Author Archive
Companion, a Brooklyn based art pop project with a twist, is the latest endeavour of singer Pepi Ginsberg (from Red and East is East). The process of developing this new sound began around Pepi's home recordings, along with vocal harmonies she created with founding members Anna Thorngate and Amy Carrigan. To flesh out these vocal-centric versions of the songs, she picked up her own guitar and turned to her longtime bass player, Tim Lappin, plus new guitarist Kirk Schoenherr. As we will explore in this interview, the band started to create a sound that incorporated both organic and electronic elements, often including Ginsberg's homemade beats. The lineup was later complimented by Dave Scalia on the drums and Companion is now out and promoting their eponymous debut album.... Click on the title for more
Junkie Tone is a Mexican guitar and bass pedal company that will be participating to The Deli's Stompbox Exhibit at Summer NAMM in a week.
Although we can't find a page with all their products (they don't have a website besides the Facebook page), the boutique manufacturer seems to have at least a few dozens pedals available, including three 'mini' ones and some boxes for bass. One thing that's really great about being Mexican is that their prices are really affordable for the quality you get.... Click on the title for more
The first Stompbox Exhibit at NAMM is next week (Summer NAMM in Nashville!) and we want to take the opportunity to highlight the various boutique manufacturers who will be participating.
Holowon is a small company based in Rochester, NY specializing in hand-built effect pedals. All their designs are 100% originals - no clones or copies - and they currently have 12 stompboxes on their "roster." Their effects utilize complete true bypass switching, hand-built point-to-point circuitry and wiring, virtually indestructible construction, and a lifetime warranty.... Click on the title for more
Ambassadors' music is full and energetic, but they aren’t scared to slow things down and get sensitive from time to time. The sound of this Brooklyn based quartet emanates from drummer Adam Levin’s thunderous grooves and Noah Feldshuh’s powerful and catchy riffs; rounding it up, brothers Sam and Casey Harris fill out the band’s sound. Here is a bit on how they accomplish that while recording.... Click on the title for more
Philly based boutique stompbox manufacturer TSVG just announced the release of the Slow Ride Overdrive/Fuzz, a pedal "designed for endless sustain and gritty yet articulate over driven tones." The pedal will be showcased at the Stompbox exhibit we are organizing at Summer NAMM. The two unmarked knobs are for gain and volume - or so it seems - while the toggle switch acts as a high end filter. The down position will allow the full signal to pass, but the up position cuts most of the bass response. This true bypass effect features AC 128 germanium transistors and Mullard “Tropical Fish” caps throughout. The Slow Ride is built by hand and sells for $200.
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With the new album "Wheel", just fresh out of the oven, NYC songwriter Laura Stevenson decided to up the production value, steering away from the lo-fi approach of her previous two albums. She enlisted producer Kevin McMahon, someone whose work she respected immensely and who would, as she put it, “be the perfect set of ears for these songs.” She also brought in Rob Moose on violin and Kelly Pratt to play brass, adding their own layers of depth to the band’s full arrangements. Despite the move to sleeker production, the album retains its organic nature, relying primarily on the resonance of acoustic instruments and the electricity of simply over-driven amplifiers, with its most synthetic moment coming from a Roland organ, an unconscious decision explained as Laura Stevenson and the Cans’ way of “being real, relying on each other’s energy to keep time and just playing the songs like human beings, flaws and all.”
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