swings hard in the Lionel Hampton Big Band), but for this outing he opted to explore funk and fusion jazz.
Spector has added onto their NS Ethos and NS Dimension lines with the HP, or “High-Performance”, Series. The new models take Spector’s NS neck-through design and fit them with EMG DC pickups, a Darkglass Tone Capsule preamp, and illuminating side dots.
Gev Delano dropped this killer video, which he describes as “my interpretation, my style, my sound” on Greg Howe’s “Lucky 7.”
Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” turns 50 this year. Now, a new deluxe edition of the album has been packaged with an additional 33 bonus tracks, including 18 previously unreleased.
Aguilar Amplification has expanded its Super Lightweight series with the new SL 110 speaker cabinet. Weighing in at 23 pounds, it marks the most compact cabinet in the company’s lineup.
In this “Tiny Desk Concert” episode, pianist Hiromi Uehara visited NPR’s offices to perform two songs from her upcoming album, “Sonicwonderland.” Hadrien Feraud is on bass.
It’s a sad day in the world as bass legend and racial justice activist Richard Davis has passed away. He was 93 years old. The news was confirmed by his daughter, Persia Davis.
In the electric bass universe, Freekbass is a monolith — a true groove guru who doesn’t just play bass but embodies it. He’s our guest for this month’s episode of Groove - the No Treble Podcast.
Les Claypool reunited his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade for a tour this year. Each night featured the group performing the Pink Floyd masterpiece “Animals” in its entirety. Claypool just released a pro-shot recording of the song “Pigs,” recorded in Denver.
Marleaux Bass Guitars has announced the return of their Tiefgang Bass Camp. The annual event, which has been on hold since the pandemic started, will take place from September 15th through the 17th.
In this episode of “From the Bottom,” Paul Thompson talks about Earth, Wind & Fire and their legendary bassist, Verdine White. Paul breaks down three favorite EWF bass lines.
Snarky Puppy took the stage at North Sea Jazz 2023. As usual, Michael League and the band delivered an incredible performance, and the audio/video work by the NSJ team is stellar.
Metalheads rejoice! Job For A Cowboy ended their nearly decade-long hiatus with a new single. Of course, the new song has an insane bass line rendered by Nick Schendzielos.
Meet Jared Beckstead-Craan, a bassist living in Brooklyn, New York. Jared shared some great stories, including one about their parents and their bass superpower/claim to fame.
In this episode, the guys at Scott’s Bass Lessons break down Victor Wooten’s “Pretty Little Lady Groove” from Vic’s 1994 instructional video.
In 2016, Stuart Clayton of Bassline Publishing released a full transcription book for Stuart Hamm’s solo album, “The Book of Lies.” Now he’s done it again with a note-for-note book on “Hold Fast,” which Hamm dropped earlier this year.
Italy’s Biarnel Liuteria introduced a new bass this summer called the Fiorano 32” which they describe as “classic design [with] advanced solutions.” The 32-inch scale bass weighs a mere 5.9 pounds.
Leonid Vorobyev’s band Leonid & Friends is back with a new video. This one features the Blood, Sweat & Tears tune, “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know.”
Another music industry titan has left us with the passing of Bill Bartolini. The pickup and electronics pioneer was 84 years old.
This week’s top 10 reader-favorite list is 50% gear and 50% other good stuff from the land of the low-end. Here are the 10 top articles on No Treble for the week of August 26 - September 1, 2023.
The people running Jack Bruce’s Facebook page shared this previously unreleased video of the Tony Williams Lifetime (with Bruce) performing “A Famous Blues” in 1970. What a find!
After 18 years in the band, Paul Wilson has left Snow Patrol. Founder and frontman Gary Lightbody made the announcement on Instagram, where he also revealed that drummer Johnny Quinn has quit.
Gibson has launched a bevy of pickups in the Gibson Pickup Shop Collection, and among the 22 offerings is one bass model. The Thunderbird Bass Reissue houses a period-correct T-Bird pickup under a chrome cover.
Woody Goss and Jeremy Daly take the spotlight in Vulfpeck’s remix video (or Vulfmix) of “Too Hot In L.A.” Joe Dart’s bass is so deep and funky, and we love seeing Woody do his thing for the video.
Mark Lettieri led a solo tour earlier this year to share his music and his killer band, which includes Jason “JT Thomas on drums, Daniel Porter on keyboards, and Wes Stephenson on bass. Now he’s released an album from the trek.
Bass gear news in August generated a lot of views on No Treble. Here are the top 10 reader favorites for the month.
Starlite & Campbell have just released their third studio album, “STARLITE.ONE.” We’re happy to present a bass playthrough for the new song “Blow Them All Away” and interview with bassist Suzy Starlite.
I can’t get enough of the videos from Nate Smith’s performance at Gesu Music Hall in Montreal, which took place on July 4th. Here’s Smith performing “Simon F-15” with Victor Wooten, Cory Wong, and Ariel Posen.
EBS has expanded its Magni 502 series of bass combo amps with a 1×15” model. Like its 210 predecessor, the new amp is a superlight combo featuring a wooden cabinet with front and rear porting plus a neodymium speaker to keep the weight down.
Shouts Of Joy shared this video with some sage advice from one of the greats. John Patitucci shares his advice on the importance of work ethic, dependability, musicianship, and more.
The fourth edition of the Dutch Double Bass Festival has been announced, and this year will feature some of the world’s best bassists on both double bass and electric bass.
Let’s add to your repertoire of country blues bass lines and practice the Johnny Cash classic, “Folsom Prison Blues.” Ryan Madora breaks it down in this “Keep It Groovy” bass lesson.
Christian McBride visited NPR with his band, New Jawn, to perform a Tiny Desk Concert. As expected, it was outstanding. Christian is the man!
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra has just released their eighth album, entitled “Re-Potted,” which the steel pan virtuoso wrote shortly after moving to New York City from North Carolina. The album includes bassist E’Lon JD.
Vola Guitars has teamed up with The Dali Thundering Concept bassist Steve Tréguier to create the Vasti 5 STM J1, which also marks the introduction of the Vola ATR-1 Active 3-band EQ.
No Treble reader Brian Keating is the bassist and musical director for Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, a “tribute to the classic songs of Motown and Stax records.” Here’s their impressive cover of “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me.”
Suicidal Tendencies are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their self-titled debut album with a tour. The band’s current lineup includes frontman Muir joined by Ben Weinman, Dean Pleasants, Greyson Nekrutman, and Tye Trujillo.
This marks Atticus Lazenby’s fifth year as a luthier at Serek Basses, but he’s just started taking commissions for his own basses. Today, we’re sharing his “Concept 001,” which features an astounding ergonomic design.
There’s so much to like in this new “Berklee Two Track Live: A Headphone Concert” video. Christian Inman performs Harry Styles’s “Music For a Sushi Restaurant” with a super impressive supporting cast, including Ciara Moser on bass.
Pop punk legends MxPx have released their 11th studio album, entitled “Find A Way Home.” The 13-song collection is tied together by a sense of community and working together.
Ernie Ball Music Man has unveiled the Summer 2023 collection of the Ball Family Reserve, which includes two guitars and one bass. The Ball Family Reserve “Shadow Korina” DarkRay is limited to 100 units worldwide.
The electric bass has plenty of extended techniques to make extraordinary sounds, but so does the double bass. Bassist and composer Jacob Warren wrote “Zola” to explore the use of “harp harmonics.”
Evergrey’s Johan Niemann emailed about his debut solo album, “Karnivore,” with a great opening line: ”Do you like your music odd sounding, 80’s smelling, fretless bass driven and instrumental? Then, please give this a spin!”
California’s Xotic Effects has revamped the Bass BB preamp for 2023 with new functional and aesthetic features. The pedal offers up to 30db+ of boost with Gain, Level, Bass, and Treble controls.
Many years ago, we shared a video by Michael Pipoquinha, who was 13 years old at the time. It was a monster hit. Now, nearly thirteen years later, we’re sharing his latest video of him performing “Tipo Dani” from his 2022 album, “Um Novo Tom.”
After a decade of dormancy, Dethklok has returned an album of all new songs and a full-length feature film. “Dethalbum IV” and “Metalocalypse: Army of the Doom Star” are out now, and as such, the animated death metal overlords are taking the metal to the masses.
The Cure’s Simon Gallup was seen road-testing some new basses during their recent summer tour, and now Schecter has unveiled the new signature basses to their lineup.
The Playing For Change Band paid tribute to Robbie Robertson with a special performance of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” Robertson passed away on August 9, 2023.
Charles Berthoud has been posting videos to YouTube for a decade, and in the last few years, his channel has blown up. Now he’s launching a second channel.
Whether he’s playing in House of Waters, making his own music, or just sharing practice pieces, Moto Fukushima never fails to blow me away. We caught up with him to discuss the new album, how to arrange for solo bass, and what’s coming up for House of Waters.
I love the Berklee Two Track Live series. I especially love it when they feature bassists. In this episode, Bianca Cabili gets the crowd going with the performance of her original, “Lo Creíble.”
Here’s a great playlist for today: the monthly roundup of the top 10 bass videos on No Treble. These were the reader favorites for July 2023.
In this episode of “From the Bottom,” Paul Thompson dives into the work of the great (and unsung) David Hungate - TOTO’s first bassist. He breaks down his favorite TOTO groove, discusses the “Bump” Groove, and more.
Nate Smith dropped another video from his performance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on July 2nd, and this one is killer. “Unfollower” starts with some gnarly bass by Michael League before the band kicks into a world-class groove.
You may not know it, but modern funk guitar hero Cory Wong actually got his musical start on the bass. Wong has just returned with a new solo album called “The Lucky One,” featuring both his guitar and bass talents.
Way Huge has introduced the Smalls Stone Burner Sub Atomic Fuzz pedal. The new stompbox offers individual-level controls for the fuzz and sub-octave signals, while a switch lets you toggle between one and two octaves down.
Marcus Miller is definitely on the Mount Rushmore of bass players, and his arrangements are always something fresh. That is on full display in this clip. Playing the classic Miles Davis tune “Tutu,” Marcus put on yet another masterclass!
Songstress Rhiannon Giddens has returned with her third solo album and the first of all originals. “You’re the One” features Giddens’ longtime bassist, Jason Sypher, who lays down the grooves on both electric and upright bass.
Jersey Girl Homemade Guitars is a small team of builders based in Japan that has been making astonishing instruments for over thirty years. One of their latest builds is a showstopper.
Meshell Ndegeocello continues dropping videos from her new album, The Omnichord Real Book, and I keep watching them over and over. “Towers” is the ninth track on the record and one of my favorite tunes.
Brad Russell has been wowing us for years with his incredible chops and musicality. Those skills are on full display on his new album, “Metal Improved,” which features his virtuosic playing taking the lead.
This week’s top 10 articles on No Treble include some new bass gear, albums, a cool “From the Bottom” column, a lesson on arpeggios, and more.
Our friend Jon Willis is back with another impressive play-along video. This time, he takes on the Player’s hit “Baby Come Back,” focusing on recreating Ronn Moss’s original line and tone.
This summer, Dead & Company made their final tour. For bassist Oteil Burbridge, though, the music never stops. He’s just released the details of a new solo album. “Lovely View of Heaven” pays tribute to the music of the late Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter.
Fender unveiled a new signature model for 2023 with the Limited Edition Mike Kerr Jaguar Bass. Built specially for the Royal Blood frontman, the short-scale bass takes the classic design and fits it with a special set of high-output humbuckers.
working on some new music, and we’re lucky to get a look at the process. Here’s his early take on “Red Skateboard,” with solo bass and vocals.
Too often, the music industry innovators don’t get the recognition they deserve. Author Jim Reilly has been fixing that issue by writing biographies of the important gear gurus. He’s now turned his attention to Rob Turner and EMG pickups.
Hot on the heels of the Pico POG, Electro-Harmonix has unveiled the Pico Platform compressor/limiter. The compact unit was designed to “offer studio-style compression and limiting to any pedalboard.”
No Treble reader Ralf Gauck sent us this beautiful video and music he created with cellist Julia Panzer. Here’s “Silent Wave in A Lost Place.”
After releasing a four-string book in 2021, Nate Navarro has expanded his educational books to include “BASS: 5-String Etudes, Riffs, Songs & Exercises.”
In this episode of “From The Bottom,” Paul Thompson breaks down Kool & the Gang’s iconic “Summer Madness” groove from 1974, including Robert “Kool” Bell’s “magic” bass note, and what exactly is going on during those solos!
Nina DiGregorio is best known for pioneering the electric rock violin, but she’s also an accomplished bassist. DiGregorio teamed up with multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Brody Dolyniuk for this killer cover of Rush’s “Limelight.”
The Hives have just released “The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons,” marking their first studio album in 11 years. The album features Johan Gustafsson on bass for the first time.
In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora guides us through practicing arpeggio shapes by playing through a very common chord progression. It’s the perfect warm-up exercise to play with a metronome and can even be shifted to other keys.
Tedeschi Trucks Band took the stage at Red Rocks on July 29th, and cameras were rolling. Here’s the band, anchored by Brandon Boone, performing “Anyhow” and “Statesboro Blues.”
House of Waters bassist Moto Fukushima has just returned with his second solo album. “Songs Belong to the Night” showcases his prowess and musicality on the six-string bass by making it the focus. In fact, it’s the only thing on the album.
The Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilders are tasked with creating a special set of instruments each year that focus on a central theme. This year, they’ve unveiled the California Streetwood Collection, utilizing wood acquired by Street Tree Revival.
In April, Victor Wooten and Gregg Bissonette took the stage at Canyon High School. Joined by students, here’s the full performance.
Mark Deustch and JD Parran have joined forces to release “California Street Sessions.” The album is a “sonic exploration” featuring free improvisation, with Parran on contralto clarinet and Deutsch on the Bazantar.
Bud LeCompte of LeCompte Electric Bass just shared his latest creation, and it stopped me in my tracks. This SHR-4 has an offset body and neck design for a retro feel while having a fresh style.
Postmodern Jukebox was joined by Nashville bassist/vocalist Wild Bill for a fun “ragtime-meets-rockabilly country/western remake” of The Bee Gees’ tune, “Stayin’ Alive.”
After years as a member of bands like Obsidious, Obscura, and Alkaloid, Linus Klausenitzer has announced his debut solo album. "Tulpa" is a musical odyssey through time inspired by the 1873 German book "Die Sphinx" by Emil Besetzny.
Time for your weekly roundup of the most popular stories on No Treble. This week’s reader-favorite list includes gear, the late, great James Jamerson being honored, a Wonder Woman feature on Esperanza Spalding, and more.
Polyphia’s “Remember That You Will Die” is a record that stayed on my turntable a lot after its release. So I was glad to see the band drop this full concert video from their performance at The Factory in Deep Ellum.
In a pairing of rock royalty, Suzi Quatro and KT Tunstall have teamed up for a new album called “Face To Face” featuring original duets. As usual, Quatro delivers powerful vocals matched by her powerful bass lines.
Solar Guitars has added a pair of new basses to its lineup with the AB1.4ROP and the AB1.5BOP. The new models are described as the top tier of the Type AB Bass range.
Here’s another great video by the Playing For Change Band performing live at Billboard Live in Osaka, Japan. In this clip, the band takes on the Ray Charles classic, “A Fool For You.”
Mike Baggetta, Stephen Hodges, and Mike Watt have teamed up once again for a second album as mssv. The band toured heavily behind 2020’s “Main Steam Stop Valve,” and they’re not changing anything for their upcoming record.
Marusczyk and Bass Upfront have teamed up to introduce a Bass Upfront signature model. Based on the company’s Frog Omega, the bass was designed with Bass Upfront founder David Sutkin.
Frowin Ickler sent in today’s video, and it is impressive. Here’s his solo bass performance of “Intercontinental Raga,” inspired by John McLaughlin’s Shakti project. The Jens Schönitz acoustic bass sounds fantastic too.
Cattle Decapitation will be covering North America once again as they’ve announced the Terrasitic Infestation headlining tour.
In this edition of No Treble’s Wonder Women series, we will examine the extraordinary musical path of bassist, vocalist, composer, and songwriter Esperanza Spalding.
Charles Berthoud took Linkin Park’s “In The End” and made it unique. Joined by guitarist Bernth, Charles navigates the song using many techniques.
Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx has revealed he’s working on another book. In a post on social media, he reported that he’s working on a new project and an animated show that includes music.
Edisto Island, South Carolina residents will be “Dancing in the Streets” after they rename a road for hometown hero James Jamerson.
On July 4th, Nate Smith, Cory Wong, and Victor Wooten performed at Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Here’s a great clip of the trio during that performance (with an extended drum solo by Smith).
The Allman Family Revival tour is back for 2023 with some very special guests. Although the Allman Betts Band is usually anchored by Berry Duane Oakley (son of Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley), the group will be anchored by Tal Wilkenfeld for this outing.
EarthQuaker Devices has expanded its pedal lineup with the Ledges Tri-Dimensional Reverberation Machine. The “tri-dimensional” aspect of the pedal refers to its three-mode reverb, which can save and recall six presets.
Antoine Baril always knocks me out with his impressive skill on multiple instruments. In this video, he kicks things up a notch with a “One Man ELP” performance. Baril performed this using Keith Emerson’s rig!
Rock icon Glenn Hughes will be hitting the road this month to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Deep Purple’s “Burn.” The outing will be a co-headline tour with Yngwie Malmsteen.
On a recent tour of Michigan, I was lucky enough to meet up with Todd Kirchner of the bluegrass band Full Cord. He happily showed me his bass, which is a spec’d out Bohemian model from Upton Bass.
Ellen Alaverdyan is back with another cover, and like all of her previous ones, her skills and enthusiasm are on full display. Here she is taking on “Darling Dear” in dedication to James Jamerson.
Wolfgang Van Halen has unleashed the second album from his solo project, Mammoth WVH. The aptly titled “Mammoth II” sees the multi-instrumentalist expanding on the sound he created for his debut.
Eminence has added a second model to their CannaBass line of speakers for bass guitars. As part of the series, the new speaker utilizes “cutting-edge speaker technology, a hemp dust cap, and a proprietary CBD coating.”
The dynamic duo of Evan Marien and Dana Hawkins is back with a new video. Filmed live at Nublu 151 in NYC on July 24, 2023, here’s their performance of Marien’s “Bouncin’.”
Time to take a look at what’s been trending in the world of bass this week. Here is your weekly top 10 list of reader favorite stories, including a bonus top 10 list inside.
Electro-Harmonix has introduced the Pico POG, which marks the smallest and most powerful in their POG series. The Polyphonic Octave Generator offers octave up and down sounds in a compact stompbox.
Zander Zon is back with another bass instruction video, breaking down one of the facets of his solo bass techniques. Here’s a great lesson on doubling your strumming speed on the bass.
The late, great Lemmy Kilmister was a rock and roll icon through and through, but he also had a deep love for rockabilly. Now, BMG is reissuing several pieces of Headcat’s recorded output.
After decades of darkness, the Sunn will rise again. Mission Engineering and Fender have teamed up to announce the return of Sunn Amplifiers, a brand from the ’60s and ’70s.
In this episode of "Best of Bass Lines," Julia Hofer breaks down Sting’s incredible bass line on The Police’s “Spirits In The Material World” before playing along with the notation.
Bassist Hannah Marks has announced her debut album, “Outsider, Outlier,” which will be released on October 20th. The album combines her early alt-rock influences with her jazz training for a blend of sounds and genres.
Immerse yourself in the vibrant rhythm of a maestro’s journey, Normand Guilbeault, who has been at the heartbeat of Canada’s jazz and improvised music sphere for over 40 years. Guilbeault is our guest for this month's Groove Podcast episode.
Keyboardist Xavier Gordon arranged this Super Mario Brothers mashup, and the trio of Gordon, drummer Brian Frasier-Moore, and bassist Bryan Ladd made magic.
Crowbar has announced a new headlining tour for 2023. The band is anchored by bassist Shane Wesley, who joined Crowbar in 2018 following the departure of Todd Strange.
Ryan Madora is keeping things groovy today with The Boss and learning the bass line to “Glory Days” from “Born In The U.S.A.” We’ll look at its theory, integrate some short slides, and do our best Garry Tallent impression.
In 2016, Jeff Beck and Jan Hammer teamed up for a live performance at the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate Beck’s 50-year musical career. Here they are performing “Star Cycle” with Rhonda Smith on bass.
In 2019, the monstrous fretless bass duo of Steve Di Giorgio and Jeroen Paul Thesseling announced they were working together on a Quadvium project. The two-bass band has now revealed their completed lineup.
Darkglass Electronics has expanded its amp lineup with the Microtubes X 900. The new amp takes its preamp from the company’s X Series pedals and packages it with a Class D 900-watt amplifier.
Earlier this summer, Vulfpeck donned their robes and hit the stage at Bonnaroo. The band just dropped this video of their performance of “Back Pocket.”
July is in the books, so it is time for our roundup of the month’s top 10 bass gear stories. Here are the top 10 reader-favorite bass gear stories on No Treble.
BASS OF THE WEEK: This week, we’re checking out Bass #001 by Ristic Guitars. Handmade by luthier Sasa Ristic, the beautiful bass features neck-through construction with a five-piece maple neck, mahogany body wings, and a curly maple top.
Snarky Puppy performed at Jazz in Marciac, and they released this live video from the show. Here’s Michael League and the band performing “Pineapple” from “Empire Central.”
“The Wrecking Crew” is one of the most interesting and inspiring documentaries on session musicians ever made. Filmmaker Denny Tedesco has been working on a follow-up called “Immediate Family,” and now it’s getting even closer to release.
Time for the weekly “best of bass” roundup. This week’s top 10 reader favorites list includes new gear, a new tune by Charles Berthoud, our interview with Kevin Scott, and more.
Drummer Anika Nilles and her band, Nevell, visited Little Big Beat Studios last year to record a live session. The small audience witnessed some stunning musicianship as the band recorded six tunes.
Former Shins bassist Neal Langford has died at the age of 50. The cause of death is unclear, but foul play is not suspected. Shins frontman James Mercer shared the news on Instagram.
Thin Lizzy bassist and frontman Phil Lynott is the subject of a new photo book. Rufus Publications has announced “Portraits of Phil Lynott” will be released this November to celebrate the late rocker.
Nate Smith performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on July 2nd. In this clip, Smith is joined by Lionel Loueke and Michael League on “Skip Step.” What a lineup, and what a jam!
The Eagles have announced that founding bassist Randy Meisner has died from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 77 years old.
When Gov’t Mule announced they had a new bass player, I don’t think there could have been a better fit than Kevin Scott. We caught up with Kevin to talk about Gov’t Mule, his new label, Colonel Bruce Hampton, and more.
I’ve been revisiting Mahavishnu Orchestra’s music lately, which got me digging. Here’s a great clip of their stellar lineup performing “You Know, You Know” in 1972. Still unbelievably great!
Brian Bromberg has returned with a new solo album called “The Magic of Moonlight.” His previous release, “A Little Driving Music,” offered music with a breezy feeling, but “Moonlight” has more of a mystical quality.
Bergantino Audio Systems has revamped one of its amps for 2023. The Bergantino forté HP2 features more headroom and customization.
Blue Note Tokyo shared this fantastic video of the Steve Gadd Band performing at the club. The band, anchored by Travis Carlton, performs “Mercy On Your Soul,” which was written by keyboardist Jeff Babko.
Reverb announced that Muse will be using the platform to offload nearly 100 pieces of gear from their tours and studio. The full gear list will be revealed on August 2nd, but we have a preview of a few pieces from Chris Wolstenholme’s arsenal.
Clear your calendar because Cory Wong did a live stream from Marciac last night, and we all get to enjoy it. Yohannes Tona is on bass for this show, and it is killer throughout.
Blur has returned with their first album in eight years. “The Ballad of Darren” came about after the band was offered to play at Wembley Stadium. After getting together again, they unexpectedly put together a full album’s worth of new material.
Sire has expanded its bass offerings with the Marcus Miller V5 24. Available in four and five-string models, the bass is a 24-fret vintage style bass with passive electronics.
KNKX had Judith Hill perform at their temporary location at Avast! Studios early this year. It turned out to be an epic session. Hill’s quartet includes her parents, bassist Robert Lee “Pee Wee” Hill and keyboardist Michiko Hill, with drummer John Staten. KNKX shared, “These three tunes were a sampling of the musical diversity on her latest album, and Hill...
We’re sad to report today that Brad Houser of Edie Brickell & New Bohemians has died after suffering a stroke. He was 62 years old.
Bayou Basses posted their latest build recently. Inspired by the lyrics of John Lennon, The Dreamer is described as a departure from the company’s previous builds.
I’m really enjoying the music (and videos) of Meshell Ndegeocello’s new album, “The Omnichord Real Book.” Meshell just released the video for the album’s opening track, “Georgia Ave.” Dig it.
Yes is hitting the road again this year with the “Classic Tales of Yes” Tour. The prog-rock titans will be performing music from across their entire 50-plus years.
Time to take a look at what No Treble readers enjoyed this week. Here are the top 10 most read articles for the week of July 15-21, 2023.
For this new video, Charles Berthoud said, “This is what 25 YEARS of bass and piano practice looks like. Fretless bass + piano is such a nice combination.” Enjoy his song, “No Longer.”
After months of anticipation, Roger Waters has set a release date for his remake of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” “The Dark Side of the Moon Redux” will be dropping on October 6th.
Fender has announced their first foray into the world of ukulele basses. The miniature Fullerton Precision Bass ukulele has a P-Bass body shape with a 20.25-inch scale.
Guest guitarist Lari Basilio once again joined the Martin Miller Session Band, and they took on the Seal classic, “Kiss From a Rose.” Ben Jud nails the vocals while also handling the bass.
Greta Van Fleet has released “Starcatcher,” marking the modern classic rock band’s third studio album. The album was recorded at Nashville’s RCA Studios, where GVF took its cues from the old-school methods.
In this episode, Paul Thompson lays down his (extremely subjective) list of his top 10 favorite bass lines (plus three honorable mentions) from iconic television shows from the 1970s-2000s.
I am really looking forward to House of Waters’ new album, “On Becoming.” This morning, the trio of Max ZT, Moto Fukushima, and Antonio Sanchez released a video for one of the tracks. “705” is “dedicated to the renowned 55 Bar in NYC.”
Many photos of Keanu Reeves playing bass have been floating around the internet for years, and now there will be more. The movie star and bassist’s band, Dogstar, just released their first new song in 20 years.
In addition to his impressive musicianship, David Sutkin’s love for bass guitars led him to become a dedicated collector of high-end basses from luthiers worldwide. Here's an exclusive video showcasing his collection and community.
Memphis Drum Shop dropped episode #24 of their “Groovin’ In Memphis” series, and this one includes the one and only MonoNeon jamming with drummer Devin Way.
Aguilar Amplification has put the sound of their AG series bass amps into a pedal with the new AG Preamp pedal. The company says it “inherits the renowned AG preamp’s tight, fast response and extensive tonal flexibility.”
In this “Keep It Groovy” bass lesson, Ryan Madora explores the tonal capabilities of the Precision (or “P”) bass. She A-B tests the difference between flat wound and round wound strings along the way.
Remco Hendrix is back with another video, and this time, he shared the bigger story behind it (and his other videos). Remco calls this “One Take Bluesy Funk Rock Bass Jam.” Dig it!
With the conclusion of Dead & Company’s final tour, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir has announced he’ll be hitting the road once again this fall with his band Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros, with Don Was on bass.
Fuzzrocious pedals is diving deeper into the world of modulation circuits by introducing the Tyrannochorus. Heralded for their distortion and fuzz boxes, the company says a normal chorus would be boring, so they made it more “Fuzzrocious.”
Last month I discovered the multi-instrumentalist known as KNULP. Here’s her latest video, where she handles the guitars, bass, drums, and vocals on her cover of The Beatles’ “In My Life.”
Meet Ryan Griffiths, a musician who started on piano and cello before finding his calling on bass. These days, Ryan plays in the Prince tribute band EndorphinMachine and has a deep love for pedals.
This week we’re checking out the Rele Bass by BilT Guitars. Oozing with retro charm, the short-scale bass has tons of customizable features from your choice of woods to pickups to fingerboard inlays to hardware.
Rick Suchow is such a good dude. For years, he’s shared some fantastic videos we otherwise might never have seen. He just dropped another unreleased clip from Weather Report’s 1978 Astor Theater performance, with the band playing “Black Market.”
In the latest of big farewells, The Eagles have announced their final tour with “The Long Goodbye.” The “Hotel California” rockers will be spending nearly two years on the road.
Fender is rolling out some new gear for summer 2023, including the Limited Edition Suona Collection. The lineup includes the Suona Jazz Bass, a semi-hollow four-string.
Clive H Jones took Linkin Park’s “Heavy” and made it into a solo bass arrangement. He’s using one of the most interesting basses too: the Ibanez Ashula.
Lettuce has a few festival dates for the summer left to go, but they’re keeping the party going through the year. The band, anchored by bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes, has announced new fall dates.
Warwick has expanded their line of miniature bass amps with the Gnome i Pro 600, marking the most powerful model in the Gnome series. The 600-watt head weighs in at just 6.6 pounds.
YYNOT is on tour right now, and they’re sharing some videos for everyone to enjoy. Fronted by the new vocalist Adi Argelazi, here’s Tim Starace and the band nailing Rush’s “Anthem.”
It’s hard to believe 2023 is half over. So we decided to check in on what’s been the most popular here for the year so far. Here’s the list, spanning all categories.
Caveman Audio has announced the BC1 Bass “Master” Compressor, a fully analog pedal they say is unlike most others.
It’s always great to see a new Aaron Gibson video hit the feed. Here’s his latest composition, “Wishes.”
Wes Anderson’s use of music in his films is masterful. Bassist Marty Isenberg took inspiration from that depth and catalog for his debut solo album, “The Way I Feel Inside.” We caught up with Marty to get the scoop.
The folks at the Jaco Pastorius Archive sent us this digitally remastered clip of Jaco Pastorius and his Word of Mouth Big Band performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival on July 10, 1983. It sounds incredible.
Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade has added more dates to their “Hunt for Green October” tour. The band is wrapping up their “Summer of Green” tour and has announced an expanded repertoire for the shows.
1981 Inventions has announced a new pedal called the LVL. The stompbox is a low-gain overdrive featuring a “new and unique circuit.”
I stumbled upon this video by Feng Suave and was an instant fan. Here’s the band performing five of their tracks live at Studio Helmbreker, Haarlem.
Here’s a playlist for you to enjoy, comprised of the top 10 reader-favorite videos on No Treble for the month of June 2023.
Sad news to share today as we’ve learned that bass builder Randall Fullmer of Wyn Guitars has passed away. He was 73 years old.
Scary Pockets just dropped another smooth funk cover, and this is one of my favorites by the band. Joined by guest vocalist Moira Mack and bassist Travis Carlton, here’s their take on the Etta James hit, “At Last.”
Stu Hamm has returned with a new solo album, Hold Fast, which is his most prog-leaning effort to date. The bass icon says that the music came in its own time.
This week we’re checking out another jaw-dropping instrument built by Rob van den Broek of Brooks. The Brooks QB is a twelve-string bass built as a tribute to the Quad Bass built by Jol Dantzig of Hamer for Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson.
Crank Caviar has been dropping some fire content lately, including this new twist on a Phil Collins classic, “In the Air Tonight.” This cover features Antone “Chooky” Caldwell on 6-string bass bringing the heat! It’s locked in the pocket, for sure.
Meet Pete Paul Nemec III, a bassist who goes by Lobo. Pete started in Chicago and made his way to the Nashville area (with a stop in Florida in between). Here’s his story...
July started out with a bang, with a ton of views on these and other stories published on No Treble. Here is your top 10 list for the week of July 1-7, 2023.
Most (if not all) of us have watched Jaco Pastorius’s “Modern Electric Bass” video with Jerry Jemmott. The riff Jaco plays in the opening credits is incredible. Scott Devine breaks it down in this video.
SPEED Designs has just released the SPEED frame, a pedalboard frame that has a BYOW policy: Bring Your Own Wood.
Warm Audio has expanded its lineup with a new pedal called the Mutation Phasor II, which is a recreation of a famous phaser from the 1970s.
Scary Goldings dropped a new live video of them a couple of days ago, and that’s always an exciting thing for us. Check out John Scofield, MonoNeon, Lemar Carter, Larry Goldings, Jack Conte, and Ryan Lerman performing “Disco Pills.”
Bassist Max Gerl has announced that his next album will be a self-titled, 11-song collection and will explore the entirety of the bass. With that in mind, he brought in the legendary Stanley Clarke as its producer.
You've seen the video. (It's one of the most viewed Jazz performance videos of the past few years.) Paul Thompson breaks down Ramsey Lewis’ “Summer Breeze” and Cleveland Eaton’s bass work.
While I love spinning Snarky Puppy’s “Empire Central” on vinyl, I also love watching their videos of the live recording session. The band just dropped a new video for “Portal.”
If you’re looking to explore polyrhythms easily, you may want to check out a new app called Polly. Created by Brian Hutchison, the app is a metronome with a simple design for layering in up to five accents.
Striding out of the Odanak First Nation and onto international stages with thunderous aplomb, Mali Obomsawin is a bassist, singer, and composer who doesn’t just play the bass — she crafts sonic narratives. She’s our guest for this month’s episode of Groove.
Musician/producer Filippo Bubbico enlisted bassist Federico Malaman for this collaboration. “Weird Funk Crazy Song” has Federico playing two bass tracks – traditional and lead.
Funk queen Ida Nielsen has just dropped a new album of tasty grooves called “More Sauce, Please!,” marking her sixth effort as a leader.
In Part 2 of this lesson series, we further develop our bass groove with the E minor pentatonic scale and a few built-in moves perfect for pull-offs.
Evan Marien shared a video focusing on the excellent work of Jimmy Johnson, and in particular, a great fill he played during a live performance of “You’ve Got A Friend” with James Taylor.
The Winery Dogs released their latest album, “III,” earlier this year, and they’ve been steadily touring the world to share it with fans. Now Billy Sheehan and the gang will be heading to Europe for the fourth “paw” of their “202III World Tour”.
Eminence and Orange have teamed up to release the Kristian Kohle Bass IR Pack featuring 20 impulse responses that simulate four different bass cabs. The IRs can help your bass fit into a mix when a live cabinet isn’t used.
Martin Miller and his studio band put together an epic medley of music from the 70s, covering KISS, The Bee Gees, Toto, Pink Floyd, Earth Wind & Fire, and more.
Meet Nikos Chatzitsakos, a bassist originally from Athens who now resides in NYC. Here’s his story...
Sad news to report today as British session legend Mo Foster has died. He was 78 years old. The bassist had been battling cancer.
Skunk Anansie bassist Cass Lewis has been an Alusonic endorser for some time, and the company has just created a new bass for him. The Alusonic Django Deluxe 4 Cass Lewis Signature Bass offers “something unique and innovative,” the company writes.
No Treble reader Lukas Pamminger sent us this video, and we’re digging his trio, T.O.L. Check out their funky tune, “Mupasario,” which he says honors the hours they spent playing ‘Super Mario’ on the Nintendo 64.
More tracks from Frank Zappa’s archive have come to see the light of day in a new album called “Funky Nothingness.” The album features 25 rare and previously unreleased tracks.
Time for the latest roundup of the best in bass, aka the weekly top 10 on No Treble. Here are the most popular stories we shared for the week of June 24-30, 2023.
Iron Ether Electronics has unveiled the Subterrograph, which combines their Subterranea multi-octave oscillator with their Xerograph Deluxe 4-pole resonant lowpass filter.
Charles Berthoud once again broke out the fretless, and then he played Polyphia’s “Playing God” on it.
Billy Gibbons revealed that ZZ Top is working on a new studio album, and that both Dusty Hill and Elwood Francis will be featured on the record.
Dunlop has teamed up with Trivium’s Paolo Gregoletto for a new set of signature strings that they say give him a bigger, bolder tone. The Trivium Hybrid Wound Nickel Bass Strings are crafted with alternating nickel and steel windings matched to a nickel outer wrap.
Zander Zon switches things up with a new how-to video. This demonstrates how bassists looking to work with a loop pedal can create a multi-layered, solo bass song.
The start of a new month means it’s time to round up the most popular gear stories from the previous one. Here are the top 10 most read, liked, and shared bass gear stories on No Treble for June 2023.
Phish will be back on the road this fall with an 8-date run over three cities. Mike Gordon and company also announced the release of a vinyl edition of “Farmhouse.”
We’ve featured a video of Rebecca Johnson and her band performing “Steal My Kisses” before, but this new one is too special not to share today. I love the vibe on this version.
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament teamed up with former Fitz & The Tantrums drummer John Wicks several years ago to form a project called Deaf Charlie. Their debut track, “Something Real,” came out in 2020, but now the duo has a full LP to share.
In this new “From the Bottom” episode, Paul Thompson dives into the work of Instant Funk. This one focuses on Raymond Earl’s work on Evelyn “Champagne” King’s “Shame.”
Julia Hofer is back with another “Best of Bass Lines” video, and this time around, she’s focusing on the bass line to The Jacksons’ version of “Blame It On The Boogie.”
After releasing a new album, Gov’t Mule unveiled a new set of tour dates to share with their fans. The “Peace… Like A River” tour will kick off on September 13th following their “Dark Side of the Mule” Pink Floyd tribute summer tour.
Walrus Audio has expanded its Canvas series of utility devices with the Canvas Passive Re-Amp. The new gadget is a studio tool for sending already recorded tracks of bass, guitar, drums, or any other instrument back out through pedals, effects, or different amp combinations.
Playing For Change’s original band got together for the first time in three years. Here’s the group, with Claire Finley on bass and vocals, performing Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
Bassist Robert Black, who pushed for the evolution of bass music, has died from cancer. He was 67 years old. The news was shared by the contemporary classical music organization Bang on a Can.
Sushi Box Effects has released the Venus X, a tube preamp they developed with input from bassist Tony Puleo to allow him to consistently get his tone no matter the playing situation.
Consider the Source bassist John Ferrara has released several amazing solo albums, but today we’re proud to help premiere the first song from his new project Mono Means One. “It Covered The Sky” features his incredible compositions and tapping technique. (Be sure to check out his tapping lessons on No Treble.) “The songs created in ‘Mono Means One’ are primarily...
Meet Martin DeGrace, a bassist we’ve featured in our Daily Videos. Martin was eight years old when he saw Gene Simmons play, and that was all it took. Three years later, he started playing bass, and he’s done it for 42 years now.
Luthier Tom Molstad of Bird on a Wire Stringed Instruments recently posted photos of his first-ever bass build, and he’s off to a great start. “Sil Nora” is a six-string, multi-scale bass with a rich combination of colors.
I stumbled upon the musician known as KNULP on Youtube, and I was blown away. KNULP performs multiple tunes on multiple instruments. Here she is performing Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.”
Knower has returned with a brand new album called “Knower Forever,” marking their first full-length release since 2016’s “Life.” The album’s low end is covered by MonoNeon and Sam Wilkes.
Happy Sunday! Time to look back at the week of top 10 stories on No Treble, which includes gear, lessons, news, and “The Funkiest Bass Line From Outer Space.”
Which each new video Ellen Alaverdyan shares, I’m more impressed. And that’s saying a lot. Ellen has fun performing some funky slap and fingerstyle on “The Secret Society Of The Flying Thumb.”
The unstoppable death metal machine that is Cannibal Corpse has announced its sixteenth album, “Chaos Horrific,” which will be released on September 22nd. They’ve also unveiled a corresponding U.S. tour that will launch the same day.
Another piece of music history will hit the auction block at the end of this month. Session legend Tommy Cogbill’s 1966 Precision Bass will be up for grabs through the “Gotta Have Rock and Roll” auction.
Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade and Adrian Belew are currently touring together, and now we have a fan-shot video of them on stage together. Here they are performing “Thela Hun Ginjeet.”
“The Omnichord Real Book” marks Meshell Ndegeocello’s first album for the legendary Blue Note Records, and as such the bassist/vocalist digs into her jazz side.
It’s been fifteen years since Dunlop launched the MXR Bass Innovations department, so they’re celebrating with the Blackout Series. The team chose two of their most popular pedals – the MXR Bass Compressor and the MXR Bass Envelope Filter.
Bassist Matteo Esposito reunited with four other professional musicians from Italy to record the Brecker Brothers’ classic “Some Skunk Funk.” They nailed it!
Fender has released a new collectible that celebrates one of their iconic pairings. The Fender Dynamic Duo Silver Coin Set features two pieces shaped like a Precision Bass and a Bassman amp.
In this episode of “From The Bottom,” Paul Thompson digs into a classic funk track by Dexter Wansel. He gets into why the bass line to “Life On Mars” is one of the most unique you’ll ever hear.
Dream Theater has released another official music video from their 2021 album, “A View From The Top Of The World.” “Answering The Call” offers some amazing CGI work by Wayne Joyner to pair with the band’s music.
Neon Trees have announced “The Favorite Daze Tour,” which will take them from coast to coast this fall. Bassist Branden Campbell shared the news, along with his reverence for live music in general, on Instagram.
This lesson explores the pull-off technique, an essential element of bass playing. While it’s typically used in funk, this can be applied across all genres of music.
It’s always a good day when The Main Squeeze drops a new video. Here’s the group with special guest Adryon de León doing their version of the Rufus and Chaka Khan classic, “Ain’t Nobody.”
moe. has announced a new 16-date tour for the fall focusing on the mid-Atlantic and Midwest. At the beginning of the year, the band welcomed guitarist Chuck Garvey back to the road full-time. They also made keyboardist Nate Wilson a permanent addition to the group.
Benson Amps has launched a new bass amp called the B700. Designed with bassist Joe Lally of Fugazi and The Messthetics, the high-voltage head features a tube preamp matched to a 700-watt class D output section.
New Jazz Underground dropped a fantastic video a couple of days, and this one takes on many twists and turns. Here’s the quartet of saxophonist Abdias Armenteros, pianist Eric “ELEW” Lewis, bassist Sebastian Rios, and drummer TJ Reddick performing “the MF DOOM SUiTE.”
Les Claypool reunited with his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade this year for a summer tour, marking the band’s first outing in 20 years. They must be having fun because they’ve just announced a new set of fall dates.
David Sutkin posted the latest bass in his arsenal on the Facebook group Bass Upfront, and it’s clear he’s ready to rock. Literally.
NPR Music shared this fantastic Tiny Desk Concert a few days ago, and I enjoyed every minute. Here’s Adam Blackstone leading his band and special guests on six tunes at NPR’s HQ.
Gov’t Mule has big news this month with a lineup change and a new album. The group announced that bassist Jorgen Carlsson has left the fold after fifteen years.
Dynamo Amplification has made a name for itself by building high-power and high-gain guitar amplifiers. Now they’re getting into the low end with the first model in a new line of bass amplifiers.
Nenad Vasilic sent us another video featuring music from his upcoming album, “Bass & Strings.” Here’s Nenad with pianist Samo Hude and drummer Leo Gerstner performing “Seven Drops.”
There’s a new must-read book for bass players on the market as Jerry Jemmott has published his autobiography. Make It Happen!: The Life and Times of “The Groovemaster,” Bassist Jerry Jemmott features forewords by Chuck Rainey, Ron Carter, and Robert Trujillo, who all sing his praises. Jemmott’s bass playing has been on the radio for over five decades. He played...
Shnobel Tone has introduced its first compressor pedal, simply called the Compressor. The design is an optical compressor with a four-knob control layout.
Meshell Ndegeocello’s “The Omnichord Real Book” marks her first album in five years. While she doesn’t play bass on “Clear Water” (Chris Bruce handles that), it is great to hear new music from a prolific artist.
Afro-Andean Funk has returned with their second album, Flower On Fire, continuing their multi-cultural, genre-bending style that fuses Andean roots music with American funk, rock, and electronica.
Phil Jones Bass has relaunched the Roadcase, which they call the most powerful bass combo amp in their product lineup. The PJB BG-800 features twelve 5-inch drivers housed in an enclosure complete with a built-in handle and wheels.
House of Waters has a new album coming out in September, and they’ve just dropped the first official music video to give us an early listen. Here’s the trio of Max ZT, Moto Fukushima, and Antonio Sanchez performing “Avaloch.”
After releasing an EP in May, Duff McKagan has announced his next full-fledged album will drop on October 20th. “Lighthouse” will be his third solo effort featuring guests Slash, Abe Laboriel Jr., Jerry Cantrell, and more.
ZeroFive Audio is a new company based in France that has introduced two pedals: the Lowrider and the Voodoo. The units were created with the idea of turning studio mixing techniques into effects pedals.
George Collier put together this video of Joe Dart doing his thing during a live Vulfpeck performance of “Beastly” in 2017. And he included the notation and tab for it.
The upcoming Rolling Stones album seems to be getting more and more interesting. Earlier this year, it was reported that Paul McCartney had recorded a track. Now a source close to the band says that former member Bill Wyman has done the same.
Stu Hamm was a recent guest on Ultimate Guitar’s “On The Record.” The bass legend discussed his upcoming album, Hold Fast, and shared stories about his career and work.
Here’s a fantastic video of Scary Goldings in a live performance at Jazz à la Villette in Paris, France. MonoNeon really brings it on this one!
Bassist and educator Joe Hubbard has released a new book to train you into technical excellence. “Fingers of Fury: Mastering Finger Independence for Bass Guitar” is a digital book available now.
Here’s a playlist for you to enjoy: the top 10 bass videos on No Treble, as viewed by readers in May 2023.
Ellen Alaverdyan recently celebrated her 11th birthday, and she’s back with another fantastic video. Check out Ellen playing through Muse’s “Hysteria.”
Hal Leonard has published “The Bassist’s Fake Book,” featuring easy-to-read lead sheets for 250 songs. The music spans a wide array of genres, from pop and rock to rap and reggae.
This week we’re taking a look at a recent bass build by Capurso Guitars. This Spiral Deluxe five-string has a classy look with a poplar burl top finished in a transparent green burst complemented by a Birdseye maple fingerboard with abalone inlays.
In 1985, “Axel F” was a monster hit. Charles Berthoud, inspired by Crazy Frog, took the tune and added his usual magic.
After more than 50 years in the music business, Geezer Butler has retired. The rock and metal pioneer shared the news with Rolling Stone during an interview about his new memoir, “Into The Void.”
As we close another week, it’s time to look back at the top stories from the land of the low end. Here are the top 10 most-read articles for the week.
EBS has announced two modulation pedals for 2023 with the launch of the DynaVerb Limited Spring Edition and the relaunch of the UniChorus. Both pedals have been updated with lighter weight designs, while the new version of the DynaVerb has some extra tricks.
I love Bill Bruford’s channel and the stories he shares with each video. Here’s a clip he shared of U.K. and their official video for “In The Dead Of Night.” What a band!
Rancid’s 10th studio album, “Tomorrow Never Comes,” was just released, but it’s already heralded as one of their best. A big part comes from the bass lines of Matt Freeman, who drives the rhythm with blistering eighth notes and melodic runs.
In Flames has announced another lineup shift as Bryce Paul has left the group. The band announced “Our friend Liam Wilson (The Dillinger Escape Plan) will be stepping in to help us out!”
Snarky Puppy’s “Empire Central” is one of my favorite albums. So I love it when the band drops new videos from the Deep Ellum Art Company recording session in Dallas, Texas. Here’s one they shared yesterday for “Mean Green.” Funky!
The Sam Grisman Project has unveiled a set of tour dates from June to November. Bassist and bandleader Grisman, the son of mandolin icon David Grisman, started the band to celebrate his father’s and Jerry Garcia’s music.
Fender has unveiled a new signature instrument for 2023 with the Limited Edition Mikey Way Jazz Bass. The My Chemical Romance bassist’s new axe comes in a Silver Sparkle finish with a black painted headstock to match his style.
No Treble reader Martin DeGrace sent us his third video of his “All Bass Solo Project.” He covers a lot of ground in this sci-fi-inspired tune, “Distopia.”
Tool has announced a new North American tour that will include their first dates in Canada since 2019. The rock legends will hit the road this fall with six weeks of shows on top of their previously announced festival dates.
Modern funk queen Nik West has worked with a who’s who of funk music. Her newest single continues that tradition with the Godfather of slap bass, Larry Graham. We caught up with Nik to get the scoop.
It’s no secret that Prince was a unique musician. Having worked with some monster bassists, Prince was definitely one funky thumper himself! We catch a glimpse of that in this live performance of "What's My Name?"
After much anticipation, Geezer Butler’s memoir “Into The Void” is now available. The bass legend covers his “birth, Black Sabbath, and beyond” over its 288 pages.
Here’s a quick follow-up to Ryan Madora’s previous “Keep It Groovy” lesson on hammer-ons in the key of E. Ryan reviews the basics of the technique and then adds a few new funky options to help build our groove.
Jimmy Haslip currently holds the bass chair for the legendary Jeff Lorber Fusion group. Here they are at Jazz Kitchen, and Jimmy solos on the track “What’s The Deal?” from the “Prototype” album.
The NYC-based instrumental trio You Bred Raptors? has returned with their fifth full-length studio album, “Lysine.” Although writing for the album began during the pandemic, it was a rollercoaster to complete it.
KISS has added a handful of dates to the final leg of their North American “End of the Road” tour. The farewell run, which was launched in 2019 and put on hold during the pandemic, will be ending the iconic rock band’s career.
The last time we featured a cover by Tim Starace, he was working hard at a bass, keys, and pedals cover of Rush’s “La Villa Strangiato.” Now he’s posted another, covering “Natural Science.”
Dave Grohl planned to write an “insane prog-rock record” after 2021’s “Medicine at Midnight” before tragedy struck when drummer Taylor Hawkins died. They’ve just released their 11th studio album, “But Here We Are,” which deals with their monumental loss.
Unicornbass recently revealed the PureArt JM 6-30, a short-scale six-string that represents some of their best work. The fretless bass has a streamlined design to remove any obstacles to creating your sound.
Here’s a classic video from the early days of Youtube featuring monster bassists Marcus Miller and Tal Wilkenfeld. This one goes all the way back to NAMM 2007!
The last few years have put a lot of things in perspective. During this time, bassist Linda May Han Oh had her first child. All of it boiled down into a new album called “The Glass Hours,” which may be her most intimate album to date.
Spector has announced it is updating its USA NS series of basses for 2023. The instruments are crafted in the new Spector USA Custom Shop facility in Woodstock, New York.
Playing for Change dropped another fantastic video yesterday, with Pō & the 4fathers performing “Color of the ‘Āina.” “Sit back, relax, and let the music fill you with the rich spirit of Hawai’i," they shared.
We had another great week in the land of the low end. Here are the top 10 reader favorite stories on No Treble.
Who actually played Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" bass line? Tina Weymouth wrote it, but she didn’t record it. Paul Thompson digs in on this and more in this episode.
Stuart Clayton shared this video of his band Superstition getting down to one of the biggest hits of the 80s, “Footloose.” The original included the legendary bass line by the great Nathan East, and Stuart nailed it.
After months of anticipation, Dieth has finally released their debut album, “To Hell And Back.” The power Death-thrash trio of David Ellefson, Guilherme Miranda, and Michal Lysejko says the album represents new beginnings.
Squier has announced five new models to their Paranormal Series, which they say boast “otherworldly looks and earth-shattering tones.” The new lineup includes one bass called the Rascal Bass HH.
Zander Zon returns! Using his Dingwall bass, Zander performs a masterful all-bass cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.”
Khruangbin has released the first of their new five-part live album series, and they’re kicking it off with music from a special set from Austin, Texas. “Live At Stubb’s” documents the band’s evolving live sound while showcasing some of their musical friends.
Episode #102 of Groove is here. This month, we’re thrilled to share this conversation with the great Avishai Cohen.
Lemmy Kilmister has been gone for nearly eight years, but luckily he left us plenty of music to remember him by. From Motörhead’s upcoming release from the 2007 Montreux Jazz Festival, here’s a video of their performance of “I Got Mine.”
Virtuoso bassist Bruno Råberg has played with some of the world’s greatest jazz artists over his fifty-year career Now he’s stepped out on his own with his first solo bass album, “Look Inside.”
Royal Blood has announced they’ll return to North America for a fall tour. The English rock duo of drummer Ben Thatcher and bassist/vocalist Mike Kerr will split the run into two legs.
Charles Berthoud takes things to a different level in this new video. Watch him take a double-neck basstar and put together something excellent.
You may recognize Dave Koltai as the sound designer for Supro and Pigtronix, but he’s also a fantastic musician. Koltai just released his solo debut album, “Daughter of Mercury,” and enlisted Living Colour’s rhythm section of Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish.
Death By Audio has unveiled a new pedal called the Disturbance that combines an “extreme filter, flanger, and fazer” into one unit.
The always versatile Tim Lefebvre recorded with Scott Fisher at Sonic Ranch recently, and they’ve just released an official video for one of the tracks.
Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury revealed he has a new autobiography coming this fall. “Life?… & Napalm Death” covers his life and his 36 years in the iconic grindcore band, which influenced the shape of extreme metal.
This week we’re checking out a cool Lolly bass built by Gaetano Costanzo. We’ve featured one of his works before with some amazing woodworking, and this one is no different.
When Jermaine Morgan has something to say about bass, I like to listen. From his #groovesandmotivation series, here’s a new video on the problem of making things complicated (and how to avoid it).
Meet Chris Semal, a long-time bassist (and more). One of Chris’s superpower moments was jamming with Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones.
Lusithand Devices has unveiled a crushing new distortion pedal for bass called the Ground & Pound. The circuit’s creation was dreamed up in an attempt to recreate Tool bassist Justin Chancellor’s sound.
Happy birthday to our good friend, Leland Sklar! We’re celebrating today with this funky tune by Starblaster. Here’s “3am Funk Dance Party.”
The Funky Knuckles have returned with their fifth album, entitled “The Way It Is.” The band has always had a diverse sound, but this time they’ve really gone off the deep end.
JAM Pedals unveiled a redesign of their Red Muck fuzz in collaboration with Gregor Fris of BassTheWorld. Limited to 100 units, the pedal has a special House of Kolor finish and was hand-painted by a prominent automobile paint artist in Greece.
Cory Wong and his band always deliver some big music and big sounds. On March 5, they took things to new levels with the additional of Trousdale. Here they are performing “Golden,” with bass guru Sonny T laying it down.
More sad news to share this week. Original Saint Vitus bassist Mark Adams has passed away. A cause has not been announced, though he had long battled Parkinson’s disease. He was 64 years old.
Flea tweeted his top three favorite bass lines a few weeks ago, and Paul Thompson is here to share his picks and break down each one. Flea’s list includes some iconic synth, electric, and upright bass lines.
It’s always a great day when a new video by Scary Goldings comes out. Will Lee joins the band for a live performance of “Professor Vicarious,” making it every more exciting. Dig Will’s solos!
Chas Newby, one of the last former Beatles, has died at the age of 81. The news was shared with us by his son, Steve Newby, who called his father a great man and good bass player.
This month’s edition of Wonder Women features Trish Doan, a Canadian musician and former bassist for Kittie. In addition to bass, she played guitar since age 13 and was the lead guitarist in the band Her in London, Ontario.
Rick Beato has one of the most informative channels on Youtube. In this interview, he sits down with bass legend Chuck Rainey.
Jazz bassist Bill Lee has passed away at the age of 94. The news was confirmed by his son, film director Spike Lee.
In this lesson, Ryan Madora breaks down the technique of hammering-on. A quintessential element of bass technique, this focuses on our fretting hand and adds plenty of groove to any bass line.
Two days ago, an incredible lineup of musicians got together at the Royal Albert Hall to pay tribute to Jeff Beck. Two bassists were on hand, including Rhonda Smith and Nathan East. Here’s the closing song of the night, “Going Down.”
Dave Matthews Band has released their 10th studio album, entitled Walk Around The Moon. The record was written and recorded by the band members starting in 2020, and the trading of music back and forth led to a rather broad range of sounds. The album marks the first without violinist Boyd Tinsley as well as the first with keyboardist Buddy...
Another punk and metal hero has left us as it’s been reported that Algy Ward has died. He was 63 years old. The bassist/vocalist’s former Tank bandmate Mick Tucker shared the news on Facebook.
Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway went all in on this cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” in this video they released last month.
As we reported last month, drummer Steve Smith is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Vital Information with a new lineup, new album, and a tour. Now the record, “Time Flies,” is out now.
Agustin Iozzo is a guitar and bass builder based in Argentina that makes some amazing looking instruments. This Lambda IV in particular caught my eye on the Iozzo Guitars Instagram page, so I had to find out more.
Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade is on tour, and we get a taste thanks to Youtuber BigDan. Fishbone’s Angelo Moore lays it down with the band on “Rumble of the Diesel.”
The connection of bass and percussion is always an integral part of Latin music, and that’s precisely why the new album from Avishai Cohen and Abraham “Abe” Rodriguez, Jr. Check out “Iroko.”
Ampeg has unveiled a new limited edition version of their Micro-VR Stack sporting a custom blue Tolex and black grille.
KEXP is a constant source of musical discovery for me. Here’s a video I enjoyed by You Said Strange. Martin Carrière handles the lead vocals and the bass on “Eastern Side.”
Former Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm as announced a set of 2023 tour dates with an all-star band. The “fretless monster” himself, Tony Franklin, will be holding down the low end.
Fender has unveiled a new limited run of Made in Japan instruments. The International Color Series are described as “Vintage Fender vibes meets Made in Japan craftsmanship.” The series includes a Precision Bass and a Jazz Bass.
Black Hole Constellation’s Michal Jahoda sent us a video of him playing through his new single, “A ttempts.”
R&B legends Kool & The Gang have been keeping the party going for nearly 60 years, and they’re not stopping. The band has announced a new album, “People Just Wanna Have Fun,” which is due out July 14th.
The Wooten Brothers are about the head down under for a week’s worth of gigs in Australia. Before taking the flight, they’ve announced a new fall tour across the East Coast with the Rebirth Brass Band.
The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke has passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 59 years old. Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr shared the sad news on social media.
Maarten Plukker sent me another isolated bass video he created using Moises. Here’s Rutger Gunnarsson’s isolated bass line on ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.”
Author Jim Reilly has announced another biography of a music industry titan. “Chasing Tone: How Rob Turner and EMG Revolutionized the Guitar’s Sound” examines the life and work of the pickup designer.
In this episode, Paul Thompson breaks down the hit that made Grace Jones a pop star. The iconic bass line that kicks off “Pull Up to the Bumper” is an all-time groove by the late, great Robbie Shakespeare.
No Treble reader Marcelo Hormaechea shared this wonderful video of he and his daughter performing an impressive bass and vocal duet on Basque Television (ETB2).
This week, we’re checking out the Lobster bass from Greece’s Hamor Guitars. The model is their take on a modern design double-cut.
We can always count on Clive H Jones to send us cool videos. He sent us this all-bass cover of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” and it came together beautifully.
Get ready to bang your head. Lamb of God has unveiled a new 2023 headlining tour with support from Ice Nine Kills, Suicide Silence, The Acacia Strain, Frozen Soul, and more.
This was a big week at No Treble, including getting into the work of two bass legends: James Jamerson and Jaco Pastorius. We also shared some popular bass gear, chatted with Guy Pratt in our latest podcast, and more.
Rebecca Johnson dropped a new video from her band’s performance in April. Dig Rebecca’s tone on their version of Stephen Stills’s “Love the One You’re With.”
In January, Incubus bassist Ben Kenney revealed he had a brain tumor removed and would be sitting it out to recover. Tal Wilkenfeld filled in for the early shows, and now Nicole Row is taking over.
Meet Matt Ross, who first thought he wanted to play the guitar (after hearing Hendrix), but realized “bass is infinitely cooler.” He has one of the most hilarious superpowers too.
Drummer Yussef Dayes dropped the official video for the title track of his upcoming album, “Black Classical Music,” and it is incredible. The band includes Rocco Palladino on bass, Charlie Stacey on piano, Venna on saxophone, and Alexander Bourt on percussion.
Fifty-three years after they first formed in Boston, the legendary rock band Aerosmith has announced their final tour. The “Peace Out” farewell run will include The Black Crowes for the whole run.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Metallica’s debut studio album, “Kill ‘Em All.” To coincide with the event, Joel McIver’s definitive biography of bassist Cliff Burton is getting a new edition.
Siân Pottok recently released this live studio video performance of an incredibly beautiful cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” Hadrien Feraud arranged the tune for the group.
South African singer and guitarist Jonathan Butler has returned with his first studio album in eight years with “Ubuntu.” The album was recorded in 2019 with the legendary Marcus Miller.
Guy Pratt, a legendary bass player and skilled musician, has captivated audiences and inspired fellow bass players for decades. He’s our guest for Episode #101 of Groove.
If you missed the special benefit concert Primus threw for Jimmy Hayward, you missed a special night of music. Here’s Les Claypool, Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, and Troy Van Leeuwen performing Tool’s classic track “Ænima.”
Thundercat just released his first new music in three years, and now he’s announced a headlining tour for later this year.
Germany’s Pyramid Strings is showing some love for short-scale basses with two new sets of strings: the Vintage 63 and the Rooftop 69. Both types take their cues from vintage styles of the ’60s.
Jaco Pastorius’s “Three Views of a Secret” is one of my all-time favorite compositions. In this video, guitarist Don Ross is joined by Michael Manring and The Atlantic String Machine to perform their own beautiful version.
Roger Waters has been working hard on his re-recording of the Pink Floyd classic “Dark Side of The Moon.” While that project is being wrapped up, he’s announced a CD and vinyl edition of his most recent album, “The Lockdown Sessions.”
Alex Lofoco returns with a new look at one of Jaco Pastorius’s earliest tunes: “Amelia,” which Jaco performed with Wayne Cochran & The CC Riders. Check out the story and transcription.
Lenny Kravitz pays tribute to Harry Belafonte in this video he created following the news of Belafonte’s passing. Kravitz handles most of the instruments, including bass, on “How Long Have You Been Blind.”
Today is No Treble's birthday. In that time, we've published 17,703 articles and had 40 million visits. That's a lot of bass!
This week we’re checking out a custom bass built by Robbie McDade of RIM Custom Guitars. This Marseer Swallowtail 5 was crafted with neck-through construction, complete with an ash and wenge neck with sycamore body wings.
Cory Wong dropped another live video this morning, and this one is killer. Sonny T is bringing it (as is the entire band) on this live performance of “Ketosis.”
The NAMM Show happened in April this year, which means an uptick in bass gear news. Here are the top 10 reader favorite gear stories on No Treble for the month of April.
Time to look back at the week in bass. Here are the top 10 reader-favorite articles on No Treble from the week of April 22-28, 2023.
Von Frankenstein Monster Gear has unveiled two new sets of signature bass strings with Life of Agony’s Alan Robert. Robert’s Agonizers and Ten Tone Terror are stainless steel strings that are handcrafted one string at a time.
Leonid Vorobyev and his friends are back, and this time they’re nailing a cover of Lighthouse’s “One Fine Morning.”
Bass virtuoso Thundercat has released a new collaboration with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. “No More Lies” is the bassist’s first official single since his 2020 album, It Is What It Is, and may be the start of something bigger.
Origin Effects has unveiled a new pedal inspired by the iconic UA 610 recording preamp. The DCX Bass is a tone shaper and drive pedal that offers vintage analog tones with precision EQ.
Jaz Moss sent us his latest video, which is an incredibly well-done, detailed look at the work of James Jamerson. Jaz said it took three months of research to produce this retrospective on the Motown legend.
Eddie Trunk’s full interview with former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony has been posted, and it seems fans may be hearing more from the VH archives soon.
In this episode, Paul Thompson dissects his favorite Anthony Jackson track and the musical game that ensues between the genius musicians of Eyewitness.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from our friend, Pete O’Neill, but he’s back with a new video he shared with us. This bass arrangement of “Walk Above the City” by the Paper Kites and MARO is beautiful.
More material from the Motörhead archives is about to see the light of day. The legendary rock band’s performance at the 2007 Montreux Jazz Festival will be released as an album.
This month’s edition of Wonder Women features classical double bassist Jane Little, a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for an astonishing 71 years.
Scary Pockets, with the help of guest vocalist Joanna Jones and guest guitarist Joe Bonamassa, took AC/DC’s “Back in Black” and made it funky. Calvin Turner handles the low end.
The Mars Volta has released a new album that dives deeper into their 2022 self-titled record. Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazón is an acoustic and reimagined version of their comeback album, “The Mars Volta.”
Today, Ryan Madora keeps it groovy by learning triads, following a chord progression, and applying a walking bass line by taking a page from Paul McCartney’s book and “Eight Days A Week.”
Charles Berthoud teamed up with Bernth, and the results are incredible. Here they are performing “Bloodstream.”
Lake Street Dive bassist Bridget Kearney has just released a new album. “Snakes of Paradise” features some of her most personal music yet.
Ernie Ball announced two new sets to their Slinky Flatwound Bass lineup at the NAMM Show. The series now has new string gauge combinations designed for short-scale basses.
Marcus Miller took the stage at Yoshi’s with drummer Billy Kilson. Playing the tune “Untamed,’ Marcus switches to fretless – then back to fretted – and gives us an incredibly dynamic performance.
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” is one of the most daunting jazz standards due to its complex chord changes. Janek Gwizdala has published a book for bassists to get the most out of the song.
This Shuker Custom four-string Series 2 Bass has a lot going on. The first thing that catches your eye is its rusted airbrush finish, which has a matte top coat. Then you’re drawn to the hole in the body that acts as a grip.
The Main Squeeze dropped the 7th video featuring music from their new live album, To Be Determined, recorded at The Squeeze House. This time, the band is joined by Pulp Friction, and as always, the smooth bass work of Rob Walker.
Pearl Jam is set to hit the road for the first time this year with a string of summer tour dates from August to September. The band, featuring the great Jeff Ament on bass, will kick things off on August 31st.
After being acquired by Cor-Tek, Digitech/DOD has been relaunching some of their most beloved pedals. Now the company has announced the return of the Meatbox Octaver and Subharmonic Synthesizer.
The Funky Knuckles have a new album dropping on May 19th, and they’re giving us a preview of what’s to come. It’s so good to hear new music from Wes Stephenson and the band!
Another great week of low end goodness is in the books. This week, we covered news from the NAMM Show, enjoyed Tony Senatore's beastly 12-string bass and a gorgeous medley of two George Harrison songs, shared Paul Thompson's "Take Your Walking Bass Lines to the Next Level" lesson, and more.
The NAMM Show was held in the spring this year, and Ernie Ball Music Man was ready for it with new colors for the StingRay Special. The company revealed four new finishes: Sea Breeze, Laguna Green, Pueblo Pink, and Butter Cream.
Maarten Plukker sent us this video he created to showcase Nathan East’s isolated bass on Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.”
Rancid has announced a new album is coming this year, marking their first new music since 2017’s “Trouble Maker”. “Tomorrow Never Comes” is the group’s tenth album, and Matt Freeman delivers his signature ripping bass lines.
EarthQuaker Devices has announced the Aurelius, a three-mode chorus that has six programmable presets and an expression control.
Stanley Clarke is the Original Bass Man. He has a new iteration of his live band – Stanley Clarke N 4EVA – and man, they definitely bring the groove on “Oh Oh.”
The Wood Brothers have returned with “Heart Is The Hero,” and just like every one of their other albums, it’s packed with the amazing bass lines of Chris Wood.hers Release "Heart Is The Hero"
The NAMM Show was earlier this year than last as they work their way back to January. The Show was lighter than past ones, but we still have you covered. Here’s a roundup of what we’ve learned so far from the show.
Theo Katzman dropped another music video from his new album, “Be The Wheel.” Here’s Theo and a great lineup of musicians (including Joe Dart) performing “5 Watt Rock.”
After taking it everywhere, from United Arab Emirates to Singapore, Sting has announced his “My Songs World Tour” will be hitting North America this September and October.
Reverend Guitars unveiled a new model at NAMM this year with a signature model for Bad Cop/Bad Cop bassist Linh Le. Dubbed the “Lil Lihnbacker,” the new instrument is based on the company’s existing Dub King with some tweaks.
The first videos we ever shared by Tony Senatore were from his incredible DVD, “A 12 String Bass X-Ploration.” Now he’s returned to the beastly instrument to share a gorgeous medley of two George Harrison songs.
Katie Thiroux has just released her second course on Discover Double Bass. “Bandstand and Beyond” follows up on her “Beginner to Bandstand” course and is aimed at intermediate and advancing jazz double bassists.
Rapier, a vintage British guitar brand that was reborn in 2021, has just unveiled the Saffire Bass. Based on the Saffire Guitar, the new four-string is built with a 31-inch scale.
I always love it when Thomas Risell (known around the web as MarloweDK) shares a video of him performing. Here he is with Rumors Corner Live performing EW&F’s “September.”
IK Multimedia has released the AXE I/O ONE, which they call the ultimate affordable interface designed for guitar and bass. The compact unit combines their AXE I/O line’s features with a large software tone bundle for flexibility in sounds.
This week we’re checking out a beautiful bass that Swan Custom Basses brought to the 2023 NAMM Show. The Swan Omicron Brutus “Concept” has a singlecut body design with a cutout where you’d normally find controls.
We’ve lost another musical giant. The great Ahmad Jamal passed away yesterday at the age of 92. Here’s a great clip of the legend performing “Poinciana” live in 2014.
Five years after leaving the ranks of Accept, bassist Peter Baltes will be reuniting with one of his former bandmates. Udo Dirkschneider, who co-founded Accept with him in 1976, has announced that Baltes is now a permanent member of U.D.O. and the side project, Dirkschneider.
Ashdown Engineering has expanded its Studio Range with the Studio MiniRig, a mini-stack consisting of a 250-watt solid-state amp head and a 2×10” cabinet.
There are people who are great at a single instrument, and then there are people like Jermaine Morgan. Here he is handling it all on his composition, “Life.”
Bass gear is the main theme for this week’s reader favorites list, accounting for 50% of the list. Add a groovy bass lesson by Ryan Madora, reader spotlight, and more, and you have this week’s top 10.
Martin has launched their first Junior-sized acoustic bass guitars with two new models. Each comes in natural or burst finishes for a total of four new basses.
In this video, Julia Hofer shares her favorite Reggae songs. Julia says, "From Bob Marley to Stevie Wonder, the one-drop rhythm is what drives them all!"
Good walking bass lines can swing the band and outline the harmony, but GREAT walking bass lines will do that and steer the direction and intensity of the music. Take your lines from “following the changes” to “directing the flow” of the music!
Dingwall Guitars is in Anaheim at the NAMM Show to show off some of their work and reveal an incredible new artist model. The Limited Edition John Taylor Rio Dream Bass features a custom finish inspired by Duran Duran’s “Rio” album cover.
It only took a couple of seconds after I hit play to know I would dig this video. Bassist Lewis Maynard kicks things off on this performance of “Hot Penny Day,” Dry Cleaning. I’m digging that P Bass too!
Clear your calendar for a bit because it is time to roll through the top 10 bass videos for the month. Here are the most-watched, reader favorites for March 2023.
Music is a language, and if you want to be a good communicator, you must be a good listener. We caught up with Danny Ziemann to learn about his background, how to get better ears, how to be a better teacher, and his new book.
I love the work of Playing For Change. They just released another fantastic video, this time featuring the music of Keturah. Here’s Keturah and her band performing “All the Way from Africa.”
Oteil Burbridge has announced a new fall tour with his band Oteil & Friends. The group is filled out with Melvin Seals, Duane Betts, Jason Crosby, John Kimock, and Lamar Williams, Jr.
In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, we take a look at combining our major and minor triad shapes to fit a key and chord progression. We’ll focus on the good ol’ 1-6-2-5 in the key of A.
Leonid & Friends are touring the U.S., but that didn’t stop them from dropping another great video. Here’s Leonid Vorobyev and the band performing a cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Fantasy.”
After wrapping up a tour with his Acoustic Group last month, Lyle Lovett has confirmed a coast-to-coast summer tour with his Large Band, featuring Leland Sklar.
Harley Benton is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special edition of guitars and basses in a Firemist Gold finish. The two basses include the JB-25TH and the Enhanced 25TH.
No Treble reader Christian Kussmann sent this video his trio, Almost Nailed It, recorded. Initially, they didn’t intend to release the video, but I’m glad they did in the end.
After first teasing it in 2021, Geddy Lee has revealed the title and release date for his new memoir. “My Effin’ Life” is slated to be published on November 14th, 2023. The 512-page book covers his life in and out of the progressive rock trio Rush.
Geo Kitta has shared the Gildaxe Jupiter, a 32-inch scale bass that is all custom designed and built. The bass oozes with vintage vibes as it takes its cues from the ’60s Italian Meazzi Hollywood Jupiter.
Charles Berthoud dropped another stunning video a few days ago. Here’s his version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” on fretless bass.
Bassist John Regan, who performed with artists including Peter Frampton and Ace Frehley, has passed away at the age of 71. The news was shared in part by Frampton on Facebook, who remembered Regan as a dear friend.
The first week of April started the month off in a big way. Here are this week’s top 10 reader favorite stories on No Treble.
Mattoverse Electronics has unveiled The Solar Sound Desktop, a transistor-based gain circuit that utilizes a solar panel and picks up where the original Solar Sound left off.
The videos from Cory Wong’s tour with Victor Wooten keep coming, and here’s another great one. Here’s the great bass trio of Cory, Victor, and Sonny T performing “Dean Town” live in St. Louis.
FKT Audio has released a new pedal called The Fretless, which combines a midrange parametric EQ with a chorus and reverb. The pedal was designed the enhance the sound of a fretless bass during rhythm and lead sections.
We’ve seen many bassists play the Jaco Pastorius tune “Portrait Of Tracy” over the years, but none quite like this. Munguntovch Tsolmonbayar takes on the tune on double bass, and he nails it.
Meet Omer Al-Katib (aka Omer Plays Bass), a bassist with 41 years of experience and an impressive collection. As you’ll see in his “superhero” response, he’s a pro’s pro.
Ernie Ball Music Man unveiled the latest in their limited edition Ball Family Reserve instruments. The Spring 2023 drop includes the Ball Family Reserve StingRay Retro ’76 bass.
Bill Bruford drops some incredible videos (and stories). Here’s one with the 80’s King Crimson lineup of Bruford, Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, and Adrian Belew performing “Larks’ Tongues In Aspic (Part II)” live.
Flea’s new podcast, This Little Light, has launched with its first three episodes. As we previously reported, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist created the fifteen-part series to interview artists about their early musical journeys.
Welcome to episode #100 of Groove – The No Treble Podcast. For the first time, we brought someone back for a second appearance. Celebrating 100 episodes with Robert Trujillo!
I love catching videos from the Cory Wong tour with Victor Wooten. Here’s a terrific fan-shot clip of Vic taking a solo at the concert in Chicago.
Polyphia has announced a North American tour in support of their most recent album, “Remember That You Will Die.” The band, featuring bassist Clay Gober, will kick off the headlining trek on September 30th.
Fender’s entry-level Squier Bullet series has been replaced by a new line called the Sonic Series. The new instruments carry similar attributes to their predecessors with new colors and new models.
John Ferrara stopped by the Bass Nerds’ studio to record a podcast episode with them. Before that, John performed some tunes, including this stunning rendition of “Fragments of Silence.”
After a four-year hiatus, Queen and Adam Lambert are bringing The Rhapsody Tour back to North America. The production has been expanded and updated since its inception in 2019 and will feature a set list spanning Queen’s full catalog.
SolidGoldFX has revamped one of their bass pedal offerings with the Beta-V, which they call a preamp that kicks. The Beta was their first bass-specific pedal, and the latest edition continues the model’s take on capturing the warmth and grit of vintage tube amps.
Thee Sacred Souls performed a set at the KEXP studio in February. Here’s one of my favorites from their performance.
NICKO has just released his solo debut, “NICKO_1,” a bass-driven album inspired by a love of classic video game soundtracks. The instrumental record blends the sounds of retro synths and drum machines with contemporary pop for an upbeat feel and memorable hooks.
Sad news to report as Gentle Giant bassist Ray Shulman has passed away after a long illness. He was 73 years old. The news was shared by his brother Derek on Facebook.
This week we’re checking out a gorgeous new double bass from Neal Heppleston called the Solo Model. Based in West Yorkshire, the luthier created the specs to benefit solo bass playing, hence the name.
Dominic “Forest” Lapointe is one of the most incredible fretless players in the world. He’s just released a playthrough video for First Fragment’s “Soif Brûlante,” which is highly demanding and equally musical.
Steve Smith and Vital Information are marking their 40th anniversary this year with a new album and a tour to boot. “Time Flies” will be released on May 5th and will feature the drummer and his band
Acorn Amps has introduced the Solid State Preamplifier, which takes the normal and saturated channels from their Solid State amp and puts them into a compact preamp pedal.
Over the years, we’ve featured many great covers by Martin Miller. After five years of work, his new album, “Maze of My Mind,” is out. Here’s the music video for “Web of Lies,” which includes Linus Klausenitzer on bass.
Snarky Puppy has announced a new leg of their “Empire Central” tour that will take the crossover band across North America this fall. Beginning on September 8th, the trek will be a victory lap for their GRAMMY award-winning record, “Empire Central.”
Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony seems to have a new project in the works. In a recent interview on Trunk Nation, he teased the new band to host Eddie Trunk.
Nenad Vasilic sent us his latest video, which features music from his upcoming album, Bass & Strings. “Minority” starts out with bass and drums before a string ensemble joins in to add another great layer.
Our bass gear stories received tens of thousands of views in March, and some of them were really off the charts. Here are the top 10 most-read gear stories for the month.
In this episode, we’ll break down one of the most heard and underrated bassists: Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees.
We love when you share your videos with us. Martin Gauthier and his band bring it on this cover of The PB Underground’s “Played It Right.” Tight band. Exceptional groove!
In an interesting turn of industry news, the iconic amp company Marshall Amplification is set to be acquired by Zound Industries.
Ampeg is gearing up for the NAMM Show in April by revealing a new pedal called the SGT-DI. The company calls the unit an “entire rig in a single stompbox.”
Here’s the great Melvin Lee Davis performing Joni Mitchell’s “Edith and the Kingpin” in a totally unique way. MLD is joined by Jesse Milliner on keyboards and vocoder, Rob Bacon on guitar, and Jay Williams on drums.
Les Claypool and Primus have announced a special benefit concert for April 17th at The Belasco in Los Angeles to support their friend, film director Jimmy Hayward, who is undergoing cancer treatment.
In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, we take a look at minor triad shapes on the bass and figure out how to transform them from an exercise to a groove.
One of my favorite bands since my teen years is jazz-fusion band Casiopea. When I first heard the track "Mid-Manhattan", I was instantly hooked. Here’s the band performing “Mid-Manhattan” at Blues Alley in Japan.
Nick Cave has announced a North American tour for the fall, but he won’t be totally alone. Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood will accompany the singer/songwriter on the outing. The outing begins September 19th in Asheville, North Carolina, and will head north into Canada before cutting down the midwest and into Texas. Its final shows are scheduled for dates in Los...
Kiesel Guitars has updated its Aries model to introduce the A2, aka the Aries 2. Hailed as a complete revamp of the instrument, the A2 is offered as a guitar or a bass model.
Charles Berthoud dropped another great video yesterday, saying, “I couldn’t get this idea out of my head so here you go.” In this one, Charles makes “Für Elise” funky.
MonoNeon has released a new album called “Jelly Belly Dirty Somebody” that digs back into his microtonal approach. The bassist composed, performed, and recorded the entire album on his own.
Chris Seldon’s bass designs are always so striking. This week we’re checking out his Scout 434 model, which he says was designed to be a “straightforward yet well-appointed workhorse.”
On this day in 1960, the great Victor Bailey was born. In honor of his birthday, here’s a clip of Bailey and his group performing “Low Blow” at Moody’s Jazz Cafe in Foggia, Italy, in 2010.
Multi-instrumentalist Nate Wood has been shocking us with his musicality for years. Now he’s released an album, “Step Aside,” with the solo project, aka fOUR, where he plays everything at once – bass, drums, analog synths, and vocals.
Positive Grid has expanded its Spark lineup of portable amps with the Spark GO. The pocket-sized guitar/bass amplifier and Bluetooth speaker feature smart app integration for a variety of tones and practice tools.
One of my favorite bass players, Clark Sims, dropped another vid at Norman’s Rare guitars. He’s joined by funk master Marcus Machado, and they are just KILLING these vintage Fenders!
Grooves will abound this summer as Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire will team up for the “Sing A Song All Night Long” tour. Richie will be joined by Ethan Farmer, while Earth, Wind & Fire continues to be anchored by Verdine White.
Drummer and composer Kendrick Scott has released a new album. “Corridors” features a trio with saxophonist Walter Smith III and bassist Reuben Rogers.
Donny Hathaway’s “Live” album is an essential one for bassists. Of course, one of the highlights is the landmark bass solo by Willie Weeks on “Voices Inside (Everything is Everything).” Here’s Weeks recreating the solo in a live performance.
After unveiling extensive European dates earlier this year, Peter Gabriel has announced the first round of North American shows for 2023. Gabriel and his band, featuring Tony Levin, will begin in Canada before heading to the U.S.
Darkglass Electronics has added a new pedal to its lineup with the Darkglass Noise Gate. Designed with simplicity in mind, the single-knob stompbox quickly cleans up your signal.
Charles Berthoud joined Polyphia for this “jamming version” video of the tune “Playing God” from the band’s latest album, “Remember That You Will Die.
U2 has re-recorded and reimagined forty songs from their extensive catalog for the new album, “Songs of Surrender.” Curated and produced by guitarist The Edge, the collection includes completely new versions of their songs.
In this episode of From the Bottom, Paul Thompson digs into the music of Charlie Parker, aka “Bird.” Bird’s library of music is essential for all musicians, including the five specific aspects that make his compositions exceptional.
Gerald Veasley is a monster on the 6-string bass. We’re going back to Jazz Jams 2014 for this one. Veasley kicks the set off with one of my favorite tunes, “Valdez In The Country,” which also comes with a killer drum solo.
Jan-Olof Strandberg started The Strandberg Project in 1995 to push musical boundaries and cross cultural borders. The bassist has a compilation of his work with his band from 2003 to 2022 with a new four-CD box set called “The Works.”
Meet Matt Schalles (aka Professor Hazmatt). Matt played guitar for three years (among other instruments) before switching to bass (yes to that!) Here’s his story...
Tye Tribbett visited NPR for a Tiny Desk Concert, but he didn’t bring his tiny band. The gospel legend brought his full rhythm section, backup singers, and horn section to cram into the infamous corner at NPR’s headquarters.
Pink Floyd’s groundbreaking album “Dark Side of the Moon” turned 50 this month and musicians around the world are paying homage. That includes Gov’t Mule, who has announced a tour called “Dark Side of the Mule.”
Dunable Guitars has been tinkering with the Asteroid model bass for years to perfect its balance, hardware, case, and more. Now that they’ve got it squared away, they’ve introduced it into their lineup of standard models.
Huw Foster sent us the latest video in his “5 Basslines (And How to Play Them)” series, focusing on the one and only Bernard Edwards.
The members of Vulfpeck have always been creative in their endeavors, and now they’ve launched a new project called the Vulf Conservatory. The educational platform has just kicked off with The Joe Dart Bass Course.
This week we’re checking out another incredible build by StoryWood Music. The company specializes in using amazing reclaimed and salvaged wood. Their SWB-1 Custom Offset Fretless Bass has an amazing story.
We first featured The First Circle in September 2022, with their excellent cover of Pat Metheny Group’s “Last Train Home.” Here they are again with a cover of the Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays composition of the same name.
Warwick’s Rockboard has expanded its lineup of pedalboards with the Rockboard DUO 2.3, TRES 3.3, QUAD 4.4, and CINQUE 5.3 MAX. The new units are built with light aluminum construction with slotted designs for easily mounting your pedals.
Time for your weekly recap from the world of bass, aka the top 10 reader favorites. Here’s your top 10 list on No Treble for the week of March 11-17, 2023.
Beetronics has unleashed a new pedal called the Seabee, a multi-chorus pedal featuring analog bucket brigade chorus tones. It has three chorus modes for all the classic sounds we’re used to, each mode having different control sets.
Bill Bruford shared this video earlier this month of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe’s 1989 performance at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. Jeff Berlin joined the band for this performance of “Heart Of The Sunrise,” filling in for Tony Levin.
Guns N’ Roses will be back on the road this summer with a major world tour covering the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
Digitech/DOD has brought back a piece of its history with the DOD Envelope Filter 440. The pedal was reissued in 2014 but is being relaunched this year in what parent company Cor-Tek calls the “Comeback” of DOD pedals.
We’ve seen Davie504 perform from home for years. But last month, he joined TwoSet Violin on stage to perform before thousands of fans. Here they are performing “Master of Puppets.”
Last July, David Ellefson announced he had a new band with guitarist/vocalist Guilherme Miranda and drummer Michal Lysejko called Dieth. Now the death-thrash project has revealed details of their debut album.
Fodera Guitars is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with a limited run of basses. The 40th Anniversary Emperor Deluxe will come in four- and five-string versions and will be available through their dealer network.
Sascha Jacobsen sent us this incredible video he recorded featuring music from his album, “Alma Vieja.” I love the title - “Un Bajo de Magia” (“The Magic Bass”) - and the way this one grooves.
Phish bassist and co-founder Mike Gordon has revealed his sixth solo album, “Flying Games,” will be released on May 12th. The release will be his first solo studio record since 2017’s “OGOGO.”
Although many know him for his astounding jazz playing, Russell Hall is a bassist that can’t be put into one category. We caught up with him to discuss his new album, “Black Caesar,” and a whole lot more.
Zycopolis TV has such a deep catalog of videos. Here’s one they just dropped from a live performance in 1994 of “War Inside My Head” by Suicidal Tendencies (with Robert Trujillo).
The progressive metal heroes of Periphery have returned with a new album, “Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre.” The band once again recruited former member Adam “Nolly” Getgood to co-produce the album as well as play bass.
In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora takes a look at major triad shapes on the bass and figures out how to transform them from an exercise to a groove.
Damon Deluca commented on the video we shared by StickHits and their remastered soundcheck video of Rush in 2012. Damon shared StickHits’ impressive remix and remaster video of Rush’s “Subdivisions.”
Meet Tim Coletti, a 40-year veteran of the low end. Tim started on air drums before saving up to buy a Rickenbacker 4001. Here’s his story...
February might be the shortest month, but that didn’t stop us from packing in some incredible videos featuring talented people from the low end. Here are the top 10 reader favorites for the month.
Fans were in for a treat when MonoNeon performed the National Anthem on March 9th at the Grizzlies vs. Warriors NBA game. As expected, it was a unique (and incredible) performance.
Hans Zimmer has composed some of the most epic soundtracks. Lately, he’s been performing that music on tour. Now he’s released “Hans Zimmer LIVE,” with two bassists: Andy Pask and Juan Garcia-Herreros, aka Snow Owl.
Bassist and pillar of the prog rock community John Jowitt wrote in to share his new Bogart bass, and we’re sure glad he did. This Sport IV model marks his seventh bass since meeting luthier Stefan Hess in 1996.
Aaron Gibson has released his NPR Tiny Desk Contest video entry, and we’re pulling for him. “Closet Girls” is a beautiful bass and vocals song.
Phish will be hitting the road again this summer with a 23-date tour. The band, anchored by Mike Gordon, will kick things off on July 11th and take it through Labor Day Weekend.
This week on No Treble, we had a great look at Ray Brown’s 7/8 Size Double Bass, featured some new gear, some exciting tours in the works, and did a deep dive on Meshell Ndegeocello’s “Perfect Groove.” Here are the top 10 reader favorites.
Michal Jahoda shared a new video with us, and it is about as daring as any we’ve ever seen. Here’s his play-through to “A Candle That Burns Twice,” filmed on a glacier in Norway a few minutes before a storm.
Legendary jazz bassist Buster Williams is celebrating his 80th year on earth with a new album called “Unalome.” The bassist and bandleader compiled several jazz and Latin standards for the album and a handful of new originals.
Percussionist Cindy Blackman-Santana is heading out on the road with her band this spring for a tour that will go coast to coast. The low end for the whole run will be handled by Felix Pastorius.
No Treble reader Teodoras Balciauskis sent us his latest, and it is quite the showcase for his playing and composition skills. Check out his tune “Kosmosas.”
Buckle up: Evan Marien and Dana Hawkins have teamed up for another EvanxDana album, and they’ve brought some friends along for the ride. The bass and drum duo’s “Elysian” has a wide variety of guests.
EBG Instruments has introduced a new bass called the EBG-5 Jigsaw Fretless. Following the company’s previous styles, it is built around an aluminum center block with four sculpted iroko body pieces and a flamed maple top.
KEXP dropped a video by Adwaith, from the trio’s performance of “ETO” live at Vera in Groningen, NL, during Eurosonic 2023 in January.
Victor Wooten and his brothers will embark on two tours this spring, with two weeks in the United States followed by two weeks in Australia.
In this episode of From the Bottom, Paul Thompson breaks down his favorite track from Meshell Ndegeocello’s 1993 debut album, “Plantation Lullabies,” and the three ways she makes a perfect groove on three different instruments in one song.
Berklee’s latest “Two Track” video features Josephine Glass’s soulful singing on two tunes. Max Kozol lays down a funky foundation on Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” before the band brings it down on Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You.”
The masterful Christian McBride has released a second album with his New Jawn quartet called “Prime.” Even without the use of a traditional chordal instrument such as guitar or piano, the band covers a lot of ground.
Fender has unveiled their first signature all-tube bass combo for over 40 years with the Adam Clayton ACB 50 Bass Amp. The U2 bassist’s new rig is rated at 50 watts and features three 12AX7 tubes plus a 12AT7 tube in the preamp and two 6L6 tubes in the power section.
Brazilian bassist and composer Walter Areia has just released a beautiful new song called “Sol e o Girassol.” Written as a theme for his sister, Solange, the song paints a gorgeous picture.
Gospel great Justin Raines needs the bass community’s help. The bassist, known for his work with Israel Houghton and Ne-Yo, has just announced that after nearly a decade, his transplanted kidney has failed.
Five years after the loss of drummer and co-founder Pat Torpey, Mr. Big has announced a new world tour called “The Big Finish.” Their extended goodbye run will feature the band performing the album “Lean Into It.”
Scary Pockets is back with another cover, and this one grooves, thanks in part to Joe Ayoub. Guest vocalist Sophia James fronts the band on this take of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”
As a member of post-punk icons The Raincoats, Gina Birch put her stamp on the world with her music. Now she’s making another statement with “I Play My Bass Loud,” which marks her solo album debut and serves as a sort of self-portrait.
The Smithsonian is home to many priceless pieces of history. Its vast collection includes numerous musical instruments and this week, we’re featuring a bass I was lucky enough to visit recently: Ray Brown’s 7/8 Size Double Bass.
We love when readers send us their videos. Iván Tenorio sent us this one he recorded with his wife, vocalist Dafne Torsáe. The duo beautifully performs “Alfonsina y el mar.”
Nashville session bassist Michael Rhodes has passed away of undisclosed causes. He was 69 years old. Guitarist Joe Bonamassa posted the news.
Another great week of bass goodness comes to a close. Here are the top 10 reader favorite articles for the week of February 25 – March 3 on No Treble.
Fender’s Player Series and Player Plus Series have been updated for 2023 with new colors and left-handed models.
The Main Squeeze is once again getting the led out with their latest video. Things kick off with Rob Walker on the band’s cover of “Dazed and Confused.”
Everyone’s favorite virtual band has returned. “Cracker Island” marks the eighth studio album from Gorillaz, and it sees character bassist Murdoc Niccals and his bandmates joined by tons of talented guests.
Stuart Clayton and Bassline Publishing have expanded their transcription book offering with a new deep dive on a bass icon. “The John Entwistle Bass Book” features full transcriptions from The Ox’s career.
Zander Zon’s “Sonorous” album is one I’ve enjoyed for many years. “Epic Love” is among my favorite tracks on it, so it was a thrill to see him release this new video this week, revisiting the tune.
Things are looking good for a groovy summer as Tedeschi Trucks Band has announced a string of tour dates through June and July. The band, which is anchored by bassist Brandon Boone, has shifted the format of their shows from previous summer tours.
In this “From the Bottom” episode, Paul Thompson revisits one of the great R&B/funk groups of the 1980s. Check out his breakdown of The Dazz Band and their iconic hit, “Let It Whip,” and why Michael Wiley is a name you should know.
Zycopolis TV shared this video this morning, and it is a great blast from the past. Filmed at Paradiso 2008, here’s the trio of Stanley Clark, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten (known as S.M.V.) performing “Thunder.”
Steve Mackey, who played bass for the Britpop band Pulp, has passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 56 years old. The news was shared by his wife, Katie Grand, on Mackey’s Instagram page.
The Sheepdogs built their name on hard work and determination. Ryan Gullen's commitment to his craft and willingness to push the boundaries of what is possible with the bass guitar has helped the band evolve their sound over the years and stay fresh and exciting. We chat with him in this episode.
My friend Jim Miller shared this video on Facebook recently, and I was surprised I hadn’t seen it before. Here’s Jeff Beck with Rhonda Smith performing one of my all-time favorite tunes, Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “You Know You Know,” live in Tokyo.
Mastodon’s Troy Sanders has once again teamed up with Fender to create a signature axe. The company describes the new Fender Troy Sanders Precision Bass as the “ultimate weapon for heavy metal enthusiasts.”
Today’s “Keep It Groovy” lesson is all about versatility, understanding the fretboard, and integrating open strings. This one piggybacks off a previous lesson on playing a slow blues. This time, we’ll find the bass part in a different position.
The Hindley Street Country Club is a band in Adelaide, South Australia, started by bassist Constantine Delo. Here’s a great video of the band performing The Doobie Brothers’ tune, “Long Train Runnin’.”
The new year has been going strong with new gear stories, and readers are reading them at an all-time high. Here is your roundup of the top bass gear stories we reported in February.
The final installment of John Ferrara’s excellent “Tapping Technique and Composition” lesson series on No Treble is here. In this episode, John shows one way that we can accomplish playing a melody on top of an arpeggiated chord progression.
Charles Berthoud recently dropped this video for his tune, “Sands of Time.” I know I shouldn’t be surprised when I watch a new video by Charles, but he always makes my jaw hit the floor.
If you’re looking to up your slap bass game, Barend Tromp has you covered. The bassist and educator has published “Next Level Slap Bass” Volumes 1 & 2 for getting your chops into the modern age.
Carillion Guitars recently introduced a new model called the Callisto, which grew from a collaboration with bassist Arran McSporran. Luthier Chris Delia gave a rundown of the instrument’s creation on the Carillion Facebook page.
No Treble reader Martin DeGrace sent us his latest video, a high-octane, multi-camera of bass goodness. Martin said: “No guitars. How much bass is too much?”
Motörhead’s 23rd and final album, “Bad Magic,” has been re-released in a new package called “Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic.” Originally released in 2015 before Lemmy Kilmister’s passing, the album presents the original music plus a bevy of new aural pleasures.
MTD has introduced a new Kingston Series model with the Lynn Keller Signature. Previously available as an artist bass from their USA shop, the Kingston model carries similar design aspects while being a production model at a lower price point.
Rebecca Johnson dropped a video yesterday simply titled “Solos.” Recorded live on February 18th, Rebecca, drummer Con Settineri and guitarist Mark Johns each do just that.
Bassist Ben Wolfe has returned with a new solo album titled “Unjust” that is described as celebrating “the striking interplay between multiple ensembles driven by the same steadfast rhythm section.”
Toy manufacturer Funko has unveiled a new figurine of a legendary rocker. In addition to his POP Rocks action figure, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan has been immortalized once again with a model in their Vinyl Gold range.
Cory Wong is on tour with Victor Wooten right now, and last night, they live-streamed their concert at The Fillmore in Philadelphia. The concert also includes Sonny T on bass. Here’s the entire performance.
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has announced he’s launching a new podcast. “This Little Light” will be a 15-part series that will see the funk rock icon interviewing fellow artists about their early musical journeys.
With the passing of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, the internet was ablaze with hopes of a supergroup between the surviving Stones and Beatles members. Now it seems at least part of that is coming to fruition.
Sometimes a good bass line is all you need. Singer/songwriter extraordinaire Suzanne Vega knows that. Here’s an amazing clip of her performing “Left of Center” with longtime bassist Mike Visceglia, who delivers a masterclass in accompaniment.
Groove master Sharay Reed has released a new EP simply titled “Bass.” Reed’s big, beautiful tone is ever-present as he grooves, comps, and solos over the tracks.
In this month’s installment of “Wonder Women; Stories From the Women Who Play Bass,” we chat with Jordyn Davis, an award-winning bassist, composer, songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist from Detroit, Michigan.
Federico Malaman shared this video last night from his live performance with Tomasz Bura and Ricky Quagliato at the Sligo Jazz Festival. Here they are performing John Coltrane’s “Naima.”
James Taylor has announced he’ll hit the road for a North American tour with his All-Star Band this summer. Taylor announced the 2023 All-Stars lineup and it’s a set of fantastic musicians, including bassist Jimmy Johnson.
Jackson has updated their head-turning X Series Concert Bass CBXNT DX IV with two new color schemes for 2023. The bass, which draws on aspects from several classic designs, will now have the option for Matte Army Drab and Ice Blue Metallic.
Remco Hendrix is back with another fantastic video. He puts his fretless Cortex bass to work on this cool harmonic slide funk groove, using sliding harmonics, double stops, heavy fingerstyle, palm muting, and more.
In Flames continues to charge on with their 14th studio album, titled “Foregone.” Bryce Paul Newman’s rumbling bass beefs up the whole album.
Meet Shaun Andree, a bassist from Atlanta who has an extensive resume and has one of our favorite answers to the “superpower/claim to fame” question. Here’s his story...
Sandberg Guitars has added a new four-string to their lineup with the Florence Bass. Based on their Florence Guitar, the new bass captures a vintage feel with retro tones to boot.
Beck was the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 16th. He was joined by Blake Mills and Pino Palladino in this performance of Beck’s new song, “Thinking About You.”
Discover Double Bass has expanded its database with a new masterclass by one of the world’s most creative and capable bassists. Avishai Cohen talks about his unique approach to technique, his intense rhythmic sense, practicing, and much more.
Jens Ritter is just as much an artist as he is a luthier. A case in point is our latest Bass of the Week: the Ritter Instruments “Late Lounge Raptor.”
GroundUP Music dropped another video featuring a new tune from Nate Wood’s fOUR project. As usual, Nate handles the drums, bass, synths, and vocals simultaneously in one take.
Ministry has announced a new set of tour dates for the spring ahead of their summer outing opening for Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper. Ministry is currently anchored by bassist Paul D’Amour, who is also known for being a founder of Tool.
Time to wrap up the week, and we can’t think of a better way than to share this roundup of the top 10 articles for the week of February 11-17, 2023.
IK Multimedia has unveiled the TONEX Pedal, which is a physical unit for bringing their AI Machine Modeling Tone Models to any venue or studio.
No Treble reader Arjan van Diepeningen sent us this exciting video by The Vision of Johanna. In this clip, the band plays Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues” in dedication to their former guitarist, Jelle van Tilburg.
If you’re looking to solve the puzzle of your fingerboard, you’ll want to check out the new book from Joe Hubbard. “The Triad Sudoku Workbook” provides an approach to learning through the popular puzzle game, Sudoku.
Back in 2020, Nordstrand Audio released a new bass model called the Acinonyx, which takes its cues from the vintage Goya Panther. Now Carey Nordstrand and crew have unveiled the V2 Acinonyx.
Frowin Ickler sent us his latest video, where he pays tribute to Jeff Beck and Curtis Mayfield with a solo bass arrangement of “People Get Ready.”
After announcing it in 2021, Geezer Butler’s autobiography is getting close to being in the hands of fans. Publisher Harper Collins has revealed that the book, which will be titled “Into The Void,” has a release date.
Bergantino Audio Systems has unveiled a new piece of gear for 2023 with the Super Pre. The new offering packs tons of features into a unit the size of a cigar box.
Martin Gudics sent us the latest Gudics Twins video, and it is killer. The duo of Martin and Marcell Gudics is joined by Ádám Tóth on guitar and Marcell Tóth on keys on “Protein Shakespeare.”
January was a big month for traffic on No Treble, and videos were a big part of that. Here are the top 10 reader favorite videos for the month.
In this episode of “From the Bottom”, Paul Thompson digs into one of the most iconic bass lines ever - “Juicy” by the Notorious B.I.G., aka “Juicy Fruit” by Mtume - and the work of Raymond Jackson.
Gilad Ephrat sent us his latest video, which features a song from his upcoming solo album. He describes “Here I Am” as “everything I have collected on my musical journey is in this tune.”
A new live greatest hits package from The Rolling Stones has hit the streets. “GRRR Live!” is comprised of 24 tracks from their “50 & Counting” tour with the rock-solid grooving of Darryl Jones.
In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora plays through a very common chord progression in jazz and pop, the 1-6-2-5 chord progression. We’ll learn how to integrate different concepts to begin building a walking bass line.
If you’re a fan of The Main Squeeze, we have good news: They’ve released the first video featuring music from their upcoming album, “To Be Determined: LIVE.” Rob Walker lays down a sweet groove before taking a solo on “Believe.”
After the death of Wayne Static in 2014, it seemed Static-X was done. However, the band had a rebirth when its founding members (including Tony Campos) reunited for “Project: Regeneration Vol. 1.” Now they’ve announced “Vol. 2” and a tour.
ZVEX Effects has launched the latest in their Fuzz Factory 7 fuzz pedals with the USA Vexter Fuzz Factory 7. The latest edition of the stompbox utilizes two NOS 1960s GT308 germanium transistors.
Leave it to the REO Brothers to take on any challenge, and this one might be their biggest one yet. In this video, the band of brothers takes on Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Modern bluegrass band Mile Twelve has just dropped their third album, “Close Enough to Hear,” and it is gorgeous. The effort may be more intimate and softer than their previous work, but it showcases the maturity and delicacy they’ve attained.
Today we’re checking out the Element Bass, a new concept designed by Tom Germann of Torillo Basses and Steffen Fendt of Fendt’s Finest. Available in four and five-string versions, the bass was created using their collective experiences in bass playing.
KEXP surprised me with some videos they released of 79rs Gang. I watched several clips from the band’s performance during Trans Musicales 2022 but chose this one thanks to Taylor Guarisco’s thunderous bass work.
Duran Duran has announced a new North American tour to continue support of their latest album, “Future Past.” Bassist John Taylor and crew will begin “The Future Past Tour” on May 28th.
Another great week in the books, and it is time to look back at the best of No Treble from the past seven days. Here are the top 10 reader favorites for February 4-10, 2023.
Theo Katzman has a new album coming, and he’s sharing videos leading up to the release. “Be The Wheel” is the title track from the album, and Joe Dart lays down the head-bobbing groove on this one.
After releasing their first live album last month, The Smile will be hitting the road again in 2023. The trio is comprised of Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner.
Von Frankenstein Monster Gear has introduced a new set of nickel-plated bass strings called BeastMode. The company, founded by Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein and Josh Vittek, handcrafts the strings one at a time from USA steel.
Zycopolis TV shared another gem with this video of the Chick Corea Akoustic Band performing live at Jazz à Vienne 1991. Watch Chick Corea, John Patitucci, and Dave Weckl performing “Round Midnight,” “Rhythm a Ning,” and “Quartet n°2.”
Ben Allison has just released the fifth and final part of his “Remastered Series 2004-2011,” which presents his albums from the era with new clarity. Action Refraction was first released in 2011 as the jazz bassist and composer’s version of a “covers” record. “Meticulously remixed and remastered by Ben, ‘Action Refraction (Remastered)’ is a mixtape featuring re-imagined versions of classic...
Collectibles company Super7 is celebrating the late Cliff Burton’s birthday this year by unveiling a new figure of him. The Cliff Burton ULTIMATES! Figure stands seven inches tall and captures all the details of the bass icon.
John Ferrara’s solo playing has always blown me away. Here’s a new video of his epic eight-minute composition that explores classical, grunge, and jazz with just a bass and Ferrara’s two hands.
Trivium and Beartooth are teaming up for a co-headlining tour of the U.S. that will stretch from May to June. The two metal mainstays will also be joined by Malevolence and Archetypes Collide on the trek.
Lincoln Goines is a consummate bassist and renowned educator. We caught up with him to discuss his debut album as a leader, “The Art of the Bass Choir,” and more.
YYNOT’s Bubba Bash 2023 was a huge success, and the band continues to drop videos from the show. In this one, Tim Starace and the group is joined by drummer Jason Bittner to perform Rush’s “Natural Science.”
Monuments have announced a shift in its lineup. Longtime bassist Adam Swan has left the fold, they’ve shared. The group has already announced his replacement, which will not be a surprise to fans of the group.
Jason Newsted is getting back into heavy music, the former Metallica bassist has revealed. In a recent interview for Gator 98.7 FM’s Gator Garage, Newsted was asked about his current musical projects and shared the news.
Martin Miller just dropped a video recorded at Weltklang Tonstudio in Plauen, Germany, in February 2020. In this clip, the band takes on Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” with Benni Jud once again handling the bass and vocals for the group.
Sad news to report today as bassist Phil Spalding has died of undisclosed causes. He was 65 years old.
The online musical marketplace Reverb has many thousands of listings, and every so often, something very special pops up. This week they found a remarkable bass that they featured as their find of the week: a 1954 Gibson EB-1.
Michael Manring recently shared this video from a performance he did with Tony Kaltenberg in September 2022. Here’s the Acoustic Groove Experience Duo performing Kaltenberg’s tune, “Thread of Joy,” which includes a beautiful bass solo by Manring.
Adam Blackstone spends a lot of his time creating with and working for other artists. Last year he carved out enough time for himself to deliver his debut solo album, “The Legacy,” and now he’ll be on the road performing some of its music.
I’m always mesmerized by videos of instruments being made, especially basses. Crimson Guitars put together a five-part series on “How to Build a P-Style Bass Guitar,” and it’s incredible to watch even a simple build come together.
No Treble reader Maarten Plukker sent us this video of Chopy Fatah and the band performing Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” He said, “Although a simple song, it showcases how locked John McVie and Mick Fleetwood were and always have been.”
After much anticipation, The Winery Dogs have released their third album, “III.” While they have toured over the last few years, it breaks a seven-year gap in studio records for the trio of Ritchie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy, and Billy Sheehan.
It was another great week in the world of bass, and readers responded with a ton of visits to this week’s top 10 list on No Treble. As an added bonus, this top 10 list has another top 10 list inside!
Bassist David Dyson dropped a new video with DMV Collective Crank Caviar. They take on the classic Foreigner song, “I Want to Know What Love Is.” The band is LOCKED!
Carly Simon surprised the commuters of New York City in April 1995 when she led an unannounced concert in the middle of Grand Central Station. Now that concert has been released as an album called “Live At Grand Central,” with Doug Wimbish on bass.
LeCompte Electric Basses has introduced two new bass models for 2023 with the P-31 and the J-31. Named after their shorter 31.18-inch scale lengths, the basses were dreamed up with the collision of two classic instruments.
I’ve been wearing out Snarky Puppy’s “Empire Central,” which is often on the turntable. The band just dropped another video from the session, with the laid back tune, “Cliroy,” which was written by trumpeter Jay Jennings.
Les Claypool shared some exciting news with the return of one of his projects. After 20 years, Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade is back and will be touring the United States this spring and summer.
In his latest episode of “From the Bottom”, Paul Thompson explores one of his favorite tracks from one of his favorite albums: King Crimson’s “Discipline.” Paul discusses Tony Levin’s bass line and how to play in 17/16 with GROOVE!!
Petros Klampanis has a new album coming out, and given his previous work, I’m very excited about it. Today we’re featuring the studio video for “Enteka,” from the upcoming album.
While many bassists celebrate Cliff Burton every day, they’ll have more of a reason on February 10th. The 6th annual Cliff Burton Day will take place on what would be the late Metallica bass man’s 61st birthday.
Stu Brooks has shared the stage with countless artists, and his resume goes way beyond that. He’s our guest for this month’s episode of Groove. Enjoy the conversation...
Leland Sklar shared this video on Facebook recently, and I was glad he did. Filmed during the “Jude’s House” sessions in 2020, here’s Judith Owen, Sklar, and Pedro Segundo performing a super chill version of “September.”
January was a monster month of bass gear news on No Treble. This top 10 list comprises tens of thousands of views, at least. Here’s your roundup of the top 10 bass gear stories for the month.
In this bass lesson, Ryan Madora keeps it groovy with a nice slow blues in the key of C. She focuses on an incredibly common bass pattern for a slow blues that can also be sped up and adapted to a blues shuffle.
Charles Berthoud decided to re-record and re-release one of the tunes from his EP. “The Last Ride” showcases so much of the bassist’s incredible skill and musicianship in one song.
The Headhunters are celebrating their 50th anniversary with a set of tour dates. Originally formed in 1973 by Herbie Hancock, the group’s current lineup includes Bill Summers, Mike Clark, Donald Harrison, Kyle Roussel, and bassist Chris Severin.
For his newest “Tapping Technique and Composition” lesson, John Ferrara says, “Let’s turn the bass into a drum, shall we?” The technique used in this lesson is his new favorite to play with in a solo bass setting.
Zander Zon first arranged Linkin Park’s “Numb” for solo bass 10 years ago. Now he’s revisited it for his latest video.
The Motet just released their tenth studio album, “All Day,” which marks their first instrumental record since 2009’s “Dig Deep.” With tracks written by all five members of the band, their new effort is a masterclass in hard-driving funk, groovy soul, and dance beats.
This week we’re checking out the Pensa Custom Guitars P-Series bass, which takes its cues from the classic Precision design while making it their own. The semi-hollow bass can be highly customized, but even the standard features are outstanding.
Frowin Ickler sent us his latest video, and it is a ton of fun. Frowin added his own funky line to Elton John’s and Dua Lipa’s single “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)” on his Fender MonoNeon bass. Dig his funky retro sound!
Two behemoth bands are teaming up for an extra heavy tour this year. Mastodon and Gojira will hit the road for “The Mega-Monsters Tour,” which means the nation will rumble each night to the bass lines of Troy Sanders and Jean-Michel Labadie.
No Treble’s traffic was huge this week, thanks to a number of articles. Here is your roundup of the top 10 articles we published for the week of January 21-27, 2023.
Vulfpeck dropped the video for the 10th track from Schvitz, and this is my favorite so far. Joe Dart lays down an old school groove behind some great vocal harmonies on “Miracle.”
The Wood Brothers have announced their eighth studio album, “Heart Is The Hero,” which will be released in April. The trio of Oliver Wood, Chris Wood, and Jano Rix took a different approach from their last effort by recording analog straight to 16-track tape.
In 2021, fretless bass master Percy Jones unveiled his latest project called PAKT, which also features Alex Skolnick, Kenny Grohowski, and Tim Motzer. The group had a busy year and is now back with a new set of tour dates.
The Band Geeks just dropped their latest video, and this time they’re upping the irons. Joined by Matt Beck on guitar, the Geeks take on Iron Maiden’s “Wasted Years,” with Richie Castellano on bass and backing vocals.
Motörhead is gearing up to re-release their 23rd and final studio album, “Bad Magic: SERIOUSLY BAD MAGIC,” on February 24th, but they’re letting some of the goods out early. Lemmy’s bass is as fat and gritty as ever.
Epiphone is launching two new bass offerings for 2023 with the Newport Bass and the El Capitan J-200 Studio Bass. Both take their cues from vintage instruments.
Kinga Glyk premiered this video yesterday after watching a documentary on Joe Zawinul. She was so inspired, she learned “The Governor” from Zawinul’s “Soulmates” album with Ben Webster.
Kansas is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with a huge North American tour that will take them into 2024. The tour, which will be called “Another Fork in the Road,” will feature music from their entire catalog.
In this month’s installment of Wonder Women: Stories From the Women Who Play Bass, Brittany Frompovich concludes her two-part interview with Angeline Saris.
Arran McSporran shared this video on Facebook recently, and I have been enjoying it ever since. This clip by Nicolas Meier features some stellar fretless work by McSporran on “Shooting Stars.”
Incubus has announced that their next few shows will have a different bass player. In a post on their Twitter account, the band wrote that Tal Wilkenfeld will be filling in for the mighty Ben Kenney.
Way Huge has added a new pedal to their Smalls lineup that they say is not for those who play it safe. The Way Huge Smalls Attack Vector Phaser & Envelope pedal combines the two into a single unit that delivers “fifty shades of rude.”
Our good friend Rob Waxman shared this video on Facebook yesterday, and I was mesmerized by the performance. Barend Tromp pays tribute to Jeff Beck in this clip, playing “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” on 6-string fretless bass.
Rock and roll icon Ian Hunter has revealed a new album for 2023, and it’s looking to be a star-studded collection of music. “Defiance Part 1” will include Duff McKagan, Robert Trujillo, Robert DeLeo, and more.
For this edition of “From the Bottom,” Paul Thompson revisits the story of how two musical giants met in 1972 and started making music together: Stevie Wonder and Jeff Beck. This is the story of how the “Riff of the Century” was born.
I am thoroughly enjoying Tedeschi Trucks Band’s “I Am The Moon” records, so it was a thrill to see the band drop this video. Filmed at Red Rocks on July 29, 2022, here’s the band joined by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, performing the title track.
2023 is shaping up to be another big year for Christian McBride. His 2020 opus “The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons” has been released on vinyl for the first time. He also has a new album coming with New Jawn, and a tour.
Nate Navarro may be the new champion of every bassist’s favorite game of “How Low Can You Go?” The bassist, who has been on the road with Porcupine Tree, collaborated with Lignum to create a sub octave bass.
I love everything about Playing For Change. Their videos, and their mission, are inspiring. Here’s their latest, with Manu Chao performing “Tantas Tierras” with Wailers drummer Carlton “Santa” Davis, bassist Gambeat, and other musicians from nine countries.
After the triumphant return of Eric Avery to the fold and some mishaps on their last run, Jane’s Addiction has announced a new set of tour dates for March.
Ibanez has two new singlecut BTBs this year with the BTB865SC and BTB866SC. The neck-through basses are five and six-string models, respectively, and have a new wood combination.
Cory Wong’s live videos are always entertaining. Here’s a clip of the band performing “Synchronicity” with Ripe’s Robbie Wulfsohn on vocals. This one has a twist, though, with Sonny T taking on the guitar duties while Wong gets down on bass.
Bob Weir’s debut solo album, “Ace,” has been re-released for its 50th anniversary in a Deluxe edition. The 1972 album has been remastered and packaged as a double CD in addition to digital streaming formats and a limited edition vinyl set.
Genzler Amplification has expanded its product lineup with the Magellan Pre, an analog bass preamp and direct box. The model brings the preamp and feature set of their Magellan bass amps into an on-the-go pedal format.
Leonid & Friends is known for their great covers, including many by Chicago. But they take on the work of other artists too. They just dropped their latest, with Leonid Vorobyev’s band performing Stevie Wonder’s “Did I Hear You Say You Love Me.”
Sean O’Bryan Smith has returned with a brand new album entitled “Musings of an Occasional Somebody.” The bassist, who also plays multiple other instruments, calls it his first full-production New Age project.
Dingwall Guitars has unveiled a new model to its signature line with the Kyle Konkiel Signature Combustion. The Bad Wolves bassist’s new 5-string sports a killer purple and green color-shift finish.
I was sad to learn of David Crosby’s passing. CSNY was a big part of the soundtrack of my youth, and I spent the evening watching their videos. Here’s a great clip of the group performing Crosby’s “Almost Cut My Hair.”
Another incredible project born during the lockdown is now seeing the light of day. Eurachord is a trio featuring Aidan Zammit, Gianni Vancini, and Lorenzo Feliciati. They’ve just released their self-titled debut, showcasing their virtuosic playing.
Fender has unveiled the Gold Foil Collection, which was inspired by the garage rock bands of the sixties and the instruments they played. The three-piece set includes one bass called the Gold Foil Jazz Bass.
Renaud Garcia-Fons never fails to amaze me. “Happy Alone” is a solo double bass piece that will be on his upcoming record “Cinematic Double Bass,” and it lives up to the album’s title.
Sad news to report as Van Conner, co-founder and bassist of Screaming Trees, has passed away after a long illness. He was 55 years old. His brother and bandmate Gary Lee shared the news on Facebook.
This “Keep It Groovy” lesson is all about diversifying your blues repertoire. Ryan Madora shows us a rumba rhythm played in a minor key to create a different kind of groove.
It’s always a good day when The Main Squeeze drops another video. This time around, the band is joined by a number of guests for a performance of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.”
Back in the day, Evan Heird had a roommate who had a bass. He picked it up, and that was that. Later, he focused on acting but returned to the bass once again. Evan is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story...
In this new “Tapping Technique” bass lesson, John Ferrara shares part 2 of his “Tapping Polyrhythms” series. This lesson is based on one rhythm doing 3 and one doing 2. Check this out.
YYNOT’s Bubba Bash was held on January 7th, on the third anniversary of Neil Peart’s passing, and they had an impressive lineup. Here’s a clip from the show, with drummer Mike Portnoy joining Tim Starace and the band on “Overture/The Temples Of Syrinx.”
Lettuce has expanded its current tour with a set of dates in March. The band, which is currently in the Pacific Northwest, will add Midwest and Eastern performances to the schedule.
Edgar Meyer’s double bass, made by Giovanni Battista Gabrielli in 1769, is an amazing instrument. Nick Lloyd spent a lot of time thinking about it, and ultimately Paul Kowert commissioned him to make a copy.
Today, we celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. For today’s video, I chose Marvin Gaye’s version of “Abraham, Martin and John.” Gaye was backed by the Funk Brothers, including the always excellent work of James Jamerson.
NOFX has announced the first round of new tour dates, which will mark the end of the band. The “NOFX Final Tour” will feature the band giving it their all as they play forty songs a night, including full albums and rarities.
For bassists working “inside the box,” Nembrini Audio has just introduced a new DAW plugin, The Bass Driver. The three-band overdrive and amp simulator is based on the SansAmp Bass Driver D.I. while allowing for more flexibility.
Our good friend Magnus Sjöquist shared this video on Facebook of the Swedish Steely Dan tribute band Josie & the Cousins performing “Aja.” Way to go, Magnus!
Following the success of their previous dates, The Eagles have announced a new leg of their Hotel California Tour for 2023. The band’s lineup includes Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Vince Gill, and bassist Timothy B. Schmit.
Ibanez has revealed three new SR1350B models to its SR Premium line for 2023. The four, five, and six-string versions of the bass now sport a new top and finish for a refreshed look.
Lake Street Dive’s “Live from The Sultan Room” series of videos has a new entry. Bridget Kearney’s big tone and bouncy bass line comes through loud and clear on the band’s cover of Dionne Warwick’s “Anyone Who Had A Heart.”
The Godfather of Punk’s career is still going strong as Iggy Pop is back with his 19th studio album. “Every Loser” features an insane musical roster with members of Guns N’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, blink-182 and more.
After releasing the Mendocino short-scale bass last year, Grez Guitars has unveiled a new long-scale version of the model. The bass has the same design features as its predecessors, including a mahogany body topped with salvaged old-growth Redwood, a mahogany neck, and an ebony fingerboard. “Like all the instruments in the Mendocino line, this bass is inspired by the funky...
GroundUP Music has released another video by Nate Wood, and it is as impressive as the rest. In this one, Nate simultaneously handles drums, bass, synths, and vocals performed in one live take on “Addendum.”
Bassist Russell Hall has released “Black Caesar,” a new album of music that spans hundreds of years while using jazz as its foundation. Though the music is so diverse, it all was created as a response to the tragedies of the last three years.
As the bassist for Melvins and Red Kross, you know Steven McDonald’s musical knowledge is as broad as it is deep. We picked McDonald’s brain about the essential bass lines that everyone should know.
We’re excited to share this new video of Kira Roessler performing at the Sardine in San Pedro, California. The former Black Flag bassist played a set of originals and covers with drummer Dave Bach and her brother Paul Roessler on keys.
If you’re looking to explore early works for the double bass, you’ll want to check out George Speed’s new album. “Bass Favorites and Transcriptions from the 18th Century” features his exquisite playing accompanied by pianist Heidi Louise Williams.
Ibanez has added a new model to their headless EHB basses with the EHB1005F, a five-string that marks the first fretless bass of the series.
Jukka Haavisto sent us this video from a live performance at Eclipse Jazz Club in Finland. In this clip, the band performs the opening track from Haavisto’s latest album, “Reflections.”
Last year, bass icon Stanley Clarke unveiled his latest band, called 4Ever. Now the “School Days” virtuoso has shared a set of dates for 2023 that will take the fledgling group around the world.
In this first “From the Bottom” column of 2023, Paul Thompson revisits an iconic bass line that has haunted him since childhood. Diving into 1983’s “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo and the amazing bass line that made Nick Beggs a giant among men!
Julia Hofer’s “Top 5 Bass Lines” series is a popular one here, and she has a new edition. Julia breaks down her favorite Tower of Power tunes (and the work of Rocco Prestia) in this video.
The League of Women Bassplayers, aka LOW B, will be holding its inaugural conference from January 12th through the 15th. The four-day event will be held virtually on Zoom.
This week, we’re featuring a gorgeous bass built by Osman Alkan of Otto Bass Design. This Otto 5 caught my eye with its Pacific quilted maple and resin hybrid top, but there are plenty of amazing features beyond that.
Three years ago, on January 7, Neil Peart passed away. Three Rush fans (Dave Demarco, Chris Mack, and Eric Prosser) got together and recorded this tribute to Peart with their performance of “Jacob’s Ladder.”
Pittsburgh punk rockers Anti-Flag have returned with their thirteenth record, entitled “Lies They Tell Our Children.” Thirty years into their career, they’re just as energetic as ever.
We closed out 2022 strong, and some of that was thanks to some stellar bass videos throughout the month. Here are the top 10 No Treble reader favorites for December 2022.
Vulfpeck dropped their latest video a few days ago, and this time, they’re doing their version of a classic song. Antwaun Stanley leads the group, backed by Joe Dart on bass, on Bob Dylan’s “Serve Somebody.”
Hal Leonard has added to their Bass Tab Collection of books with a collection of Foo Fighters bass transcriptions. Each of the 20 songs is presented note-for-note in both musical notation and tablature.
Fuzzrocious Pedals has revived its Dark Driving overdrive and distortion pedal with a third version. What started as a one-knob stompbox has grown into a more flexible tonal device that is still able to capture the original Dark Driving pedal’s sounds.
Following their highly successful debut of “Xanadu,” The Winery Dogs dropped the next single from their upcoming album, “III.” Richie Kotzen, Billy Sheehan, and Mike Portnoy bring it on “Mad World,” which ends perfectly with a solo by Sheehan.
Peter Gabriel has given us the first taste of his new music. “Panopticom” is the first single from his upcoming album, “I/O.” The track is anchored by Gabriel’s longtime bass man, Tony Levin, who delivers some expressive fretless work.
Ibanez’s Bass Workshop series is an avenue for the company to try out different design aspects. This year they’re adding to the lineup with the SRC6MS Multi-Scale Crossover Bass.
I’ve been back on my 6-string, and as expected, I’ve been studying John Patitucci. His solo bass pieces show the ability to really make the bass sing. Here he is using his beautiful signature 6-string Yamaha on “one for brian.”
Rockboard by Warwick has introduced a new power supply called the ISO Power Block V10. The unit features eight 9-volt outputs with two 18-volt outputs for a total of 10 isolated transformers.
It’s hard to wrap your ears around the mind-bending instrumental music of Polyphia. Holding down the groove is Clay Gober, who is truly a master of his craft. Clay is our guest for Episode #97 of Groove. Enjoy the conversation...
Derek Frank sent me his latest video, which he calls an “instrumental-ish cover of The Bee Gees’ “Jive Talkin'”, played with a handful of basses, vocoder, keys, and drums.” Derek is joined by Ty Bailie on keys and Jake Hayden on drums.
Rush’s “Moving Pictures” hit a milestone in 2021 for its 40th anniversary, but its celebration continues. Backbeat Books has just published a book by Will Romano called “Moving Pictures: How Rush Created Progressive Hard Rock’s Greatest Record.”
Ibanez got into the electric upright bass game in 2018 with the Upswing. Now they’ve added to the series with a five-string model called the UB805.
In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora dissects the fantastic melodic bass line to “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac. John McVie’s line perfectly outlines the chord progression and provides a nice contrast to the verses.
Aaron Gibson has a new video out, and this time, he covers “Prayer For The Dying” by Lisa Hannigan. Aaron’s bass and vocals arrangement is beautiful.
Back in November, we shared an amazing version of “The Two Lonely People” by vocalist Valerie Costa and bassist Danny Ziemann. Now they’ve released a full-length album of duets, “And That Would Be...”
In this new “Tapping Technique and Composition” bass lesson, John Ferrara focuses on tapping polyrhythms. In part 1 of this series, he uses his song, “Zeroes and Ones,” to demonstrate.
Scott Devine kicks off the year with the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Marcus Miller. Scott and Marcus have a great in-depth conversation and nerd out on some of Marcus’ best work.
N-Audio has expanded its lineup of switching devices with two new models: the 8×7 Amp Cabinet Switcher and the 4×4 Amp Cabinet Switcher. Each of the rack-mountable units allows you to switch between amplifiers and cabinets quickly.
Max Coronado of Adal Guitars sent us some photos of his new Lobella Series five-string bass, and we immediately wanted more.
No Treble reader Luc Brame sent us another fantastic video by his band, Gadianm. We love the tune and the story behind it.
Radiohead offshoot band The Smile has released a new live EP. Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood both play bass on the album (as well as other instruments). It’s interesting to see how they approach the bass, especially Yorke.
We made it to the top of the list, and this year’s reader favorite bassist is Geddy Lee. Lee returned to the stage this year, including appearances with Alex Lifeson. In addition, some old school Rush was included along the way.
Leland Sklar is a long-time reader favorite, and for good reason. One of the busiest bassists on the scene, a handful of videos with the session legend made their way to NT – spanning multiple years. He’s #2 on the Reader Favorite Bassists list.
Charles Berthoud has some mind-blowing abilities. This is evident not only to us, but to No Treble readers as well, who routinely watch and comment on his videos. He lands at #3 on this year’s Reader Favorite Bassists list.
For the second time in two years, Ellen Alaverdyan lands on the annual Reader Favorite Bassists list. The young bassist’s playing and videos are infectious, and she’s making huge wave. So we’re not suprised to see her here once again.
The first time we shared a video by Rebecca Johnson was back in 2011. Over the years, more and more videos have come along, and we’ve continued to feature them. She’s #5 on this year’s reader favorites list.
We have a newcomer on the annual Reader Favorite Bassists list. News of Alex Lifeson forming a new band was very big news, and Andy Curran was selected for the bass chair. Curran lands at #6 on this year’s list.
I’m not sure, but I believe Victor Wooten has been on every single Reader Favorite list since we began, and no surprise there. Wooten lands at #7 on the 2022 list.
Les Claypool had a busy year in 2022. One of the biggest stories was Primus’s “A Farewell to Kings” tour. But that wasn’t all. Here are the stories and videos that landed Claypool on at #8 on this year’s list.
No surprise, Marcus Miller is another bassist who regularly lands on the annual Reader Favorite Bassists lists here. Miller’s videos this year were a huge hit. Here are the videos that landed him on this year’s list.
Tony Levin is no stranger to the reader favorites list, and he makes it once again for 2022. Levin was busy this year with many projects, as usual. He lands at #10 on this year’s list.
We're kicking off 2023 with one of our favorite things: a video by a No Treble reader. Pete O’Neill shared this clip of his arrangement of “Glasgow Love Theme” from “Love Actually,” which he plays on his new Paul Beard Resonator Bass.
2022 is in the books, and we’ve spent the past week or so looking back. No Treble was visited over 3 million times this year, which is amazing. Here’s a roundup of the best of No Treble for 2022.
Using a G Blues, Paul Thompson traces the history of jazz bass playing over the last 100 years. Check out this episode as he plays in the style of 15 of his favorite bassists.
In this new video, The Band Geeks are rocking two tunes from “Led Zeppelin II.” Richie Castellano lays down the bass and adds vocals behind Ann Marie Nacchio’s vocals on “Heartbreaker” and “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman).”
It’s the end of another year and another time for reflection. Lots of incredible music was made, but 2022 saw the loss of session legends, trailblazing luthiers, rock icons, and jazz pioneers. Join us as we remember them.
We’re closing out our “Best of 2022” Top 10 lists with this one that will serve as an excellent playlist today. Every day of the year, we share a video. Here are the top 10 most-watched on No Treble in 2022.
Vulfpeck just dropped the next video from their album, Schvitz, which is available for pre-order through tomorrow. Here’s Joe Dart and the guys performing “In Heaven,” which was written by Joey Dosik.
Nick Campbell has been turning heads over the past few years for his work with groups like Scary Pockets and Pomplamoose. Now he’s released “Art,” which marks his debut album with his solo project Nick Campbell Destroys.
In this month’s installment of Wonder Women: Stories From the Women Who Play Bass, we’re catching up with Angeline Saris, fresh off a six-week run with the Celebrating David Bowie tour.
No Treble’s Kevin Johnson recently finished a tour with The Plate Scrapers, and they just shared this video from the road. High up on Signal Mountain, the band performs a bluegrass cover of the Beatles’ “Drive My Car.” Dig Kevin’s solo!
Over the course of 2022, we covered a lot of new bass models. Here are the top 10 reader favorites, based on article views.
We published 67 bass lessons and transcriptions over the course of 2022. And while we love them all, we're sharing the top 10 most viewed lessons for the year.
Zycopolis TV continues to drop some incredible videos. This one, filmed at Jazz à Vienne 1998, features two tunes from Buddy Guy’s performance. Here’s the band, with Greg Rzab on bass, performing “Midnight Train” and “Sweet Home Chicago.”
Weezer’s four-part album project “SZNZ” has come to a close with its final installment, “SZNZ: Winter.” When vocalist Rivers Cuomo spoke on the EPs last year, he described “Winter” as featuring “lots of loss and despair and kind of quiet.”
Meet Wayne Myers, who picked up the bass in 1985 and never looked back. We love his answer to the “superpower” question. Wayne is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story...
Over the course of 2022, we covered nearly 50 new pedals and effects. Here are the top 10 No Treble reader favorites for the year.
Lake Street Dive dropped another video from their “Live from The Sultan Room,” and this one grooves. The band covers Bonnie Raitt’s “Nick of Time,” with Bridget Kearney’s great tone laying down the foundation.
Jazz bass icon Buster Williams celebrated his 80th birthday in April, and over his eight decades he’s continually grown. In fact, he’s still growing, which is part of the meaning behind his newly announced album, “Unalome.”
For over ten years, Kevin Johnson has been publishing his Bass of the Week series. His goal since the beginning was to feature “low-end instruments ranging from beautiful to bizarre.” Here are the top 10 reader-favorites for 2022.
Zycopolis TV dropped another gem of a video a couple of days ago from Jazz à Vienne 1991. Here’s John McLaughin, Dominique Di Piazza, and Trilok Gurtu performing “One Night Stand.”
Back in September, it was announced that Andrew Altman was leaving Railroad Earth following their annual Horn O’Plenty concerts in November. Now the band has unveiled their new member to be bassist Dave Speranza.
Zander Zon took “Carol of the Bells” and arranged it for a stunning bass arrangement for the holidays. Merry Christmas!
Fender Japan has unveiled the Elemental Series, calling it a line that considers the demands of modern players to balance specs and pricing. It includes one bass, the Elemental Jazz Bass.
Liam Galiano put together six holiday videos, and he named the series “Merry Bass-mas.” Here’s one of our favorites, with Liam performing a solo bass arrangement of “O Tannenbaum.”
In 2022, we featured over 130 new albums featuring bassists from all over the world. At the end of each year, we tally the stats. Here are the top 10 reader-favorite albums this year.
We love interviewing bassists to learn more about their stories. This year, we interviewed a lot. Here are the top 10 reader-favorite interviews of 2022.
Michael Manring shared this video on Facebook a couple of days ago, saying, “The wonderful Riley Hagan playing his piece ‘Onkalo.'” You know when Michael shares something, it is going to be worth watching.
The Interrupters have announced a spring 2023 co-headlining tour with Frank Turner that will cover the U.S. and Canada. The band, anchored by bassist Justin Bivona, will be supporting their latest release, “In The Wild.”
We share the stories of all the new bass gear throughout the year, including the many new amps hitting the market. Here are the top 10 No Treble reader favorite bass amp stories for 2022.
Berklee shared their latest “Two Track” video in their series, and this one gets down. The Tower of Power Ensemble (with Anderson Mirafzali on bass) performs the songs “(I Still Be) Diggin’ on James Brown,” “Celebration,” and “Souled Out.”
Many people have caught onto Shaun Munday’s amazing talent via his Instagram channel. He’s just released his second album, “Love/Magic,” which has that same solo format plus a conventional rhythm section.
In today’s “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora goes over two popular major scale shapes and a great way to connect them to play over two octaves. Ryan focuses on what she calls the “4-fret span” and “5-fret span” shapes.
I’ve been lucky to see Driftwood play a couple of times, so when my pal Bill Rudd sent me this performance from this year’s Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance, I stopped to watch. The clip begins with “Bass Sticks.”
Pink Floyd has released a whopping eighteen live albums from their archive. Recorded in 1972, this was a pivotal time for the band, with music from “Meddle” and “Obscured By Clouds” as well as songs for what would become “Dark Side of the Moon.”
Meet Ryan Szanyi, a bassist who has undergone different transitions. He started on trumpet before switching to bass and lived in the US before moving to the UK. Here’s his story...
No Treble reader William Battline sent us this video with his beautiful piccolo bass arrangement of Greg Lake’s “I Believe in Father Christmas.”
Bassist Rick Anderson, who co-founded San Francisco rock outfit The Tubes, has passed away of undisclosed causes. He was 75 years old. The band announced his death on social media.
This week we’re checking out a six-string Sniper Deluxe by Italy’s Capurso Guitars. The bass has a beautiful poplar burl top in a purpleburst finish that looks like a photo of a galaxy.
No Treble readers never disappoint. Frowin Ickler sent us this video in celebration of the holidays, which he describes as “Funky Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” He’s digging his Fender MonoNeon on this one, and we’re digging his solo!
This week, readers enjoyed new music by The Winery Dogs, our Mesa/Boogie D-350 review, Paul Thompson’s look at “Stay With Me Tonight,” Luke Putney’s sharing the story of Michael Tobias, a new “Tapping Technique” lesson by John Ferrara, and more.
Glockenklang has revealed the next in their lineup of bass heads with the Blue Bird. Made in Germany, the amp can dish out up to 900 watts at four ohms and features a Class A input stage.
No Treble contributor Brittany Frompovich is helping us get into the holiday spirit with a new video. Check out her take on Alun Vaughan’s versions of “Silent Night” and “The First Noel.”
Jazz Master Tracks is a new record label with a mission to help musicians learn. Bringing together some of the world’s top jazz musicians, the tracks are then released as an album as well as on an app that lets you solo, loop, and analyze the music.
Coppersound has updated its Telegraph Pedal for 2022 with version 2. Fitted with all-metal hardware, the kill/stutter pedal retains the original’s design aspects but has a brand-new circuit.
Stuart Clayton is back with another bass cover/transcription video, and this one is “devilishly challenging to play accurately,” he says. From Jaco Pastorius’s debut album, Stuart plays through “Come On, Come Over” on his Mayones Viking bass.
moe. has announced a new round of winter tour dates. The extra fourteen dates will take the jam rock band’s previously announced run well into March.
Here’s a great playlist to end your week – in the form of the top 10 reader-favorite bass videos we shared last month. This is the top 10 list for November 2022.
Preoccupations visited the KEXP studio in late October and performed four tunes. This was another new musical discovery for me, and I’m digging their sound. Here’s the band, with bassist/vocalist Matt Flegel, performing “Ricochet.”
Muse Group has launched the fourth revision of its free music composition software with MuseScore 4, which boasts a new intuitive interface, improved accessibility, playback features, and the Muse Hub workstation.
Throughout his career, Michael Tobias has quietly and generously supported musicians in need. Guest contributor Luke Putney shares the story on The Tobias Luthier Legacy.
Snarky Puppy’s “Empire Central” has been on my turntable a lot lately, and it is one of my favorite records of 2022. They’ve just dropped another video from the recording session. “Pineapple” was co-written by Mike “Maz” Maher and Michael League.
During the pandemic, Roger Waters kept busy with his band by recording tracks remotely from their own homes. Waters released the tracks vis his YouTube channel, but now he’s put them together as a album called “The Lockdown Sessions.”
In this episode, Paul Thompson digs into a huge hit from 1983 and the iconic bass line that carried it. George Duke, Steve Ferrone, and Alphonso Johnson bring the funk on “Stay With Me Tonight” by Jeffrey Osborne.
Here’s a great clip of Cory Wong and the Wongnotes performing “Kenni and The Jets,” which features Jake Botts on bari sax and the rock-solid backing of bassist Sonny T. Tenor saxophonist Kenni Holmen even gets in on the action. The combination is excellent.
In a new interview with Spin, Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford revealed he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although he’s just shared this personal news, he’s been battling the disease for some time.
In this episode of “Tapping Technique and Composition,” John Ferrara focuses on the subject of “False Delay Tapping.” This technique includes tapping notes with the left hand and then mimicking them with staccato notes with the right.
Vulfpeck dropped another video from their upcoming album, Schvitz. “New Guru” was written by vocalist Jacob Jeffries Jack Stratton (on keys) and features vocalist Antwaun Stanley. Joe Dart lays down a funky line behind it all.
Pantera has made a huge resurgence this year. The whirlwind has brought a new signature bass for Rex Brown, and now Gibson TV has premiered a new episode of “Icons” on him.
Roger Hedin shared his brand new bass with us, and it’s a beauty. Built by Swedish luthier Christian Olsson, this Unicorn Bass Purist was customized for Hedin’s preferences and specs.
Christian Houmann has released a new album, and he shared a video of his band performing one of the songs. “Moment So Close” features some beautiful fretless work by Christian.
Punch Brothers bassist Paul Kowert and his instrumental quartet Hawktail have just announced a round of tour dates for the winter. The tour will be in support of their latest album, “Place Of Growth.”
Here’s your weekly roundup of the reader-favorite stories on No Treble. Here's the top 10 list for December 3-9, 2022.
Karina Rykman has been covering the East Coast on her latest winter tour. On December 3rd, she performed in Burlington, Vermont, and welcomed Phish bassist Mike Gordon onto the stage for an extended version of “City Kids.”
Oakland’s finest soul band, Tower of Power, has announced a winter tour for 2023 to celebrate the band’s 55th anniversary. The band is still led by Emilio Castillo, who founded the group in 1968 with his brother Jack Castillo, Stephen “Doc” Kupka, and bassist Francis “Rocco” Prestia.
Mesa/Boogie amps are known for their powerful, muscular tone – some are also renowned for their weight. We picked up the new lightweight D-350 Compact Bass Amp to see how much punch this little amp could pack.
The Winery Dogs recently announced a new album is coming. Yesterday, they dropped the video for their first single. Here’s Billy Sheehan, Richie Kotzen, and Mike Portnoy performing “Xanadu” from “III.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers will be crossing the globe in 2023 with a new world tour. Flea and the gang will be making appearances at festivals as well as performing stadium concerts with a killer rotating cast of support acts.
Comedian Fred Armisen has a deep history with music. The SNL and Portlandia star was a drummer before an actor. In 2018 he released a special called “Standup for Drummers,” and in 2023, he’ll be turning his attention to the low end.
After unveiling a custom shop signature bass earlier this year, Charvel has introduced a production line bass for Anthrax and Helmet bassist Frank Bello.
Christine McVie’s “Songbird” is one of my all-time favorite songs. Karl Clews pays tribute to McVie, who passed away on November 30th, with this beautiful all-bass arrangement.
NOFX has followed up last year’s “Single Album” with the appropriately titled “Double Album.” The playful title also carries in spirit into the music’s subject matter, with Fat Mike saying that it isn’t a serious album.
Lorenzo Feliciati is one of my favorite players because he has total control of the instrument with exciting creativity that really draws you into his music. We picked Feliciati’s brain about the essential bass lines that everyone should know.
Wayne Shorter shared this video recently, and it brought back a lot of great memories. Weather Report (with Victor Bailey) took the stage on September 27, 1984, in Tokyo. Here’s the band performing Zawinul’s “Where The Moon Goes.”
After years in the studio and on the road, Finnish jazz bassist Jukka Haavisto has released his first album as a leader, entitled “Reflections.” The seven-song collection was composed and arranged entirely by Haavisto himself and has a tip of the hat to old-school fusion sounds.
In this Keep It Groovy lesson, Ryan Madora explores tips and tricks for improvising a bass line. Working in the key of A, we’re settling on a particular chord progression and spending two bars on each chord.
Scary Pockets was joined by guest vocalist Hunter Elizabeth and guitarist Joe Bonamassa for this excellent cover of Prince’s “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore.” Calvin Turner’s smooth bass lines back the tune perfectly.
Back in October, we announced that many of Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie’s personal instruments were going to auction. The results of the sale are in, and McVie’s basses were some of the top-selling items of the event.
In his new “From the Bottom” episode, Paul Thompson answers the unanswerable questions - revealing the many identities of this curious instrument of ours and the curious names of the people that play it.
On October 20, 1995, Steely Dan appeared on The Late Show. Here’s a great video by Don Giller with all the music from that episode. In the second part, you can see the band performing “Josie,” with Tom Barney on bass and Peter Erskine on drums.
Bassist Christian Fabian is helping everyone get in the Christmas spirit this year with a new CD entitled “Christmas Everywhere.” He recorded it with Matt King and Jason Marsalis, who help him put holiday favorites in a jazz context.
Bassist Etienne Reynaud wrote in to share his newest bass with us, and it’s a beauty. Nicknamed the Golden Gorgeous, the bass was built by Hayden Lassila of Lassila Guitars.
“Existential Paranoia” may be the debut LP from progressive guitarist Jan Rivera, but it’s far from a novice effort. In this clip, he’s joined by Jordan Rudess, Marco Minnemann, and Mohini Dey for “Can’t Fight Who You Are.”
LuistHand Devices has introduced a new onboard preamp to wrap up 2022. The 800TS preamp pays homage to the EQ section of a GK800RB amp and fits it into a Jazzplate format.
This week’s top 10 list includes a killer video by Biréli Lagrène’s showcasing his bass skills, new music by Tim Commerford’s 7D7D, our review of the Future Impact v3 pedal, our conversation with Steve Luongo on the legacy of John Entwistle, and more.
Juna Serita recently shared a video from Juna’s Session, and it is funky. Her band takes on the Herbie Hancock tune, “Hang Up Your Hang Ups.”
Graph Tech Guitar Labs has introduced a new set of their Black TUSQ XL nuts to fit fanned fret basses and guitars. The series includes models for four-string, five-string, and six-string basses.
Mono has expanded its lineup of Vertigo cases for bass with the M80 Vertigo Ultra Bass Guitar Case. The updated and upgraded case has improvements to durability, ergonomics, and organization.
YYNOT took the stage at the Coach House and rocked the house. In this clip from the show, the band performs Rush’s “What You’re Doing.” The mix is absolutely incredible, and Tim Starace is coming through loud and clear.
It’s well known that the connection between a bassist and drummer is an essential one. That’s why Nicholas Payton recruited the legendary duo of Buster Williams and Lenny White for his latest record, “The Couch Sessions.”
After years of being discontinued, Darkglass Electronics has reintroduced the Duality pedal as the DFZ. The new pedal has the same circuitry while being housed in the same streamlined concept as their recent B1K.
Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” is the first record I remember loving, and my favorite tracks were the ones Christine McVie wrote. I was devastated to hear of her passing on Wednesday. Here’s the band in 1977 performing McVie’s “You Make Loving Fun.”
Five years after his passing, a piece of Tom Petty’s legacy has been released from his archives. “Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Live at the Fillmore (1997)” is an enormous box set taken from the band’s residency at the San Francisco venue.
For the first time, Groove - The No Treble Podcast interviews a drummer. Steve Luongo and John Entwistle worked together for 15 years on Entwistle's solo work. We caught up with Luongo to discuss the legacy of The Ox.
We can always count on Rick Suchow to deliver the goods. In honor of Jaco Pastorius’s birthday today, Rick has made available a clip he recorded of Jaco’s quintet performing “Invitation” at Seventh Avenue South in April 1981. The lineup included Michael Brecker and Peter Erskine.
There were some big gear stories for the month of November based on reader views. Here is the top 10 bass gear list for the month of November 2022.
For bassists and producers working “inside the box,” Pfundstein Audio Plugins has released the Virtual Sandberg Basic Ken Taylor RW 4 plugin. The virtual bass is authorized by Sandberg and runs on the VST3 and AU formats.
Brandon Shaw has a cool YouTube channel called Digging The Greats, and he just shared a fun video for bassists. He plays through eight songs that make for good lines for soundcheck, including deeper cuts.
Rage Against The Machine’s Tim Commerford unveiled a new project last year called 7D7D, and now we finally get to hear what it sounds like. The band has just released their debut track called “Capitalism,” and it might take some fans by surprise.
John Ferrara’s next bass lesson in his “Tapping Technique and Composition” series focuses on “Tremolo Tapping.” John demonstrates this technique using his song, “The Gnome and the Skeleton.”
Back in the 80s, I listened to a lot of Biréli Lagrène’s music. I was always blown away by his guitar skills and learned years later that he has some serious chops on bass too. Here’s a clip with Lagrène improvising to “So What” on bass.
Metallica has big news to share. First up is a new studio album, “72 Seasons,” which is slated to drop in April 2023. They debuted the first single, “Lux Aeterna,” which clearly has an old-school Metallica sound. The band also announced a tour.
Luthier Robin Stummvoll of Verso Musical Instruments has a unique take on basses, but it’s not just for the sake of making something different. His designs are based on his fundamental beliefs of keeping things economical and effective. This week, we're checking out the Gravis Bass Guitar.
Charles Berthoud is back with a new jaw-dropping video, and in this one, he turned “Master of Puppets” into a solo slap solo.
Brooklyn hardcore icons Biohazard have announced a reunion tour for 2023 to celebrate the band’s 35th anniversary. The group will feature the entire original lineup, including bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld.
This week, Paul Thompson broke down his favorite Donny Hathaway song, Ryan Madora joined Derrek Phillips to chat about improvising a funky 12-bar blues bass line with a drummer, and Brittany Frompovich continued her "Wonder Women" series with a look at the work of Kristen Pfaff. Add to it a reimagined version of “Comfortably Numb” by Roger Waters, some new tour and music news, plus a sweet Bass of the Week, and you have this week's top 10 reader favorites.
DiMarzio has improved and expanded on their Relentless line of pickups, which they created in collaboration with bass icon Billy Sheehan. Originally featuring a single split-coil model, the series now includes the Relentless P and the Relentless J.
Lake Street Dive dropped another video from their “Live from The Sultan Room” series, and this time, the band grooves to The Pointer Sisters’ “Automatic.” As always, Bridget Kearney impresses with some funky bass work and backing vocals.
Blitz Vega, the band comprised of Kav Blaggers and The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke, has returned with their first new music in over two years. “Strong Forever” is an anthem for those who are having hard times.
Is there anything more fun than a synth pedal? We got our hands on Panda Audio’s third iteration of the Future Impact pedal to get in on the fun. Here’s our review.
Vulfpeck announced that a new full-length album is coming and released their first single. “Sauna” was co-written by Woody Goss and Jack Stratton and features Joe Dart, Cory Wong, Joey Dosik, Theo Katzman, and Antwaun Stanley.
The Wood Brothers will be keeping things rolling in 2023 with a newly announced spring tour. It will follow their current fall and winter performances in the Southeast and Mexico.
For this edition of Wonder Women, Brittany Frompovich is going back to the early ’90s. Brittany focuses on the life, work, and passing of Kristen Pfaff, who was the bassist for Janitor Joe and Hole.
No Treble reader Eduardo Kusdra sent us another one of his terrific all-bass arrangement videos. This time around, he’s taking on Duran Duran’s hit, “Rio.”
Ever since their 2001 album, fans have been clamoring for The Philadelphia Experiment (Christian McBride, “Questlove”, and Uri Caine) to release a new record. They’ve just dropped a new live album captured at the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival.
We’re celebrating Thanksgiving here at No Treble HQ. From today through Monday, November 28th, all No Treble swag is 20% off. That includes our distressed t-shirts and hoodies, and our stickers.
In this new “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora is joined by Derrek Phillips to chat about improvising a funky 12-bar blues bass line with a drummer.
From Gallien Krueger’s new Studio Sessions series, here’s Thad Johnson performing a playthrough of “Undefeated” by Kenny Lewis & One Voice. His gospel chops help to drive the music with powerful rhythm and creative playing.
The mighty Billy Sheehan and the Winery Dogs have big news for 2023. They’ve just revealed a new album, “III,” which will be released on February 3rd. They’ll also be embarking on the “202III World Tour” starting February 15th.
In this new episode of “From the Bottom,” Paul Thompson breaks down Donny Hathaway’s greatest song. Paul digs in on why it sounds so amazing, and, of course, checking out that amazing bass fill by Willie Weeks before the end!
It is always a joy to watch a video by Ellen Alaverdyan. She always has so much fun playing the bass, and in this new clip, she covers 10 of her favorite bass lines. I love how she reacts to playing each one!
Roger Waters cowrote one of the most iconic rock songs of all time, and now he’s reimagined it for 2022. The new version of “Comfortably Numb” from Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” has a new arrangement in a lower key and an eerier atmosphere.
This week we’re checking out a cool design by Vleck Basses called the Butterfly. Built in the Czech Republic, the curvy singlecut bass is crafted with a five-piece ash and wenge neck with an American black walnut body and ash tone block. Its 24-fret fingerboard is made from rosewood.
Tedeschi Trucks Band just dropped a video from their performance at Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA. Here’s the band – with Brandon Boone on bass and Mike Mattison on lead vocals – performing a cover of Dr. John’s “I Walk on Guilded Splinters.”
Melissa Carper just released a new album called “Ramblin’ Soul” that draws vintage country, western swing, classic R&B, and soul. Although Carper is a double bassist herself, she enlisted session ace Dennis Crouch for the record.
This week, we checked in with Brady Watt, Paul Thompson broke down Jaco’s “solo” on “Midwestern Nights Dream,” John Ferrara released a new “Tapping Technique” lesson, Leland Sklar locked it in with Scary Pockets, and more.
“Run For Cover” is one of those tunes where I reach for the volume knob and crank it to 11, especially during Marcus Miller’s bass solos. Here’s Marcus doing his thing live in Budapest in October.
Another iconic rock band has announced they’ll be hanging it up. Foreigner has unveiled a Farewell Tour that will begin in 2023. The band, formed in 1976, broke the news to Billboard.
You can always count on Cory Wong and the Wongnotes, but this video takes things to a different level. Using tiny instruments, the band performs “Pebbles” and “Bluebird.” Check out what Sonny T does with that tiny bass. It blows my mind!
Lyle Lovett will be hitting the road again this winter with his Acoustic Group, which pares down his Large Band to the strings and piano. That includes Jeff White, Luke Bull, and Leland Sklar.
Eventide has launched a new flagship pedal with the H90 Harmonizer. Building upon their H9, the new unit features 62 effects with a comprehensive I/O and flexible routing for a wide palette of sounds.
Today we’re checking out another video from the new Gallien Krueger Studio Sessions. This time they’re back with Matt Ramsey, who creates a gorgeous atmosphere with a looper that he then solos over to great effect.
Dezron Douglas has released a new full-length album called “Atalaya.” Although many know him for being the current bassist in Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio’s solo band, Douglas channels his jazz side on the record.
Brady Watt has been blowing up the hip hop world by breaking it down. His popular “Bass & Bars” series features him laying down iconic bass lines with the artists that made them popular. We caught up with him to get the scoop.
We’re featuring another bass playthrough from Unprocessed bassist David Levy, who previously wowed us with “Orange Grove.” This time he’s showing how it’s done for “Dinner” from their latest album, “Gold.”
Muse’s music has often been about a dystopian future. However, their ninth studio album, “Will of the People,” focuses more on the here and now. Chris Wolstenholme helps to evoke a sense of urgency with his bass lines and enormous tones.
This week was a good one in the world of bass, and readers enjoyed a lot of what was in store. Here is your top 10 list for the week on No Treble.
When we are deepest in our music, our entire body should be helping our performance. That’s what led bassist and author Jens Papenroth to write “Groove Breathing.”
Our friend Tony Senatore sent us the latest video he created with guitarist/vocalist Alan Lo Presti. In this clip, the duo rocks out to Night Ranger’s “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.”
When Marcus King started gaining momentum several years back, he was surrounded by a full band, including keys and horns. The modern guitar hero has now released his second solo album, “Young Blood,” with Nick Movshon on bass.
Fieldy has announced new music, but it’s not with Korn. The bassist, who has been on hiatus from the band since last year, has revealed that his project Stillwell has a new single coming out on September 16th.
Our friend Ben Titus sent us this video of his Amplified Artist Sessions live performance. “Someone In Your Life” is a beautiful piece for bass and vocals.
Jeff Coffin has released a new solo album called “Between Dreaming and Joy,” but it’s far from a solo effort. The saxophonist, who many know from his work with Dave Matthews Band, has an absolutely stacked lineup to fill out the music.
Axe Heaven is paying tribute to Rush with new mini bass and guitar replicas. The officially licensed products are 1:4 scale and individually handcrafted from solid wood with metal tuning keys.
Stuart Clayton published “The Plectrum Bass Book” earlier this year. Yesterday, he dropped this video of him playing along to Sly Stone’s “I Get High on You” - one of the earliest recordings by the great Bobby Vega.
The experimental improvising group Trio Xolo has made its recording debut with “In Flower, In Song.” The band consists of bassist Zachary Swanson, saxophonist Derrick Michaels, and percussionist Dalius Naujo.
Eva Gardner is also widely known as the original bassist for The Mars Volta and has built quite a resume along the way. She’s our guest for this month’s episode of Groove - The No Treble Podcast. Enjoy the conversation...
Tedeschi Trucks Band’s new “I Am The Moon” albums are amazing. A week or so ago, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Here’s their performance of one of my favorite tunes, “Soul Sweet Song,” which is a tribute to Kofi Burbridge.
The calendar flips to a new month, which means it’s time to share a monthly bass gear roundup. Here are the top 10 No Treble reader favorite bass gear stories for the month of August.
In this Keep It Groovy lesson, Ryan Madora covers how to create a simple bass line using minor triads. Taking inspiration from the drum groove, we can find a rhythm that works, apply the arpeggio, and create a simple yet effective groove!
No Treble contributor Brittany Frompovich has had a lot to overcome over the past year or so, but she’s back to gigging, including her work with Ashleigh Chevalier. Here’s a great clip of the duo performing “Burnin’ Down.”
Soilwork has just dropped their 12th studio album, and first with bassist Rasmus Ehrnborn. Over 25 years since their formation, “Övergivenheten” seems to only prove the band’s lasting power.
Fifty years ago, Yes released their iconic album “Close To The Edge.” Now the band is celebrating the milestone with the “Close To The Edge 50th Anniversary Tour,” which will see the band playing the masterpiece in its entirety.
I love it when Playing For Change drops a new video, and they did just that this morning. In this one, over 40 musicians from 13 countries got together virtually to record a beautiful version of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
Five Finger Death Punch has returned with its ninth studio album. Recorded over the last two years, “Afterlife” marks the first release to feature lead guitarist Andy James, who joined after longtime member Jason Hook’s departure in 2020.
Overwater Basses has a beautiful hollowbody carved top bass in their lineup that is absolutely stunning. The model comes in “full depth” or “thinline” versions.
NPR just dropped their latest “Tiny Desk” video, and this one is killer. Endea Owens, the house bassist for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, visited the office with The Cookout to perform five tunes.
Consider the Source is getting ready to hit the road again. Their “Maxx Power Tour” will return to their fully electric format, following the hybrid acoustic/electric shows in support of their latest album, “Hybrid Vol. 1: Such As A Mule.”
This week on No Treble, we covered new bass gear, featured an inspiring video by Ellen Alaverdyan, published a new Wonder Women interview with Tunu Jumwa, a new Brown’stone lesson with Rich Brown, and the exciting news of a Ron Carter documentary.
Trickfish Amplification has added a new model to their cabinet lineup with the TF112M. The lightweight cab, which they also call the “Mini 112,” is designed for sonic efficiency in a small package.
Drummer Yussef Dayes and his band performed a live set at the Joshua Tree, and the band debuted the video earlier this month. Rocco Palladino (Pino’s son) lays down some sweet bass lines behind the band, and he takes the spotlight on “Golden Hour.”
Two decades after their last release, Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey have unleashed the third Bass Extremes album. “S’Low Down” features the virtuosos with drummer extraordinaire Gregg Bissonette and a huge supporting cast.
Boss’s CUBE amp family has a few new members, including the Dual CUBE Bass LX. The mini amplifiers are designed for portability with power options of an included AC adaptor or eight AA batteries.
I’ve always loved the Sanborn Sessions. I don’t know how I missed this episode, but it’s better late than never. Kandace Springs joined Dave and the band to record “Love Got In The Way,” with Ben Williams laying down some funky bass with a fat tone.
Hawktail has returned with a third album, “Place of Growth.” The record is described as their most conceptual, leading listeners on a journey through the natural world. The acoustic quartet’s beautiful tones and melodies will certainly lead to multiple listens.
Tunu Jumwa is a bass player and music educator based in Nairobi, Kenya. She’s the focus of this month’s installment of Brittany Frompovich’s “Wonder Women; Stories from the Women Who Play Bass.”
Ellen Alaverdyan has a new video out, and this one once again features the bassist with her dad, Hovak Alaverdyan, on guitar (and Marine Sargsyan on stomp kick). Here’s the inspiring young musician performing bass and vocals on “Blackbird.”
The Rocky Mountain Bass Slam will be back for its 12th year on October 9th, 2022. Held in Denver, the annual bass hang celebrates the instrument with a day of clinics, performances, and gear exhibits.
This week in The Brown’stone on No Treble, we’re talking about the swung 16th-note subdivision. Rich Brown breaks this subdivision down and shows you an exercise that is sure to get you deeper into the groove.
Tedeschi Trucks Band dropped the fourth and final film last night from their incredible “I Am The Moon” series. As always, Brandon Boone lays down a solid foundation behind the band on “Episode IV. Farewell.”
Early last year, longtime Nightwish bassist Marko Hietala made the decision to leave the band. The group soon tapped Jukka Koskinen to fill his role, naming him as their session player. Now they’ve made his place in their ranks official.
Acoustik Attak has unveiled two new pick designs in their product lineup: the Stealth XL and the Juggernaut. Like their predecessors, the picks have unique attributes.
Back in February, Cory Wong and his band performed at Brooklyn Steel. Sonny T was on the bill. Here’s the band performing “Meditation,” which starts out as such a perfect, mellow groove before the band kicks things up a notch.
Ron Carter shared a fantastic bit of news in his latest email blast. A new documentary film on the bass icon’s life and music is set to premiere on October 21st.
This week we’re taking a look at Schecter’s take on a thin hollow body. The Corsair comes in black or gold colors with cream multi-ply binding to drive home the old-school vibe.
We love Lake Street Dive, thanks in large part to Bridget Kearney. 10 years ago, they performed a cover of “I Want You Back” on a Boston sidewalk. Here’s the band performing a cover of The Pointer Sisters’ “Automatic” in the same spot.
David Ellefson appears to be one of the hardest working bassists in rock and metal. He’s unveiled two new projects in the past year, and now he’s unveiled a third. The former Megadeth bassist has teamed up with Jeff Scott Soto to release an album.
Fodera has once again expanded their Standard series. The Monarch 5 Standard is described as blending aesthetics, playability, and reliability with a different tonal palette from the line.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers recently announced there’s a new album coming. “Return of the Dream Canteen” is releasing on October 14th, and the band has dropped the first video. “Tippa My Tongue” features some funky goodness by Flea.
The unreal improvisational trio of Wayne Krantz, Keith Carlock, and Tim Lefebvre will be at it again with a U.S. tour in September. The trio’s slogan for the outing is “Outrageous Times Require Outrageous Acts.”
Jane’s Addiction has a surprise for you, or maybe two. The band is apparently working on new music after they posted a recent clip from the studio. That clip included former member Eric Avery tearing it up on the bass.
Earlier this year, Richard Bona visited Alacran Studios in Miami Beach, FL, to record some tunes. Here’s a clip from the session, with Bona doing a fantastic solo bass and vocals version of Guillermo Rodriguez’s “Bilongo.”
Neil Swainson has returned with a new quintet album called “Fire In The West,” which marks his first album as a leader since 1987. The bassist created a great band for the 10-song collection and says the chemistry was evident.
Orange Amplification has updated their O Bass for 2022. Originally launched in 2015, the bass retains all of its same mojo with improved characteristics.
MonoNeon just dropped a new video for a song from his Dungeons & Dragons album. “Spacefighters” is a fun tune he co-wrote with Davy Nathan. Be sure to check out his mind-blowing solo!
After 32 years, Bass Player Magazine has announced the end of its print edition. The end of an era comes not as a result of readership or quality but the rising costs around the world.
Free The Tone has introduced the Integrated Gate, a noise suppressor pedal that has Noise Reduction and Noise Gate modes.
Today we’re excited to feature a monster playthrough by bassist David John Levy of Unprocessed. The German prog band’s new album “Gold” was released today, which features the song “Orange Grove.”
Soften the Glare has just released their second EP, appropriately called “Soften the Glare II.” The three-song collection sees the trio, anchored by Mudvayne’s Ryan Martinie, brought on Jamie King to produce the effort.
We’re all about that bass, and Ryan Madora’s latest “Keep It Groovy” breaks down the song in this lesson. Not only is this a fun tune to play, but it outlines a classic chord progression, the “ii-V-I.”
When I watched this video by Tim Starace, I thought to myself that he’s making his music room double as a home gym. Here he is playing bass, keyboards, and pedals on “La Villa Strangiato.”
Janek Gwizdala has released another instructional book for bassists, this time focusing on altered harmony. “Bass Player’s Guide to Altered Chords & Scales” is, in fact, more than a book. It includes 60 backing tracks and 100 videos.
Walrus Audio has introduced the Mira Optical Compressor, which they say offers “plenty of sustain, attack, and release that can be blended in to taste.” On top of typical compressor controls, it has a push-button high pass filter in the side chain.
The amount of talent on a single stage in this video is mind-blowing. This clip comes from the 2014 Global Concert in Osaka, Japan, with Herbie Hancock backed by a supergroup (including Marcus Miller) on a performance of “Hang Up Your Hang Ups.”
Jeff Beck has unveiled a United States tour this fall in support of his new album, “18,” which is a collaboration with Johnny Depp. Along for the ride will be bassist Rhonda Smith, who has been in Beck’s group for over a decade.