(Fuzz) Face the Truth

Tonefactor Huckleberry V1

Tonefactor / Mojo Hand Hucklerberry Review

Fuzz! You know, that hairy, gnarly, creamy, magic goodness that a few transistors, resistors, and capacitors can slather all over your guitar signal? I love that fuzz! I’ve spent the last few years seeking out the perfect fuzz pedal and I’ve played a lot of them. But for close to nine months now, my go to fuzz has been the Tonefactor Huckleberry. From what I’ve been able to dig up, the Huckleberry is a Fuzz Face circuit with the addition of a Big Muff tone stack. It’s also a hybrid fuzz – meaning it uses one germanium and one silicon transistor. What this all adds up to is a versatile little fuzz that can cover a lot of ground.

I’m playing mainly a mix of humbuckers and P90s these days so keep that in mind while you read my descriptions. Although, because I play mostly Reverends, I have the bass contour control which allows me to roll off some bass and make my humbuckers a little more fuzz-friendly.

The Huckleberry is my go to fuzz for live use now. It’s the first thing in my chain. I tried it before and after my (buffered) Hot Cake and it certainly sounds best with an un-buffered connection. Coming after the buffer, it sounded thinner and didn’t respond nearly as well to rolling off the guitars volume. That said, the sound coming after the buffer could be great for recording. That’s just my reminder that you shouldn’t be afraid to try your pedals in different (unorthodox) orders.

Back to live use, the Huckleberry cuts through amazingly well (something not every fuzz can do). No, it doesn’t sound exactly like a fuzz face, a muff, or a tone bender. But it can get pretty damn close to those first two. And the folks that come to see my band, aren’t the type to say “he totally should have used a Mk II Tonebender for that part!”

So try a Huckleberry. Tonefactor offers a great return policy, but my guess is you won’t be using it. For $150, you simply can’t go wrong.

For more fuzz reading, RG Keen has a great article on the Technology of the Fuzz Face. If you are into fuzz, you should check it out. It’s pretty technical, but should help to understand how such a simple circuit is so magical. Tonefactor Huckleberry review

Ten Songs for a Sunroof Day

It’s nice out. And while risking life (well sneezing and itchy eyes) I drove to work with the sunroof open. And while my commute is generally only three songs long, here are ten songs that are great for a sunroof day. What are you listening to as you drive around with the windows down?

1. Here Comes the Sun Again – M. Ward
2. Asleep on a Sunbeam – Belle and Sebastian
3. He’s Gone – the Grateful Dead
4. Walcott – Vampire Weekend
5. Don’t Look Back – She & Him
6. Take it Easy – Jackson Browne (far superior to the Eagles version, but the P90 family has a pretty low threshold for Don Henley tolerance)
7. Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues – Eels (just ignore the irony in the song)
8. Sausalito – Conor Oberst
9. Blue Sky – The Allman Brothers
10. Texarkana – REM

What do you like to listen on a day like today? 

Fare (not so well) Michael's Pub Pt. II

A few weeks ago, I discussed why I will not miss Michael's Pub. I also covered what I'm looking for in a new tenant/s.

Now I'm getting more specific. There seems to be some speculation that Kimco already has another tenant lined up and that's why they were unwilling to let Michael's downsize. Time will tell. If that's not the case, it seems like they will need to sub-divide the space.

I also read earlier this week that Mother's is looking for a HoCo location. I'd be ok with that.

Other "dream restaurants" include:

1. Lebanese Taverna
2. Dogfish Ale House
3. An actual brew pub
4. A sushi place

What would you like to see in the space once occupied by Michael's?

hocofood@@@

Cell(ar) Outs

I think I’ve posted before about how my beer tastes have changed over the years from dark and malty to pale and hoppy. Well, the same thing that happens every year has happened again. Warmer weather is rolling around and I still have a stock of dark, high ABV beers that seemed like a good idea when I bought them.

Luckily, Draft Magazine has come to my rescue with article on cellaring beer. Read away. So, rather than binge on dark beers, it looks like I’m clearing out a space in a basement corner to let these bottles age gracefully.

And as Poison once said “…lock the cellar door and baby, talk dirty to me.” You can sing the riff to yourself.

And yes, as a nine year-old, I really liked this song.

The More the Merriweather

So, I'm not really digging the Merriweather schedule so far. It's cool that Decemberists and Mumford & Sons are coming. But I've seen Decemberists so many times already (and can't risk hearing the Mariner's Revenge Song ever again). Hint: the Mariner's revenge was that he willed Decemberists to write a horrible horrible grating song and then close every show with it... As for Mumford, I think the album only has about three solid songs.

And I’m totally bummed that the Bright Eyes/M. Ward show is going to Wolf Trap instead of Merriweather. It’s not that I don’t like Wolf Trap. I love it. How can you go wrong with a concert where you bring your own picnic and beer/wine. And where you barter with your neighbors to trade beer for brownies? But I HATE Northern Virginia.  I hate it during the week and I hate it on the weekend. I hate it in the rain, I hate it on a plane. I hate it in a boat, I hate it with a goat.

You get my drift. In fact, I’ve long held that the state slogan accidentally replaced an “s” with a “v.” We all know what they meant to say was Virginia is for Losers.

But rather than sit here and complain about NoVa, I’ll make a list of shows I’d like IMP to pull together for Merriweather for this summer.

1. Wilco – They will have a new album out and I’ve seen some good Wilco shows at Merriweather. They’ll have a new album out.
2. My Morning Jacket – Two years in a row? I hope so! They will also have a new album to support and seeing them at Merriweather last summer was one of my music highlights of the year.
3. Band of Horses with Jayhawks. Yes. These two. Together. They recently played together in the Atlanta area. And aside from me having a hard time coming to terms with Jayhawks opening for BoH, it would be a great pairing. And listening to them in the open air seems like a great idea.
4. Black Keys – I think they are big enough to play Merriweather. If Mumford & Sons can headline, it seems reasonable for Black Keys. Black Keys seem to always play short sets. Maybe combining them with Iron & Wine (full band version) would work. It would certainly be a cool package.
5. Ryan Adams – The king of the train wreck! So he quit music a few year ago to be a “writer.” He’s back!? And playing shows in Europe. I’ve seen him 10+ times. You never know who will show up. He might play for four hours and blow your mind with a blistering set of country/rock with Stones and Gram Parsons covers thrown in. He might have the 9:30 Club setup folding and play Madonna songs on a turntable. He might have a nervous breakdown in the middle of the Meyerhoff, leave the stage for an hour and fifteen minutes and then return and stand on a stool in the middle of the auditorium playing acoustic guitar that only the first five rings of people around him can hear. He might play the same songs three times in a row. He might spend 15 minutes of an hour long set rambling about restaurants needing serve eggs after 10 am, and then play four or five Grateful Dead songs. It doesn’t matter. It will be entertaining. You’ll either have your mind blown, think he’ll be dead in two months, or want to punch him. At least you’ll have an experience.

I have not yet given much thought to who the opening acts should be, but I would enjoy Henry Clay People, the Head and the Heart, and Smith Westerns with any of these bands. hocoblogs@@@

My Band is Playing at Second Chance Saloon

While it's not the point of this blog, it's seems crazy not to use it to advertise my band's upcoming show at the Second Chance Saloon in Columbia, MD on Friday, April 8th at 9:30 PM. Right?

Dogfish Head Weekend of Compelling Ales and Whatnot Pt. 2

Sam - talking about the old days

So, back to those “special tour tickets” I mentioned in my previous post. The Mrs. and I showed up at the Dogfish Head Brewery a little before 10:00 for our 10:30 tour. And going in the door just in front of us was none other than Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head President and Founder)! A few minutes later as we were gathered and getting protective glasses for our tour, it is announced that Sam is our tour guide.

We’d been on the standard DFH brewery tour a few months ago and were bummed to only see a small fraction of the facility. That was not the case this time, we spent an hour and a half with Sam leading us through the facility and talking (quite frankly at times) about the start of the operation, up through the filming of Brew Masters, and plans for the future of the brewery.

so much beer...

Sam discussed the recent decision by Dogfish to pull out of some markets in order to get more beer into some of their closer territories. He touched briefly on the experience of filming Brew Masters but did not address the angle pushed by Anthony Bourdain that Discovery nixed Brew Masters because of threats from “corporate beer.”

Growler of Black & Red

Sam also re-stated the old, "we don't want to be the 60 Minute or Shelter Brewery. We want to be known for all of our beers." And while I'm not a huge fan of some of the Ancient Ales, I think it's great that they are trying new things. I was super excited to hear Sam talk more about Hellhound on My Ale - the beer they are doing with Sony Legacy for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Robert Johnson. I don't want to scoop them on the details, so I'll hold off on details. I will say that the beer is bottled and ready for an "early May release." And I can't wait to try it...

Sam showing off the "Dr. Octagon" hydraulic keg lifter

Most exciting for me, Sam announced that they will be expanding the Rehoboth Beach Brew Pub next year, adding open fermenters, and moving the distillery to an offsite location. It sounds as though they will be using the open fermenters to do more sours and Begian-style beers. He added that they will be adding a new bottling line that will focus entirely on large format (750 ml) bottles. This will save them from having to convert the line when they switch from 12 oz. to 750 ml bottles (a process which stops the line for 3-4 hours). Thanks to the new line, we should start to see more beers in large format.