Spring Songs 2013

Spring should be about “happy” music. The first warm and sunny days always have me running to grab the Best of the Allman Brothers, REM Green, and Matthew Sweet 100% Fun and Girlfriend. Of course, buried deep under the jangling (or sliding) guitars and the sugar-sweetened melodies lie some melancholy lyrics.

So today, while listening to Dawes, Stories Don’t End and The Music is You:  A Tribute to John Denver, the combination of sweet melodies and melancholy lyrics felt perfect.

A Little Bit of Everything from the previous Dawes album, brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. And as long as I’m paying attention, it still brings on the water works pretty much anytime I listen to it. The only other things that can guarantee this are The Luckiest and Magic (by Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five respectively) and pretty much anything written by John Denver or Jackson Browne (at least up through The Pretender).

The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver
For Denver, it’s the melodies and chord changes as much as the lyrics. The songs remind me of being a kid and riding with my dad in our first cassette-player equipped car. This morning, while listening to Evan Dando singing Looking for Space, my mind was pretty much blown. Worlds collided as a voice from my high school years, sang a song from my childhood with lyrics about struggling to find your place in the world as a young adult.

And then a few minutes later, I looked into the back seat as my eldest had tears in her eyes listening to Sunshine on My Shoulders. And it was Train singing it! Train! Clearly there is no greater testament to a well-written song than when a band as craptastic as *Train can turn in a compelling performance.

Clearly, I have a vested interest in this album. John Denver holds a special place in my heart and the album features contributions from some of my favorite artists. But it’s worth a listen. My stand-out tracks are Evan Dando - Looking for Space, My Morning Jacket - Leaving on a Jet Plane, and Emylou Harris and Brandi Carlise doing Take Me Home, Country Roads. My youngest daughter has been requesting that we listen to Country Roads over, and over, and over again. I can't blame her.

Dawes, Stories Don’t End
Let me be clear. Stories Don’t End was my most highly anticipated release of 2013. Sure, I was also looking forward to Iron & Wine’s Ghost on Ghost and a few other releases. But the previous Dawes album, Nothing is Wrong, is easily my favorite album of the last few years. And Taylor Goldsmith may be the best songwriter of his generation.

At first listen, I was a little let down. The album didn't have as many songs that immediately hooked as Nothing is Wrong. But the more I listen, the more I love it. I read recently that Taylor had been digging into the Willie Nelson catalog as he wrote these songs. And I think I can hear the influence. I wonder if he was also digging into Elvis Costello. There's something about Just My Luck and Side Effects that reminds of King of America and Blood & Chocolate-era Elvis Costello. It's in the phrasing, the melodies, and the chord changes. Either way, I love it. But even with hearing these influences, I hear a songwriter finding his own voice. And if he can maintain this trajectory of writing, the next few albums are going to be amazing.

But seriously, go buy this album now! If you want just a taste, check out Bear Witness, Someone Will (my favorite song of the year), and Just Beneath the Surface.






*Train, for when Nickelback is too rocking but you need to find the worst possible music out there.

Gilmour Gurls

I have a new idea. When the girls are a few years older, I'm going to get all Murry Wilson and form them into an all-girl Pink Floyd and Big Star cover band called Gilmour Gurls. It. Will. Be. Brilliant.

VFE White Horse Junior Review

I’ve been rocking a VFE White Horse Junior Optical Compressor for a few weeks and it’s without a doubt my favorite compressor. I’d call it the best compressor I’ve ever used, but pedals are subjective and I’m sure someone will feel differently.

What I love most about the White Horse Junior is that it’s simple, versatile, and transparent (if you want it to be). Sure, it will squash with the best of them, but it will also apply the perfect amount of compression to sweeten your tone, even out your playing dynamics, and just make you sound better. You can set it where you don’t hear it when you turn it on, but you feel it when you turn it off.

With just three controls, the White Horse Junior is super easy to dial in:

SUSTAIN: Controls the gain/sustain of the optical compressor
BLEND: Blends between the uncompressed and compressed signals
LEVEL: Controls the output volume of the White Horse Junior

The White Horse has a ton of compression available, so resist the urge to crank the sustain knob (or at least experiment with different levels). I’ve been running mine with the Blend control at 11 o’clock and sustain at 10 o’clock. This setting is great for clean and consistent rhythm playing (especially jangly and sustaining arpeggios).

And while I normally only have a comp on when I’m playing clean, I can leave the White Horse Junior on when I kick on the fuzz and/or overdrive and it’s quiet enough that the noise floor doesn’t go through the roof. And paired with some dirt, the White Horse Junior makes it really easy to get sweet, controllable feedback at lower volumes.

I have one of the plain metal box juniors with hand written labeling. But VFE is preparing to take the Junior pedals mainstream and are running a Kickstarter campaign as we speak. In fact, if you act quickly, you can get a White Horse Junior for $80 by supporting the campaign.

Cusack Goblin

Photo courtesy of Nathan Sousa

Goblin - A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous creature; a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom. They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin.

Goblin - An insanely good 15 watt 6V6-powered guitar amp originally manufactured by Reverend Guitars. The Reverend Goblin was produced in small numbers (roughly 200) and I'm lucky to own one of those. Thanks to our friends at Cusack Music, the Goblin is back, and better than ever. The Cusack amps are hand-made in the US and built to withstand the rigors of the road.

If you haven't had the pleasure of playing a Goblin, start saving now. With wattage switchable between 5 and 15 watts and the brilliant 3-way Schizo switch, the Goblin is an amazing recording amp that has enough power on tap to keep up with a pounding drummer.

This Goblin isn't a grotesque creature. But it does offer various temperaments and abilities and delivers everything from pristine cleans to glorious power-tube distortion at less than ear-bleeding levels. I can't wait to try one out.

Coolest. Amp. Ever!

I think I've already made abundantly clear in this blog, that I pray at the alter of Reverend when it comes to guitars and amps. But about two years ago, I came across someone selling a custom made Mojotone 1x12 cabinet designed for a Reverend Goblin. I loved my Goblin as is, and I certainly loved the light weight of the 1x10 cab with the Jensen Neo. But I was eager to push a little more air.

I got the cab, loaded my head, switched the Mojo greenback-style speaker for an Eminences Wizard that I had lying around and had my mind blown. Words can't describe how much I love this new setup.

More recently, I switched to an Eminence Cannabis Rex, and I'm in love all over again.

Faded Sticker - Track By Track Gear Run Down

Over the summer, my band recorded our debut album. You can find it on iTunes and Amazon. Or feel free to comment if you want an actual CD.

Being the gear head that I am, I took pretty meticulous notes on what we used for each track. For some overdubs, we did so many takes that we lost track, but here's the bulk of it.

We were lucky to record at Invisible Sound Studios in Baltimore, MD where we had a ton of vintage and boutique amps to choose from.And of course, thanks to my pedal addiction, we had plenty of options on that front as well.


GSRS - Reverend Roundhouse HB, into HBE Germania44, into Tweed Deluxe.

The highlight of the sessions was slamming a '58 Tweed Deluxe with an HBE Germania44 Treble Booster. Grunge is the only way to describe it. It's how we got the main rhythm tone used on GSRS.The lead guitar is a home-made 25.5 scale bolt-neck with filtertrons into the "Marshall" side of a 65 Amps London. 

Mercy


For this one, the rhythm part was a Malden Mozak, into a Fulltone '69 MKII (with the volume rolled off), into a vintage Blackface Deluxe Reverb. The lead part was a 25.5 scale bolt-neck with filtertrons into one of the hand-wired AC30 reissues. The echo is a Cusack Tap-a-Delay. Even crazier, the synth and piano sounds are all from the iPad version of GarageBand.

Fireworks


I covered part of recording this song in a previous post. I discussed how I used the Cusack Tap-A-Scream to transition into the noisy coda. But the tools used for the main rhythm part were also pretty cool. Live, I've been using a Micro POG and the Leslie setting on a Line 6 M9 to do a faux B3 kind of thing. When Dave (our engineer) heard it, he said "Are you doing a rotating speaker thing there? We have a Chord-a-Vox, you know!" So we grabbed the Chord-a-Vox a fed the signal from my Reverend Goblin into it. Swirly-wirly goodness. The lead parts are the custom guitar into the '65 London.

And then the outro is a whole lot of tracks of oscillating Fuzz Factory, a theremin app, etc. 

Interview: Dave Koltai of Pigtronix

A few weeks ago, I sat down with Dave Koltai from Pigtronix to get some background on how he got started, find out who's using Pigtronix effects, and to learn what's coming next.

P90Noir: How long have you been building?

Dave Koltai: I’ve been building since 2001. A college friend got me started. He built an envelope controlled phase shifter from the seminal Craig Anderton book, “Electronics Projects for Musicians.” I loved the sound of this design and asked him to build another one for me. His nickname was “Pigpen.” While Pigpen was constructing the second envelope phase unit for me, I built an optical compressor from the same book, learning how to solder, and all about the various componentry as I went along. This second envelope phase shifter was housed in a 2-space rack, with relay based remote switching and it never worked properly, so eventually, I had to take it all apart and then put it back together. This rather challenging experience was my first taste of modifying, debugging, and trouble-shooting a complex analog design.

The experience with the Anderton designed phase shifter got me all fired up to discover more about building analog pedals. I began researching gear online and used the wonderful resources at GeneralGuitarGadgets.com and built many different musical effect projects. Guided by the GGG website and my good friend, Verne Andru, I began modifying the classic designs to meet my own needs. Eventually I had constructed a whole stable of mutant clones and was playing through this massive pedal board of un-labeled aluminum boxes. I was passionate about making a career in music and had found something that was great fun, and seemed to be my calling. The rest is history.

P90Noir: Do you have a formal training in electrical engineering?

DK: I hold a BA in Music from Middlebury College in Vermont. I do not have an electrical engineering degree. I do, however, have an informal training in musical electronics, that has come from working with Howard Davis. Howard Davis designed the Deluxe Memory Man, Deluxe Electric Mistress, PolyChorus, and many other amazing Electro Harmonix products from their heyday in the late 70’s and early 80’s. He’s been my mentor as a designer and has been Pigtronix chief engineer since 2005. Howard is a truly rare talent in that he creates original circuits from scratch. Howard is absolutely brilliant and can tackle the most complex design challenges, always bringing some unique twist to the project.

P90Noir: So where does the design impetus come from?

DK: My role is at the crossroads of engineering and musicianship. It’s my job that say we need to make “x, y, or z” and then challenge Howard to design it. As a professional guitarist, I’m the guy with the ear for tone and a sense of what is out there and what people want to buy. I know what’s been made and where the unfulfilled sonic niches are left waiting to be explored. Pigtronix is all about finding undiscovered territory and creating unique products that haven’t yet been brought to market. I’ve always wanted to make stuff that stands out and addresses unmet needs of musicians. I’ll leave the nostalgia, retro worship and blatant cloning to others.

The design process is one in which Howard and I work together over a period of months (or often times years) to create a product that meets the standards necessary for production. Some of the best examples of our collaboration in design are the amazingly fast and accurate pitch tracking of the Mothership Synth, the unrivaled sustain of the Philosopher’s Stone and the low-noise, high gain sounds of the Disnortion pedal. Our goal is to get the most performance from a minimum number of parts. Our skills together make a great combination. To succeed in the type of projects we tackle you need a creative engineer and musician with a well-developed and informed ear.

P90Noir: Which designs are you most proud of?

DK: All of them! To me, they are all outstanding accomplishments. As far as production volume goes, the Philosopher’s Tone has sold the most pedals to date. That effect has been adopted by many of my musical heroes. The Echolution is mypersonal favorite to use. That one is an artistic pedal which really takes the concept of a full featured delay to an extreme. It’s my “desert island pedal.” Of all our distortion boxes, I lean on the FAT Drive and Aria pedal the most– those two units are my core sound as a player.

P90Noir: What’s behind the FAT drive?

DK: CMOS (Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor) – is the answer. CMOS is intended for use a in digital logic circuits, but you can ram analog audio through it to get amp-like tube sound overdrive.

P90Noir: Is the FAT Drive circuit the same as the overdrive in the Disnortion?

DK: They are similar. The Disnortion has little more bass and a little less gain, the low-end has been trimmed on the FAT Drive so that the midrange is emphasized. Most of our pedals work for bass, guitar, synths, drums or anything else. The FAT is the only one that’s really meant primarily for guitar. For the record, the FAT Drive is not even remotely related to a Tube Screamer or any other overdrive pedal for that matter. It is a unique design that represents the essence of Pigtronix, which is why we call it the FAT Drive. That pedal achieves my principal goal of being responsive to the touch of the player, letting their dynamics and touch shine through a massive wave of distortion.

P90Noir: Who’s touring and/or recording with the FAT?


DK: Brad Whitford & Joe Perry of Aerosmith tour with the FAT Drive. DweezilZappa uses it in his current live rig. David Hidalgo, Louis Perez and Cesar Rojas of Los Lobos all use the FAT Drive in their pedal boards. A lot of the time, I find out about major artists using our gear from pictures on the internet or rig rundowns in guitar magazines. It is always thrilling to know that major rockstars are BUYING my gear.

P90Noir: Can you point to specific song where someone is using one of your pedals?


DK: “Back in the Saddle” by Aerosmith. That is Brad’s big solo when they play live and I know he is rocking the FAT Drive or Disnortion on this tune. You can hear the Mothership, when Juan Alderete from Mars Volta is shaking a stadium with sub-octaves. Richard Fortus of Guns and Roses – his main delay is the Echolution, and you hear that in most of his solos live with GnR. Josh Klinghoffer in the Red Hot Chilli Peppers has a Polysaturator on his board, but I have no idea what tunes he’s using it on. Andy Summers of the Police used the Philosopher’s Tone on “Walking on the Moon” during their last tour.

P90Noir: What do you listen to and does it impact your designs?

DK: I listen to everything. From classical music to psych rock. I love jazz, particularly Miles Davis’s classic quintets from the 50’s and 60’s. I’m a huge fan of Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, SRV, the Who, the Police and Aerosmith. In short, I am influenced by Debussy and Beethoven as much as Bob Marley and Peter Gabriel.

As for my background, I used to perform with Kurtis Blow in a hip-hop gospel group that played weekly in the South Bronx. In that gig, I was playing with guys who were way out of my league, which is always the best possible situation to be in as it will force you to either get better or get fired. I also played Soukous and Afro Beat music with cats from the Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Ghana for several years before Pigtronix got so busy that I had to take a break from regular gigging. Now I am back to playing gigs in an all original project called the Dynamics. I try to bring all of my musical experiences to the table when designing a pedal.

P90Noir: Getting back to the Disnortion, what are the secrets inside of that pedal? What’s the fuzz based on? Is the Octava similar to the Tycobrahe Octavia?

DK: The fuzz is an opamp fuzz. It is Howard’s own design and not based on previous examples. For the Octava, we developed a totally original circuit that was “inspired” by the Dan Armstrong Green Ringer but uses a method of frequency doubling which results in an effect that can handle both chords and single note lines quite well. Most importantly, the Octava circuit is placed in series before the parallel Fuzz and Overdrive sections of the Disnortion. In the original Roger Mayer and Tycobrahe Octavia designs, the fuzz comes first followed by the octave doubler. In our Disnortion, the Octava portion comes first, followed by the distortion sections.

P90Noir: How did you get the idea to do parallel distortion circuits in the Disnortion pedal?

DK: It’s obvious. It’s just a good idea. You get massive distortion and gain without the noise. Its like using two amps, two mics or simply double tracking your guitar, inside a pedal. I am aware of only one other pedal on the market that does this. I am SURE there will be more in the future.

P90Noir: What’s on the horizon Pigtronix?

DK: The Infinity Looper is coming next. It’s the first of some very ambitious pedals that we’ve been working on. It’s a microSD card based looper pedal that records at 24bit / 48khz with tremendous headroom, zero latency and features discreet analog limiting on the front end as well as all analog pass-through. It’s easy to operate, yet tremendously powerful and flexible.

The Infinity’s unique “SYNC MULTI” mode provides a multiplier function allowing the length of Loop 2 to be 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 times the length of Loop 1. The loops can also be run out of sync or even in SERIES, for verse / chorus song structures. Ninja style input split mode assigns Input 1 to Loop 1 and Input 2 to Loop 2, effectively allowing performers to record and overdub separate instruments on separate loops, into isolated amps, simultaneously.

The Pigtronix Infinity also provides a long awaited AUX Loop output intended to send looped audio to stage monitors. This is especially helpful for drummers to hear and stay in time.

P90Noir: It seems like the original Pigtronix stuff is really complex and the new stuff is simple. I mean the Philosopher’s Rock has two knobs and a switch… Why the shift?

DK: Clearly, we’re moving towards a more stream-lined approach. As I’ve gotten better at designing circuits, I’ve come to a point where the challenge is to distill the best elements of a design and put most of the decision making inside the enclosure rather than bringing every parameter out front. By expanding our line to include more simple pedals, we’re trying to give musicians options of how fancy they want to get with their Pigtronix effects, – from the two-knob Philosopher’s Rock to the eight-knob Philosopher King.

Eventually, I want to move into programmable analog designs. Pigtronix is for the guys that want to make a new sound. You can use our pedals to get classic old-school sounds, but you can also make new, original tones and that is what gets me excited. It is true that we live in a digital world, but I insist that the future can be analog even it requires that Pigs fly!

Interview with Steve Bragg, Empress Effects

I recently sat down with Steve Bragg from Empress Effects to talk about music, gear, robots, and the wonderful world of guitar effects. We discussed how Steve got started building effects, the "secrets" behind some of the great Empress pedals, and what's on the horizon.

P90: How long have you been building pedals and how did you get started?
Steve: I built my first pedal in high school. It was a Tycobrahe Octavia. It didn't work at all. My friends and I also tried to build a robot. We didn't get much further than the power supply. It wasn't a great start in electronics. In university I got my hands on the classic text Art of Electronics, that's when things started to make sense.

P90: Some of your pedals have pretty complex designs. What’s your background?

Steve: I took electrical engineering in university. During that time, I had a bunch of electronic projects on the go. I built a lucid dreaming inducer, which was a crappy version of the Remee (which I can't wait to get in the mail). First I designed it using logic chips on a breadboard, and it was a mess. Then I learned about embedded programming, which simplified things a lot. It also led to later putting a processor in the Empress Tremolo. Using a processor to digitally control analog circuitry makes things really interesting.

P90: The Multidrive is very cool in that it allows fuzz, overdrive, and distortion to be run in parallel. What was the impetus behind that?

Steve: The idea was pretty simple. Running dirt pedals serially kinda sucks. When you distort an already distorted sound, you end up with a mess. Sometimes that's what you want, but a lot of the time you want a thicker distortion that still responds well to your playing. Since the three subcircuits in the Multidrive are in parallel, they are each distorting the clean input. What you get isn't a mess, but a really nice thick distortion tone.

P90: Are the Fuzz, Distortion, and OD based in the Multidrive based on older circuits or are they original designs?

Steve: The subcircuits aren't based on anything directly. Jay designed the overdrive and distortion circuit from scratch. For the fuzz circuit, he employed the common trick of putting clipping diodes in the feedback path of a transistor.

P90: Which of your designs are you most proud of? Why?
Steve: I've been really happy with my current project. It's a reverb pedal that I'm working on with Jay. He's doing most of the sound algorithms, he knows a lot more about reverbs than I do. I'm working more on the architecture of the pedal. When we did the Superdelay, we were just learning how to code in C. The result was a tangled mess, picture the air conditioning systems in the movie Brazil. Trying to find bugs in the Superdelay code was miserable work. Coding the reverb has been a treat. So it's nice knowing that I'm getting better, or that I can completely delude myself into thinking so.

P90: What kind of music do you listen to mostly? Does what you listen to impact the circuits you design and build?

Steve: It's all over the place. Electronic, rock, orchestral, piano music. I used to be a lot more into rock, but I love dancing like an idiot, and nothing makes me embarrass myself like some fun electronic music, like Ratatat or Daft Punk.

As for affecting the products we build, I'm don't think it has much of an effect. I'm the least musical of our Empress team, I stay more within the realm of electronic design. I do have a couple effects that I've wanted to create for a long time that I think would be really cool. Stuff that might not sell well but hopefully helps really creative people push different ideas.

P90: You guys have some pretty big names using your pedals these days. Can you point to any songs where you know someone used an Empress pedal on a specific part?

Steve: There's a song on The Black Keys Brothers album that I'm sure has the Superdelay throughout.

P90: What’s on the horizon for Empress? Any new pedals we should keep an eye out for?

Steve: Ever since we released the Superdelay, we've had a lot of players say "The Superdelay is great, but I spend most of my time in the tape delay setting." So we've taken the tape delay mode from the Superdelay and put it inside its own pedal. Sounds just as good as the one in the Superdelay, but there's a bunch of extra features. The dry signal is all analog, there's presets if you want to use them, you can control the tempo with tap or knob, it's smaller, and uses less current. And it's $250. That's in production right now and should be ready within a month.

Also in production is our buffer and buffer+. Unlike most buffer pedals, these ones are designed specifically to be the input to and output from your pedalboard. So they provide a large input impedance for your guitar, so it doesn't get loaded down, and a low output impedance for your amp. The buffer+ has a bunch of interesting features: a stompswitch activated boost circuit, an input loading circuit to control exactly how much you want to load down your guitar, an noise filter to help with your noisy pedals, and a tuner out. You can also mute your normal output easily when tuning. The buffer pedals should also be ready within a month.

P90: That’s it for me. Do you want to add anything in closing?

Steve: Thanks for all the great questions! I'd just add that if anyone wants to get in touch with me, especially customers with questions about their pedals, they can reach me at steve@empresseffects.com.

Henry Clay People Interview: Part One

A few nights ago I spent some time on the phone with Joey Siara, lead singer and guitarist for the Henry Clay People. We talked about guitar gear, some of the tones on their new album (Twenty-Five for the Rest of Our Lives), their live setup, and Joey's favorite guitarists and songwriters.

Here's part one of our interview:

P90Noir: Let’s start with the new album. What were your main guitars and amps for those sessions?
Joey Siara: I was splitting my signal between two amps - a 1975 silver face deluxe that I picked up on tour in Dallas, Texas for $550. It was one of my tour finds. I was using that and a hand-wired AC15. For pedals, I was using the Crowther Audio Hotcake and the Paul Cochrane Tim pedal. My main guitar is a Bill Nash tele (it’s been my main guitar for a few years). Although, I was surprised when I went back and listened to this record. Most of it was an early-90’s Japanese Jazzmaster with lollar pickups. Its brighter than the tele bridge, and I ended up using it more than the tele.

P90Noir: Are there any tones on the new album that you are especially proud of?

Joey Siara: Actually it’s my brother’s (Andy Siara) guitar. He was playing an SG classic with P90s into a little hand-made 15 watt that the guy who owned the studio built. It’s sort of an old Marshally tone. And Andy was using the Crowther Prunes and Custard pedal – that thing is awesome. Since then, I’ve started using one of those in my live setup. It’s one of my favorite pedals. Most of the lead guitar on the record has this broken guitar, really nasty sound. It’s that little home-made amp and the Prunes and Custard.

  P90Noir: I had a Hotcake for a long time and I loved it. But of course, something new caught my eye and I traded the Hotcake. And now I really miss it.

P90Noir: What’s your current live rig?

Joey Siara: Bringing two amps on tour is overkill for me. So now, I have the Top Hat Club Royale. I bought it just before the tour. It’s turned out to be the best amp purchase I’ve made. I really like having a 2x12. Using a 1x12 is tough on stage, because I move around a lot and need to be able to hear it. And I like that the Top Hat has a master volume on it which allows me to not be hated by every sound man out there. For pedals, it’s just the Hotcake and a Prunes and Custard.

P90Noir: Wow, so that’s it for pedals? I'm in a basement band that plays maybe three or four times a year and my board has probably eight pedals. It's a little ridiculous.

Joey Siara: Just those two, and a little Korg Pitchblack tuner. I tried to go simple. At different parts in the band’s history you would have come and seen different amounts of pedals. This is as bare bones as I have been in the history of the Henry Clay People. There’s something about the peace of mind of not having to worry about which pedal to hit. I think, when I play live, I get in my head sometimes in a song of making a choice of this distortion or that distortion. Having limited options helps me keep in the moment and focus on performing and singing.

P90Noir: I notice you use a lot of tremolo. Is that amp tremolo or a pedal? What is it that you like about tremolo as an effect? It always seems to really sync well with the songs. Are you using something with tap tempo?

Joey Siara: A lot of the tremolo is the Deluxe Reverb. There is one song on particular on the record, Those Who Know Better, where I tried to play in between the tremolo pulses so that you couldn’t really hear the attack. That was one of my favorite tones on the record. I played it on a Richenbacher 360 that I’ve since parted ways with. It was one of those guitars you lose in order to pay bills.

P90Noir: Let’s talk about some specific songs. The first of your songs that really jumped out at me was Slow Burn, from Somewhere on the Golden Coast. I love that lead slide part. Do you remember what guitar/effects/amp you used for that?

Joey Siara: It’s a slide part on the SG doubled with a Jazzmaster on the neck pickup. It’s a little Doug Martsch bit.

P90Noir: That answers that question then. The first time I heard you guys I thought “This is awesome, there’s like Pavement, Built to Spill, Replacements, maybe some Dinosaur Jr., but they’re still doing their own thing. I love it!”

Joey Siara: There’s all of those in there. I’m a fan – I’m an indie rock purist. All of those bands kind of inform our sound. I looked and listened and examined what all of my favorite guitarists have played and used to help me find the sounds I want to try to rip off (laughter).

P90Noir: I thought I was hearing a Big Muff on that part, but now I’m guessing maybe it’s a cranked Hotcake?

Joey Siara: That one isn’t, that’s Andy playing. He does most of the leads. At the same though, his setup is usually all the stuff that I’ve bought for myself that doesn’t really suit me. His guitar and most of his pedals I technically at one time in my life bought them. I’m not 100% sure on that. The lead might be a Turbo Rat. It’s one of those pedals that I actually purchased several times. I get one and I get sick of it and then I re-buy it again.

P90Noir: I got through that as well. I think I’ve bought and sold a Boss Blues Driver at least four times. I always think I’m going to like it, but it never works with my playing or my setup. And I’ve probably owned an MXR Dynacomp more times than that.

Joey Siara: You know I’ve had a similar experience with the Big Muff. I think part of my thing is that I love Teles and I love the bridge pickup and I feel like Big Muffs a lot of times, they want you to be hanging out on that neck pickup.

P90Noir: For me and Big Muffs, I always love them when I’m at home practicing. But whenever I take it into the band setting it just disappears in the mix. Finally, about a year ago, I picked up one of the Black Russian Sovtek (last version before they quit making them) Big Muffs and it’s the keeper. It has mids and it has a range of gain that none of the others had.

Joey Siara: Oh yeah, that’s totally been my problem with them too. Being a J. Mascis fan, I ended up getting the green one that was made in Russia. It’s like made out of tank parts (laughter). It’s awesome. I had this guy mod it so it’s true bypass and it has a little more headroom and doesn’t get as lost in the mix. But it takes up such a huge chunk of real estate in my little pedal case that I ended up giving it to our bass player and it has ended up being a huge part of our bass sound, especially on the new record. We split the signal, and on some of the songs it’s mostly the dry signal. But you really hear it on The Fakers and Anymore/Any Less.

Part two of the interview will be posted next week.

A Little Bit of Everything - The P90's First Family Concert Experience

Dawes, at Long's Park in Lancaster, PA

I wrote a few months ago about how Mrs. P90 bought Newport Folk Fest tickets for my birthday and how we were going to take the whole family and how it would be an amazing first concert experience for the P90 girls. Well, about three weeks ago, we got cold feet and sold the tickets.

I was sad to sell the tickets. But considering the weekend would have cost us $2,000+ all said and done, I consoled myself by repeating “I’d rather regret not going, than regret going.”

A second consolation prize was that Dawes (one of the bands we were most excited to see), was playing a free show at a park about 1.5 hours away from our house.

Random – Dawes playing a free show at a park in Lancaster, PA. How did this happen? For my local readers, imagine Centennial Park. That’s pretty much about the size of this park, and the stage wasn’t a whole lot bigger. Either way, I give mad props to the Long’s Park Amphitheater Foundation.

So yesterday, we packed up the blue whale (pet name for the light blue Toyota Sienna that replaced the Arctic Blue Sport Wagon) and headed to Lancaster, PA. We got there about two hours before the show and were surprised to see a crowd had already gathered. We claimed a space near the stage and set off to find food and shade.

We killed some time at a playground and with 30 minutes till show time returned to our spot on the lawn. At this point, the three year-old turns to Mrs. P90 and asks “Is this almost over? I’m ready to go home.” The concept of a live band seems to have been lost on her and since there were roadies on stage and music playing, she though that was “the band.”

A few moments later, Dawes came on and the girls handled it well. They danced, they played, the three year-old climbed on Mrs. P90 and did what looked like a toddler version of crowd surfing. The eldest was bothered by the volume, but this is the girl that is afraid of the intercom in a store.  And she eventually rallied and even spent one song (Coming Back to a Man) on my shoulders up near the front of the stage.

But by the ninth or tenth song in the set the girls were losing their interest and their patience. Like the 21st century parents we are, we handed them our phones and they played with the Easy Bake Oven app.

Were we sickened that our daughters were playing with smart phones while one of the best bands around was playing in front of them? Yes. Were we doing everything we could to catch as many songs as possible? Yes. We have a new credo. We’re reclaiming our lives. We’ve bent to our children’s wills for long enough. They are now old enough to be agreeable and do some things we want to do.

As the band kicked into Peace in the Valley, the three-year old began climbing on Mrs. P90 and doing something which looked not unlike toddler moshing. And at this point, I saw what we refer to as “belligerEmy” flash across her face. I realized that while there may be Peace in the Valley, there would be no more peace on the lawn. We quickly gathered up our belongings and raced back to the blue whale as she cried because she wasn’t holding her blankie. A woman in the crowd even offered her a balloon animal dog to ease her pain. She would have none of it. A threshold had been crossed. We were in the downward spiral of a full on meltdown.

We pulled out of the lot as the band broke into “A Little Bit of Everything.” It would have been nice to hear the last few songs, but being a parent is priority one over being a music fan. And all things considered, I saw one of my favorite bands play eleven songs in the company of my three favorite people. I’d say that accounts for a little bit of everything.

Recording Report

Just a few of the amps available at Invisible Sound Studios

My band spent the weekend at Invisible Sound Studios in Baltimore, MD recording our “debut album.” It was an amazing experience and we got through basic tracks for all 10 songs. We will spend a few weeks at home adding overdubs, keys, and vocals. After that, we’ll head back to the studio to mix and master. We hope to be completed by early September.

We’re still raising funds through our Kickstarter campaign. Please support us if you feel so inclined.

And here are some pictures from the sessions. For those of you that are gear junkies, you may want to brace yourself.

Vox AC15 Reissue and 65 Amps London

Tonebenders, Treble Boosters, and a TS808

Reverend Goblin into Cordavox Rotating Speaker Cab

AC30 Reissue and 65 Amps London

Vintage Deluxe Reverb

'58 Tweed Deluxe - Sounds like the end of the world

Recording our First Album

The Band is going to Invisible Sound Studios in Baltimore tomorrow. We’ll be spending Saturday and Sunday recording the basic tracks for our “debut album.” It’s not too late to join our Kickstarter campaign. Just last night we received our first $100 backer. I can’t wait to find out what song they want us to learn and play at the album release party. Anything goes. I secretly hope they chose Oops, I Did It Again – I think we can do a unique take on it.



Back to recording. Invisible Sound calls themselves the North American Guitar Amplifier Museum (because they have over 150 vintage and boutique amps). I intend to use over $10,000 worth of amps over the weekend. My short list is: 65 Amps London, Vox 50th Anniversary AC15, and a vintage Fender Tweed Deluxe. I’m especially excited to attack these amps with my new secret weapon – the Homebrew Electronics Germania Treble Booster.

We’ve been practicing like crazy and we plan to do the basic tracks “live.” Meaning we all record at once in one big room. We’ve budgeted an hour per song for basic tracks. I’m cautiously optimistic that we can hit that goal. Theoretically, we should be able to record five minutes worth of music in one hour. But to do this, it means we each have to get through the song (together) with no mistakes. Or at least no mistakes that are picked up by other mics around the room.

My Pedalboard, June 2012

I'm always talking about pedals on this blog, but I don't think I've ever posted a picture of my board. Here it is as of a week or two ago.

You might notice that neither the Mojo Hand Huckleberry nor the Danelectro Cool Cat Fuzz are on my board. It doesn't mean that they've fallen out of favor entirely. It just means that I like to mix it up when it comes to fuzz.My fuzz journey has been ridiculous. I think (famous last words) I'm finally all set with a Mojo Hand Huckleberry, a Throbak Stonebender, a EHX "Black Russian" Big Muff, a Fulltone '69 MKII, and a Danelectro Cool Cat Fuzz.I also have a clone of the Catalinbread Merkin and a Danelectro French Toast, but those are just on hand for "crazy sounds."

Pedal Order and Specifics:
Fulltone '69 MKII (*battery powered)
Throbak Stonebender (*battery powered)
Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Germanium Gold Edition
Menatone Top Boost in a Can
Electro Harmonix Micro Pog
TC Electronic Polytune
Line 6 M9 (used mainly for modulation, delay, and reverb) (expression pedal for univibe speed, runaway analog delay freakouts, and other fun things)
Zinky Master Blaster (clean boost)




It's all powered by a Visual Sound One-Spot. I've long considered upgrading to a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power, but I can't justify the expense because the One-Spot always works fine. I know some people find it noisy, but I have not had that problem.

And yes, both fuzzes (and all of my fuzzes for that matter) are powered by cheap dollar store variety carbon zinc batteries. I know it sounds crazy, but I can hear/feel the difference between using a battery vs. the One-Spot. At least I'm not (yet) using a rubber band to hold on the base plates.

Kickstart my Art?

Sorry, this isn't a post about the awesome/horrible Motley Crue song Kickstart my Heart. It's about my band gearing up to record a "proper album."

Last week, we launched a Kickstarter Campaign and we are 40% of the way to our goal. Everyone who "kicks in" $10 or more will get a copy of the completed album. For larger contributions, there are better thank you gifts. Two of those include empty beer bottles (because of Kickstarter rules) that will be filled with sweet, sweet home brew care of yours truly. And I'll also be offering up some delicious pulled pork BBQ.

So come on, support the dadrock stylings of Artistic Differences and KICKSTART MY ART!

Of Monsters and Thrones

Best album of the Year? Worst album cover of the year?

I’ve been remiss. I haven’t told my two loyal readers about my favorite new band. I am head over heals in love with Of Monsters and Men. I’ve heard them referred to as “this year’s The Head and the Heart,” but I’m not feeling that comparison. If anything, I’d call them a magical cross between Belle & Sebastian and Arcade Fire. No matter who you compare them to, their debut album My Head in An Animal is easily one of my favorite 2012 releases and is chock full of great songs.

My favorites are probably Little Talks, Six Weeks, From Finner, and King and Lionheart. Even the girls love Of Monsters and Men, although my eldest says their name is silly. I tried to explain that all of the good band names had been used up by the mid-to-late 1990’s (*insert citation – Limp Bizkit, Hoobastank, Maroon 5) but that’s a hard concept for a five year old. Especially a kid who thinks this about Belle & Sebastian. But I digress.

Maybe it’s because I was late to the party and just started watching Game of Thrones around the time I got this album, but if there ever was a perfect song for Thrones, it’s King and Lionheart.

King and Lionheart
Howling ghost they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart.
And in the sea that's painted black,
Creatures lurk below the deck
But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart.

If I had to recommend just one song from the album, it's this one:

In the Aeroplane over the Sea

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over the Sea

If you don't already own this album, chances are you will hate it! Seriously, you can't handle this album. You'll think the singing is off key, you'll say the sound quality is horrible, you won't know what the F to think about a "Two Headed Boy all floating in glass," and then finally, your mind will be blown when you find out that the whole thing is about Anne Frank.

But I think it's one of the most important albums of the 1990's and in the Top 10 of best indie rock albums of all time. And it's available from amazon for only $2.99 right now for the entire album.

So BUY IT! Listen to it three or four times, and then either thank me, or tell me I have the worst taste in music ever.

M. Ward's Pedalboard

I've been chasing M. Wards tone for ages. In fact, it was Never Had Nobody Like You that got me hooked on fuzz and set me on a fuzz journey that is still going strong (10-15 fuzz pedals later). I still can't tell you what fuzz he used on that song. I can tell you that he sounded great at the 9:30 Club last night with a pedalboard full of Boss pedals and an Ibanez delay. All powered by a (wait for the collective gasp from the Gear Page folks) a One Spot.

Here's the list:
Boss TU-2 Tuner
Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
Boss RC-20XL Loop Station
Boss FRV-1 Fender 63' Reverb Pedal
Ibanez AD9 Delay

Guess I'm going full circle and buying an SD-1. At least it should only be about $35-40. Borderline free compared to some of these fuzz pedals I've bought.

And that's it folks. Take two Gibson Johnny A's (one tuned to D6), add these pedals, and a Fender Twin Reverb, and it sounds amazing.

ThirtySix

Apologies in advance for what might be a rather rambling post… I turned 36 on Thursday. I’m fine with this. It doesn’t make me feel old. What made me feel old was registering our eldest daughter for kindergarten the day before. How did that happen? It seems like she was born just a few days ago.

But back to my birthday. I got some pretty amazing stuff (Mrs. P90 kicks ass as a general rule). The girls got me some Star Wars action figures (including an RT-D2 that makes beeping sounds) and I got a cool little iRig interface for plugging my guitars into my iPhone (because why wouldn’t you plug a guitar into a phone). But more importantly, we got tickets for the whole family to attend the Newport Folk Fest.

I don’t think I could be more excited. The lineup is amazing – My Morning Jacket, Iron & Wine, Deer Tick, Dawes (playing as Dawes and then backing up JACKSON BROWNE!), the list goes on. And the girls are also pretty excited. Actually, the youngest had a bit of a fit when she realized we’d only be watching/listening to the Head and the Heart. She wants to be in the band.