The members of 3Below mostly play in the bass clef. You may know names like fretless master Michael Manring (Michael Hedges) and “touch guitarist” Trey Gunn (King Crimson), but Mexican fusioneer Alonso Arreola is a wondrous addition. Together, they play world-inflected music rife with virtuosity, fresh sounds, and intoxicating results.
Accompanied by Emmanuel Pina on middle-eastern oud, 3Below frequently conjures music of sheer beauty. The first part of Live in Mérida has an accent on acoustic sounds, as on “Relamparia.” You can hear the King Crimson influence, with snaking bass/oud harmonies and off-kilter time signatures. Gunn’s rhythmic two-handed tapping kicks off “Hard Winds,” topped by Arreola’s slap and Manring’s fretless and fuzz-lead lines. All the players deploy effects pedals, adding to the expansive sonic stew.
Fully electrified, “Lake of Fire” has crazed pitch bends, harmonies, and riffs, á la Robert Fripp. Pina’s oud launches “Area” before the bassists dive in for wild tail-chasing. Also pay attention to Gunn’s use of a Warr Guitar (somewhat similar to a Chapman Stick) and Manring’s Zon HyperBass, with its ability to change tuning on the fly. These are sounds from the future of bass. – Pete Prown
This article originally appeared in VG’s March 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
